Preview: Buick plug-in hybrid SUV

Consumer Reports News: August 07, 2009 11:36 AM

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As we've reported here before, GM's two-mode plug-in hybrid will live on. The vehicle was originally expected to be called the Saturn Vue two-mode hybrid, but following the sale of the Saturn division to the Penske Automotive Group, GM now says it will rebrand the vehicle as a Buick. No word on what it will call the model, however.

The switch from Saturn to Buick will delay the vehicle by a year from previous estimates to 2012. GM says all the vehicles will be plug-in hybrids; there will be no standard two-mode version.

The vehicle was expected to be the first application of GM's light, front-wheel-drive two-mode hybrid system. A full hybrid, the two-mode powertrain can power the vehicle on electricity alone at low speeds. The SUV is expected to have an electric-only range of about 10 miles, though the four-cylinder gas engine will start any time the car runs at higher speeds, similar to the way a Toyota Prius works. The two-mode hybrid system was obviously too precious to be tossed away with the Saturn brand.

In response to slow sales earlier this year, GM stopped building the current Saturn Vue hybrid, as well as the Saturn Aura and Chevrolet Malibu hybrids, which shared its mild belt-alternator-starter hybrid system. Conceivably, the vehicles could be revived if demand for them rebounds. However, in our testing, we found the fuel economy benefits to be modest compared to other hybrid vehicles on the market, including the Chevrolet Tahoe hybrid, thereby limiting their appeal.

If successful, a true plug-in could deliver impressive fuel economy. Priced right, it could be a popular alternative to electrified cars. As with the extended-range Chevrolet Volt, the price will prove critical to its success.

—Eric Evarts

Learn about driving green in the Consumer Reports special fuel economy section