Hi folks,
In my book, it all comes down to individual needs and driving habits.
I studied both Escape and Vue Hybrids before making a decision for my own specific needs and here are the highlights of why I leaned more towards the 2008 Saturn Vue:
Since I mostly do highway driving...
1- Need to have the best highway fuel consumption rating;
2- Need the best fuel range capacity on a single tank;
3- Need to have the best financing rate.
4- Also, a "nice to have" is at least 1500lbs of towing capacity option (minimum for a small trailer tent and the Escape is limited to 1000lbs...).
Was looking for the fuel consumption range of a Pontiac Vibe but needed the storage space of a minivan (was returning Venture rental van because of ludicrous gas prices)...
So the best compromise was a compact SUV and between these two Hybrids:
2008 Saturn VUE Hybrid Front-wheel Drive
VS
2008 Ford Escape Hybrid 4dr Front-wheel Drive
Vue Escape
Price (MSRP)* $30,790 $31,499
Engine 2.4L I-4 2.3L I-4
Engine 2.4L I-4 2.3L I-4
Horsepower 172 @ 5,800 rpm 133 @ 6,000 rpm
Torque 167 @ 4,500 rpm 124 @ 4,250 rpm
Fuel economy city 8.2 L/100 km 5.7 L/100 km
Fuel economy highway 6.1 L/100 km 6.7 L/100 km
Towing capacity 680 kg (1500lbs) 454 kg (1000lbs)
Fuel tank 73.8 L 57.0 L
(68.1L manual spec)
Min range (km) 830 1000
Max range (km) 1116 851
The choice was clear for my needs and driving the 2008 Vue for the last 8000km has been a great experience for me and in line with my expectations.
I must say that the best highway fuel economy average over 200km that I managed to get by modifying my driving habits and not exceeding the speed of 100km/h got me down to 6.2 L/100km and for a compact SUV, that's more than good enough for me.
Going on vacation and driving to the east coast (mostly highway with significant sustained hills going through the White Mountains) and some city driving at destination got me 850km on a single tank.
Also, the best highway driving conditions I reached was 1050km so far when the trip and range meters were added at some point before reaching city driving conditions...
On the other hand, if I go back to my previous old driving habits (hit on the gas and brakes a lot and exceed 100km/h), then the fuel consumption goes through the roof and well above 9-10 L/100km and it seems to take forever for the average to get back down after I go back to my new driving habits. Increased city driving for typical stop and go accelerations just seems to kill the fuel consumption score/rate too; however I guess that's what can be expected from any gas powered solution.
So for people that would need to select between these two models for significant city driving, my guess is that fuel consumption will most likely translate to better figures (according to specs) on the Ford Escape; however until we go full electric, I suspect that driving habits will continue to play an important factor in the equation whether you go Hybrid or not. (But that's another story...)
BTW As reported earlier in this forum tread, I also encountered on a few (2-3) separate occasions the intriguing "no flashing sound" when the turn signal is activated (either side, right or left or even if I try the hazards) and the only thing that I did both times this happened, is that I may have been playing with the onboard computer display switching around the monitoring options (instant & average consumption, tire pressure, compass...) while starting the car with the ignition key. Don't know if this is repeatable (have not tried to duplicate) but that's the only common action that I recall doing when I saw this glitch.
In any event, for me that's not a big deal and definitively not a show stopper since the light in the dash confirms the flasher is working and the light from the actual flasher outside worked as well when this happened. Moreover, the flasher sound eventually came back (right after or the next day? I forget...) on subsequent restart(s).
One last comment on highway speed vs fuel consumption:
When I reach cruising speed at 100km/h and driving on a flat surface and in a straight line (on a calm day, no wind...), the "in dash" efficient fuel consumption green light will stay on 100% of the time telling me that I am at par or better than the target reported efficient fuel consumption rate; however going up a hill or hitting the gas to accelerate will shut off this light and remind me about sticking to my new driving habits. That is a great tool to have and every car should have it (Hybrid or not!)...
Finally, for typical highway driving conditions at 100km/h, I would say that the light is on most of the time, however, if I cruise at 110km/h, I would say it turns off more or less half the time and at 120km/h, I would estimate that the light is on less then half the time reporting the obvious fact that I am clearly out of the target fuel efficiency zone.
This experience has thought me a lot about my driving habits and if I had to do it all over again, I would choose the same path. I would however not recommend this compact SUV for stressed drivers or anyone that expects to get the reported fuel consumption spec ratings without changing their driving habits.
The performance of the Vue hybrid is better than the regular 4 cylinder model and available when you need it, but you just have to use it wisely knowing the impact on fuel consumption down the road.
In any event, I hope that sharing my experience with everybody will help people figure out whether the Vue is right for them or not based on individual needs and mind set on changing driving habits.
Sincerely, a happy Canadian Saturn Vue Hybrid customer.
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