Vue GL in winter conditions?
 

Hi everyone,

I am a new member and am considering a new Saturn Vue Green Line (0% is hard to pass up!). I have been looking around a bit, but couldn't find any good opinions on how it handles in the winter. I live in Michigan and have an hour long commute each way, so driving in terrible weather is par for the course. I have test driven the AWD v6 and came away impressed with everything except the dismal MPG. That's kind of where the Green Line entered the picutre and I was hoping to get some opinions from owners. If the reviews are mixed I might consider waiting for the 2010 Chevy Equinox. I have read that the Equinox will be capable of 20 city & 27 highway with the 4 banger and AWD. Any opions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

Re: Vue GL in winter conditions?
 

You could get a great Vue GreenLIne, or a Lemon such as the one I purchased. There's no way you can find that out, until you buy. My 2007 Vue Hybrid has been in the shop 17 times in 20 months. Mostly for battery and engine problems, which have been extreme safety issues. I'm having a BuyBack as I type this message.

Any vehicle you purchase, new or used, you could be getting a great car, or one that has problems. If you do consider a Vue Hybrid, take this into consideration. The 0% interest was my big issue and pulled me in, with the high MPG. I've averaged only 20-24 mpg throughout ownership, regardless of usage.

Good luck. I hope you get a great car!

Re: Vue GL in winter conditions?
 

Also, my 2007 Vue Hybrid did great in the snow, rain, etc. Handled well, when the engine wasn't shutting off and restarting itself. Which happened more than it should have and the dealer still hasn't been able to located the 'why'. Talk about scarry!!

Again, good luck.

Re: Vue GL in winter conditions?
 

While - Maryland does not have server winter weather - my Vue performes well. MPG's will go down and the auto stop does not come on as often. The traction control has kicked in a few times in the slippery conditions. Overall I am happy with the Winter performance.

Re: Vue GL in winter conditions?
 

Hi there! We live in Southern Ontario and this has been the worst winter here in over a decade. That being said, our 2007 GL performed absolutely great with just all season tires. In more than a few cases it just cruised through six and eight inch snow (granted you have to be careful as it can slip a bit) and even managed to show ECO mode. The traction control while starting from a stop was reliable and we never got stuck once. :-)

We had one particular bad half tank of mileage during a week long snow storm. With only city driving in the snow we eked out a miserable 18.866 USMPG (22.7 ImpMPG). With temperatures hovering between 0 F and 10 F the average was 23 USMPG (28 ImpMPG). Remember, this was mostly urban/city driving. Even now Auto-stop is kicking in after about 10 minutes of driving while during the harsh weather it wouldn't kick in until 15 to 20 minutes had passed.

Hope this helps.

Re: Vue GL in winter conditions?
 

Our 2007 VGL has been great over the years.
The mpg has recently gotten back up into the low 30's in mixed city-hwy driving, with a high of about 34 mpg. However, in the winter, it averaged closer to 24-27 mpgs.
Does anyone know exactly why mileage is so different in the cold? or what I can do about it? I understand having to warm up the engine, but even on tanks with long trips, the mpg is about 5 mpg lower than in the non-winter months.

Re: Vue GL in winter conditions?
 

The Temperature and the Battery performance are in a direct correlation. As the temperature goes down the battery does not perform as well. 60 degrees F is the tipping point. If temps are above 60 I find excellent battery assist. If the temps are below 60 the battery does not kick in as much.

When I was growing up we used to place unused batteries in the refrigerator to keep them fresh. The cold temps would not drain them as fast as sitting in a drawer. I find the Vue’s Hybrid battery works the same way. The cold weather slows the battery's performance.

What can be done? Garage your car during the winter if possible. That will help to start the Hybrid out warmer. Heater for the engine block is another choice. Other than that – there is not much you can do.

I also think poor mpg’s over the winter is also due to winter gas. It burns differently than summer gas.

Here are my numbers for Cold and Warm weather as of 5/11/2009.

Cold Weather Nov 1 - Feb 28 23,823.1 miles 31.112 mpg
Warm Weather Mar 1 - Oct 31 47,869.9 miles 32.995 mpg

I have a chart by month that illustrates my mpg's and you can see the dips during the winter months. Unfortunately, I can not embed the chart in this response.