I have a Saturn Vue, FWD, 5-speed manual. The sticker says mileage of 29 on the highway, but, of course, I get less. Still, I find that I get around 25 mpg overall, which is impressive (as it's city and highway).

The Vue hybrid is also a FWD only vehicle (which is a bit of a strike as no 4WD version is available). Owners on Saturn forums, so far, are not impressed. The vehicle bounces from 21-27 mpg. In other words, the hybrid is very similar to the 5-speed manual. There doesn't seem to be any real difference, other than price.

Granted, the Vue hybrid is far less expensive than the FEH or especially the Toyota Highlander hybrid, but FEH owners are reporting mpg in the 30's, not 20's. There is an obvious difference between the FEH and normal Escape in terms of mileage, whereas, from what I've read of Saturn owners (and being one myself), this is not true for the Vue.

Therefore, if GM really wants to compete, they have to do a LOT better job on their hybrids than what they are doing now. To get, at best, 2-3 mpg more than the non-hybrid version (and even that's not guaranteed), will not have buyers rushing for those vehicles.

Perhaps their plug-ins will be better, but I'm not sure how buyers will respond there either. I think the huge advantage of Prius or FEH or Highlander Hybrid and even the Vue hybrid, is that they do NOT have to be plugged in. People can treat them just like their normal cars (relatively speaking). If someone forgets to plug in their car at night, will they be unable to get to work in the morning? I know this will be a concern with buyers.

In other words, GM is not only late to the "hybrid game", but they have work to do.