2008 Saturn VUE Green Line

The common opinion among hybrid connoisseurs is that "weak" hybrids such as this VUE Green Line just don't rate. "They're better than nothing," these gurus of gas-saving will grudgingly confess, "but...not by much." Well, that "not much" might just be a whole lot more important than you think -- and we'll get to that. But first, let's inspect this, the most affordable hybrid SUV your dollar can buy as gasoline edges toward four bucks a gallon.

Popping the hood you'll find -- if you can see past all that confusingly designed plastic shrouding -- a conventional engine, what looks like an electric motor, a belt between the two, and a tray of supervising electrics that makes sure the hydrocarbon side of things plays nice with the electron side. If you've pulled your hair out trying to figure out Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive, this thing looks to be duck soup.

In a sense, it amounts to "hybrid helper." The little electric motor restarts the engine upon release of the brakes; it helps during low-speed acceleration; the transmission can attain and hold top gear sooner and longer while cruising; and it reclaims a smidgen of the VUE's kinetic energy under braking. It does none of these things as profoundly as a hybrid possessing a big electric motor or one that artfully interplays the gas and electric systems via an interposed CVT. But it's "better than nothing."

How much does it help? These are tricky waters for a calculator, but let's first consider the VUE's four-engine powertrain lineup. The base engine is a 160-hp, 2.4L I-4, next is our 167-hp, 2.4L hybrid, a 222-hp, 3.6L V-6 follows, and at the top is a 257-hp, 3.6L V-6. If we were to interpolate, or linearly predict, the base price and mileage we'd expect from a 172-hp engine based on the numbers from the engines that bookend it (the base 2.4 and the 3.5 -- I know, I'm mixing engine types and a minor equipment variations), a broad-brush estimate would be 21.1 EPA combined mpg and a base price of $22,227. The VUE Green Line actually achieves 27.7 combined mpg and costs $25,995. Okay, so that's $3768 for an extra 6.6 mpg compared with the base-engined VUE.

If we use a nice round number like $4/gallon and a usage of 15,000 miles per year, the pay-down time is 5.6 years. But wait! There's also a $650 federal tax credit to consider, which drops the number to 4.6 years. And that's assuming a steady price of $4/gal gasoline four years from now. How many of you think that'll happen? Raise your hands. If you have one up, I suggest you read a newspaper once in a while.