A Green Sort of Glow

Saturn should consider itself one of the luckiest of GM's brands.

This is GM's way of getting more people into hybrids. The midsize segment is currently a hotbed for gas-electric hybrids. (Photo: GM)

Aside from receiving the most attention in its revolution process, it has also been given some of parent company General Motors' strongest products, ranging from a brand new crossover vehicle, the Outlook, to a sporty, drop-dead gorgeous roadster, the Sky. Continuing on the path, Saturn has just received its second hybrid after the recently introduced VUE Green Line. The upcoming Aura Green Line also marks GM's first non-SUV or pickup HEV.

The main premise behind the Aura Green Line can be summed up in three words: price, price, price."The introduction of the Aura Green Line broadens Saturn's commitment to customers of enabling them to drive green without going broke,"said Saturn General Manager Jill Lajdziak."With Green Line variants of both Aura and Vue, Saturn again demonstrates that environmental products can also be a great value."

The

It's the blandest of Auras, but an Aura nonetheless. (Photo: GM)

Green Line is the quietest looking Aura of the range. Aside from the cool green and silver Hybrid logo, and the Green Line square badge, there is nothing that betrays the environmentally friendly nature of this version. That means no body kit, no fancy tail lamps, no chrome garnishes or even revised body components to help it cut through the air. It's just a plain Aura, which should please those looking to sneak by in fuel-efficient quietness. There is one exclusive to the Green Line though, and it comes in the form of the wheels that it drives on. Instead of thespangly17-inch brushed alloys that come standard on the base XE model, they have been downgraded to modest and Impala-esque 16-inch rims on high-profile sidewall Goodyear tires.

Being that the Aura is aiming to heavily undercut its rivals on the price point, the Green Line model doesn't have any of the surprise and delight appearance features that we've come to love in the Aura; at least not with the model that debuted in LA last week. A quick look around the cabin shows that the sumptuous Morroco Brown leather has been swapped out in favour of GM corporate gray cloth. Not surprisingly, wood trim is absent, swapped for standard silver-finish plastic. I think if I started referring to the Green Line as theGL, most people would think that I was referring to nothing more than a base trim level.

There is one thing that's different though, the gauges have been changed ever so slightly. To the left of

The story is the same in the cabin. Looks good, but the materials aren't the same as in the top-line car. (Photo: GM)

the speedometer, the tachometer's scale has been reduced to incorporate extra space for an idle-stop display. On the right, the temperature gauge has been exchanged for a power meter that shows the state of the car's hybrid system that highlights when the system is boosting or charging. A quick glance around shows that all the usual goodies expected of cars in the midsize class are present, from cruise control to a CD-stereo system with an auxiliary input jack. The Aura does benefit from having digital climate control, though, a nicety that most consumers will appreciate. Unfortunately, a large-format LCD display system that portrays the inner-workings of the hybrid system, such as those found in the Toyota Prius  and various Lexus hybrids won't be available.


As with the current VUE Green Line, the Aura is what's called a

Simple badging doesn't give much away about what's under the hood. (Photo: GM)

"mild hybrid", which means that the car cannot run on pure electricity. The electric components merely assist the car when accelerating, which helps to take the load off the gasoline portion of the drivetrain. With the fossil-fuel side of the equation running on a lighter load, fuel use and emissions are decreased. Though the Green Line's mild hybrid system is not as effective as the competitions' full hybrids - or GM's own Two Mode Hybrid which will be coming to the Saturn range with next year's Vue Green Line - the Aura's system is in place to make a good compromise between cost and pollution abatement. In other words, it makes it easy for a buyer to justify splurging. The price differentiation makes it seem as if it's more of an option, rather than an entirely new car.

It has all of the typical hybrid goodies, mind you, such as an integrated starter generator that shuts the engine off when the car reaches a stop to prevent it from idling, plus the ability to keep functioning all of the electrical goodies while the motor is shut off. That means that you won't need to sweat it out while waiting at stop lights in the summer heat as the A/C won't shut off with the car, or vice-versa in the winter with the heater. That generator takes the kinetic energy and recaptures it upon braking, recharging the batteries.

