Vue Green Line 2 Mode Hybrid Gets V6 Power

Saturn is gunning for the title of the most fuel-efficient V6-powered sport utility vehicle

Vue finally becomes a full hybrid capable of powering itself on electricity alone. (Photo: Saturn)

on the planet with its Vue Green Line 2 Mode Hybrid. This greenest of green Vues will not replace the current Vue Green Line hybrid, but rather it will boost Saturn's offering and act as the halo model for both the Saturn family and the Vue product line.

While the regular Vue Green Line is powered by a 2.4-liter inline-four with the BAS mild hybrid system, the 2 Mode Hybrid version uses a much bigger, more powerful and more advanced engine. It will feature the same 3.6-liter V6 with VVT and direct injection as featured in Cadillac CTS Di, which comes as a surprise. Although net horsepower and torque figures have not been announced, it certainly sounds like the most powerful car that Saturn has ever made and will allow the Vue 2 Mode Hybrid to sprint to 60 mph in 7.3 seconds. Its tow rating of 3,500 lbs gives nothing up to the standard Vue V6.

2 Mode is powered not by a four-cylinder engine but an advanced V6 with direct injection. (Photo: Saturn)

The Vue 2 Mode Hybrid marks the first application of the 2 Mode Hybrid system in a vehicle without a V8 engine, and it's the first time that it has been featured in a front wheel drive car (yes, it'll be FWD-only). General Motors has adapted the two-mode system's four fixed gear ratios and two electric motors into the housing of the Vue's standard transmission, and has fitted the battery pack, consisting of nickel metal hydride batteries, below the trunk's floor. The 2 Mode Hybrid technology allows this particular Vue Green Line to do something no Saturn Green Line has ever done before – drive solely on electrical power. This major breakthrough is part of what allows Saturn to claim 50-percent better fuel economy than the standard V6 version, backed with a driving range of more than 500 miles. So far, there has been no mention when a plug-in version will be available, although Saturn promises it's on the way.

It will take a more luxurious role in the Saturn hybrid family. (Photo: Saturn)

The Vue Green Line 2 Mode Hybrid will look pretty much identical to the regular Vue Green Line, but for a few minor details such as chrome-plated door handles, and chrome-plated exhaust tips and bumper guards. Inside, the top-line Green Line features different instrumentation, the standard cluster's tachometer replaced by a new gauge that displays what's occurring with the hybrid drivetrain. Because the Green Line 2 Mode Hybrid will be a range-topping model, it will be well equipped with all of the goodies available to the regular Vue, like leather-trimmed seats and a navigation system. If the nav system is equipped, it can display a live operating schematic of the hybrid drivetrain system.

The Vue Green Line 2 Mode Hybrid will enter production later this year and arrive in dealerships by the end of 2008.

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