2007 Vue GreenLine mileage, etc.

[ski4ever]

I've had problems with check - lights going on intermittedly. The latest was the check engine light OnStar couldn't locate a problem, but took it in to the dealer.

They admitted working on the GL was perplexing because it was so new. They did fix the immediate problem.

A nice thing happened when the battery died another time. They sent someone to jump the engine for free. I think being an OnStar member helped here.

As for my gas mileage, I AM DISAPPOINTED!

It has ranged from about 19.5 - to a high of 24mph. I use the cruise control a lot assuming that will help mileage. I am a very conservative driver and believe I should do better. I do admit that being retired and many of our trips are short in duration, and think that is key for our situation.

Our driving is usually about town, but we are still somewhat rural with not as many lights as on a local US h'way (#9) has. Locally we do about 40 - 60 mph, and were told by our dealer that Saturn designed the GL Vue to get optimum mileage at 45 mpg, and for clean emissions and not for high mpg.

Highway mileage doesn't give much of an improvement as on the Parkway or Turnpike most everyone speeds, and we tend to average at least 70.

As an experiment I will try a long trip at night and try to keep it about 55mph. Maybe then I could get the mileage some of you report!

My last car a 2000 Saturn L-100? (4 cyl.) averaged about 24 - 26mpg (when I drove it, not my wife , and got over 32mph once.

I live in Central NJ and do most of our driving without any hills. However I hate the hills as the engine will down shift earlier than necessary (on cruise control especially). and the car surges up to about 5 mph faster, which wastes gas!

I look forward to bringing in the car for the recall, and will keep bugging (a great dealer) to help us to get at least 26 - 28 mpg. They can do marvelous things by reprogramming onboard computers, right?

BTW, we bought the inside bike rack ($149.00) and have room for not only 2 bikes, but a big shopping trip. We love the roominess for a so-called small sized SUV

ski4ever (Jim from Jackson NJ)

[tackepj]

Jim,

If you haven't had the harness update done, do it ASAP. Not only will it (potentially) help your MPG, but it could keep you from being stranded, as some have reported. A few folks have said that after the update, their mileage improved.

Keep in mind that on the GL, cruise control is making your mileage WORSE, not better. As you've noticed, it tends to do a lot of downshifting and "over-compensating" for speed lost on hills. This KILLS your mileage. Have you noticed that using cruise tends to keep the ECO light off quite a bit more? On all but the flattest of roads, keep cruise off. The wacky CC is the only disappointing feature we've noticed on our GL. FYI, we've averaged 28.5 mpg since it was brand new, with a low of 25.5 and a high of 33.2. Since most of the miles (12,500) have been driven by my wife, I can assure you that excessively conservative driving has not been the norm. We also drive primarily on rural/town roads and quite a bit less on the highway.

Have the update done, keep cruise to a minimum, and check your tire pressure. Good luck!

[RadeRad]

We have a 2007 Vue Greenline and are getting a consistent 29-31 mpg. It is a comfortable vehicle to drive, especially on these New England roads.

The Vue had 58000 miles on it; we bought it in 2006. The vehicle has not aged well; within 12,000 the main pulley went and took out the serpentine belt. The door keeps dropping out of alignment and there have been assorted other nits that I would not have expected on a vehicle during lower mileage. Even my key fob has a short in it and needs to be replaced.

We are at 58000 miles / 4 years old. We now have a persistent engine warning light that comes on; one of the few remaining Saturn authorized repair shops does not have the hardware to fully diagnose and repair the hybrid systems, and they indicate the code refers to the hybrid alternator / generating system. They were able to clear the code, but the check engine light came on again this morning.

I am looking for advice on whether it is time to fish or cut bait with this vehicle.

1) How hard is it to clear the code? In older vehicles, turning the ignition key a series of times would display the code and then clear it. Does something like that still exist for this vehicle?

2) Are we at the age of vehicle when, along with tires (worn to the threads), we need to replace the hybrid battery? Have other folks had similar experiences; replaced the battery and the generator began functioning normally again?

So... all you 2007 Saturn Vue Greenline owners out there...

If this is normal wear and tear; and we can get another 30-50k miles out of the Vue by making these repairs (hybrid battery, tires, KEY FOB, etc...) then fine. When we bought it four years ago, we decided that replacing a hybrid battery would be part of the maintenance plan "down the road"; if we are down that road.

If the alternator / generator and the rest of the mechanics of the hybrid system need replaced, then I suspect the vehicle as a whole will be short on our list for replacement.

What experiences / advice have you folks had that you can share?

Thanks in advance,
Rade

[tackepj]

Rade,

I wouldn't suspect that your battery needs replacement, and if it does, all your hybrid components are covered for 8 years and 100k miles. Keep in mind that the Chevy Malibu Hybrid has a similar powertrain, so if you suspect your dealer will have trouble repairing it, you can take it for warranty work to the Chevy dealer. I would do that before attempting to clear any codes--they are there for a reason and should be diagnosed rather than just cleared. Did you have the recall done? Your battery should have been replaced at that point. If you still have your original battery, the recall will undoubtedly solve your problem.

We are at 53,000 and enjoying similarly good mileage. Even the tires show little wear. Very few people have reported any trouble following the recall (there was a manufacturing flaw with the original batteries that needed to be fixed). On a mileage tracking database, users have crested 100k miles with no significant trouble on a 2007 VUE GL.

[RadeRad]

THANK YOU!!!!! I pulled ALL the warranty cards from the Vue and there it is on page 10!!! 8 yr / 100,000 mile! WHEW!!!!!!!

We have an appointment Friday with the only remaining regional dealership who can handle hybrids.