April 18, 2007 - Scoring more than double the points of its nearest midsize competitor, Saturn’s Aura front-wheel-drive, four-door sedan started 2007 off with a bang, being honoured as “North American Car of the Year.”

So how do you keep scoring points with critics and customers?

If you’re Saturn, you introduce a “mild” hybrid version of your award-wining mid-size sedan and slap a Green Line badge on its flanks for good measure.

With fuel consumption forecasted at 8.5/6.2 L/100 km city/highway, Saturn says the Aura Green Line gets 25% better mileage than a standard $24,990 224 h.p. V6 Aura XE. Yet the Green Line costs only $2,300 more.

Admittedly, the Saturn can’t match its competitor’s full-hybrid consumption ratings. And it doesn’t qualify for any of the federal government’s ecoAUTO rebates.



Rebates, or not, the Saturn’s $27,290 base price undercuts the Toyota Camry and Nissan Altima hybrids significantly by $4,610 and $5,708 respectively (the Honda Accord Hybrid’s 253 h.p. V6 and $38,090 pricing put it in another league).

The Aura’s aggressive pricing will allow Saturn dealers to have the lowest priced mid-size hybrid sedan on the Canadian market.

I recently had the chance to be the first Canadian automotive journalist to drive the Aura Green Line. A day of mixed urban and suburban driving through the heart of the city of Toronto, ending up north in Barrie, Ontario, would be a real-world test of the Aura’s long distance commuter car capabilities.

Under the Aura Green Line’s hood is what parent General Motors calls a “mild-hybrid.” It’s the same system found in the current Saturn Vue cute-ute. A combination of a 2.4-litre four-cylinder gasoline engine and an electric motor-generator, the electric motor engages for extra urge only when called upon.



Applied to the bigger Saturn sedan, it’s rated at 164 horsepower, 159 pound-feet of torque and notably mated to a standard four-speed automatic, not a continuously-variable transmission like the Altima or Camry.

Unlike the Nissan or Toyota—which can motor solely on battery power for a short time—hence the better city fuel consumption ratings—the Aura Green Line can’t giddy up on its electric juice alone.

Putting aside the slide rules and abacuses, how did the Aura Green Line stand up to a real, long haul commute? Did Saturn’s desire for parsimonious fuel efficiency remove any of the regular-strength Aura’s already well-known capabilities as a driver’s car?



Like most other hybrids, the Aura Green Line shuts down its gas engine when you decelerate or come to a stop. GM's mild hybrid system also allows the Green Line to retain all of its accessory power when the gas engine shuts down. This relates to the air-conditioning and the radio as well. So sitting in traffic when it’s 35 degrees Celsius won't turn the Aura into a sweat lodge.

Initially off-putting, after awhile you get use to the silence at stop lights. Plus there’s the guilt-free knowledge that you’re not wasting fuel idling.

During the stop-and-go of clogged downtown Toronto traffic, the Saturn’s trip computer numbers weren’t very encouraging. Averaging 17 km/h, I was only getting 15.2 L/100 km of fuel consumption.

So much for saving the planet…



But by the time I ended in Barrie, 90 kilometres away from the Toronto waterfront, the Saturn delivered a respectable 9.7 L/100 km for the trip. And the Aura was luxury-car quiet the whole way, whether in downtown traffic or through the rolling countryside.

Like the full-on gas models, the Aura Green Line delivers a comprehensive feel to its steering and handling, without the expense of a harsh ride. The only driving negative is the tranny needs more gears to match the engine’s smoothness.

For the self-conscious, the Aura Green Line takes the stealth approach in presenting its revolutionary functionality in a conservative, family-sedan form. Although I did draw a few inquisitive looks from those who spotted my Berry Red Aura’s green “Hybrid” badges.



Regardless of the preview drive’s less than challenging route, the Saturn Aura Green Line wasn’t the fuel economy penalty box I had anticipated. For the $27,290 Saturn is asking, the Green Line comes well equipped with dual climate control and 16-inch alloys.

If you agree with the 49 independent automotive journalists from across the U.S. and Canada who already think the Saturn Aura is a winner, but want to maximize your fuel savings, the Green Line is a legitimate, real world alternative.

- John LeBlanc, Publisher, www.straight-six.com

This article originally appeared in The Toronto Star's Wheels.