What's under the hood of the Aura Green Line is exactly the same

And what's under the hood? The same as what's in the VUE Green Line. (Photo: GM)

as what can be found in the VUE Green Line. The gas motor is a 2.4-litre inline-four engine that is assisted by the aforementioned electrical motor. Together they make a total output of 164 horsepower and 159 lb-ft of torque, which is just about average for a midsize four-cylinder car. The package is mated to a traditional four-speed automatic gearbox, but it won't have the cool thumb-operated paddles for manual mode.

Given that the VUE Green Line weighs less than a bone-stock base Aura with the 3.5-litre pushrod engine, expect the sedan's performance to be slightly off the pace of the little SUV, and a fair bit slower than the base Aura. Unfortunately, that makes it the slowest vehicle in the Aura range as Saturn doesn't offer a four-cylinder alternative to the Aura. On the plus side, because it has a regular automatic and not a CVT, the Aura should please those consumers not yet inured to single-gear transmissions. The car won't be subject to the "rubber band" effect, a situation where the engine's speed climbs at a rate disproportionate to the vehicle's acceleration.

GM hasn't yet released any exact figures as to what the Aura Green

New gauges to the left and right of the speedo show the inner workings of the hybrid system. (Photo: GM)

Line is capable of, although the automaker has touted that the hybrid variant is 25-percent more fuel efficient than the 3.5-litre XE model. That version is rated at 11.5 L/100 km (25 mpg) in the city and 7.2 L/100 km (39 mpg) on the highway. To save you the math, that improvement would bump the Aura up to 9.2 L/100 km (31 mpg) in the city and 5.8 L/100 km (49 mpg) on the highway, though the gains will most likely be skewed towards the city as that's where the hybrid's engine-stop function and electrical assist will make the most difference.

So, standing-start performance won't set your hair on fire but with the exception of high-powered V6 hybrids, HEV's rarely do. On the contrary, the driving experience should be something to look forward too, especially in the ranks of hybrid vehicles. Many of our staff have tried out the Aura and to our delight, found that it was actually a decent driving machine. Its rigid chassis, well-damped suspension and direct steering allow this GM midsize to keep up with the best in this pack, while distancing it from some of the first-generation Epsilon cars, such as the Chevrolet Malibu, which were mostly about cruising in comfort.


The Aura's list of standard safety features includes front, side and curtain airbags - a good start - followed by standard four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, plus OnStar and stability control.

Saturn is looking to fast-forward its Hybrid regime, and is working to

You're looking at what's going to be the cheapest midsize hybrid on the market. (Photo: GM)

put the Aura Green Line into dealers as fast as it can. The first cars to roll out of the Fairfax, VA assembly plant will arrive in dealerships when things appropriately start to get a little greener all-round, this coming spring. Getting back to the matter of pricing, Saturn wants to be able to sell its latest Green Line at a premium of less than $2,500 U.S. dollars over the base XE model. That would equate to a starting MSRP of less than $23,000 USD. Canadian pricing has not yet been announced, but we estimate it will start around the $27,000 mark. Lastly, the greenest midsize Saturn will eventually be joined by a hybrid version of the next-generation Malibu that will feature the same drivetrain components.

Specifications (Aura Green Line):

• Base Price Range (est. MSRP): $27,000 - $30,000
• Body Type: 4-door sedan
• Layout: front engine, FWD
• Engine (combined): 164-hp, 159 lb-ft of torque, 2.4L, 16-valve DOHC I-4 Gasoline-Electric Hybrid
• Transmission: 4-spd auto
  
• Curb Weight (est.): 1,600 kg (3,528 lbs)
• Tires: 225/60R16
• Brakes (front/rear): disc/disc, ABS
• Dimensions (L/W/H/WB): 4,851 / 1,786 / 1,464 / 2,852 mm (191.0 / 70.4 / 57.6 / 112.3 in)
• Fuel Economy (est. city/hwy): 9.2 / 5.8 L/100 km
• Competitors: Honda Accord Hybrid, Nissan Altima Hybrid, Toyota Camry Hybrid / Toyota Prius
  
• Website: www.gmcanada.com