DRIVE-TIME: SATURN AURA GREEN LINE SATURN'S PLEASING ECO-SEDAN AURA GREEN LINE DOESN'T WEAR 'HYBRID' ON SLEEVE.Byline: GREGORY J. WILCOX Staff Writer As a hedge against rising gasoline prices and a long workday commute, a former colleague and golfing buddy traded his SUV for a Toyota Prius The Toyota Prius is a hybrid electric vehicle developed and manufactured by the Toyota Motor Corporation, and one of the first such vehicles to be mass-produced and marketed. The Prius first went on sale in Japan in 1997, and worldwide in 2001. . Then he sprung for a vanity license plate -- GEEK SHK SHK Shank SHK ShrinkIt (compression file format/extension) SHK Speaker of the House of Keys (Tynwald, IOM, UK) SHK Sun Hung Kai & Co. Ltd. . OK, he's poking fun at himself, not the car. Saturn's entry into the increasingly popular hybrid market, the Aura Green Line, tends to the chic side of the styling equation, though. The Prius profile practically screams "Hey, I'm eco-friendly." ("Eco" in this case stands for both ecological and economical.) Save for a little green "H" in hybrid badging, the Aura Green Line doesn't look any different than its midsize cousin, which was named North American Car of the Year The North American Car of the Year is an automobile award voted annually in January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The jury consists of 48 automotive journalists. by a jury of 49 auto writers in the U.S. and Canada. The Aura is a stylish sedan on the outside and promises to be a skinflint, energy-wise, on the inside. The hybrid's Ecotec 2.4 liter inline four-cylinder powertrain kicks out 164 horsepower when whipped to 5,000 rpm. It's no slouch slouch v. slouched, slouch·ing, slouch·es v.intr. 1. To sit, stand, or walk with an awkward, drooping, excessively relaxed posture. 2. To droop or hang carelessly, as a hat. v. getting up to freeway speeds or maintaining them. And it handled the climb up the Conejo Grade from Camarillo with ease, overtaking several larger, more powerful SUVs. GM says the Aura Green Line will produce about 25 percent better fuel economy that the non-hybrid XE model. The hybrid costs $2,500 more, though. But it's not all that miserly mi·ser·ly adj. Of, relating to, or characteristic of a miser; avaricious or penurious. mi  ser·li·ness n.Adj. 1. . On a recent weekend trip of 383.9 miles, the Aura hybrid power Hybrid Power in this context describes the combination of a power producer and the means to store that power in an energy storage medium. In power engineering, the term 'hybrid' does not mean a "method," such as the popular use of hybrid to mean a vehicle like the Toyota plant averaged 27.4 miles per gallon Noun 1. miles per gallon - the distance traveled in a vehicle powered by one gallon of gasoline or diesel fuel unit, unit of measurement - any division of quantity accepted as a standard of measurement or exchange; "the dollar is the United States unit of . On a full tank of gas it promises not to peter out until 455 miles. But the hybrid engine probably is at its fuel-efficient best in city driving. According to the Automotive Addicts blog, the Aura delivers an EPA- estimated 28 mpg around the city and 35 mpg on the highway, about the same as the Honda Accord Hybrid This page is about this vehicle's hybrid model, see Honda Accord for main article and Honda Accord (USDM) for the North American model The Honda Accord Hybrid is a Hybrid vehicle version of the North American Honda Accord. but less than the Toyota Camry Hybrid's 40/38 mpg. We didn't match that, but climbing some major hills and grades likely eroded the mileage a bit. The cabin is roomy enough for four adults, and the front seats are comfortable. All controls are within easy reach of the driver and the center console contains a two-tiered storage area. A driver information center, operated by a button on the left side of the steering wheel, will display miles per gallon and how many miles are left in the tank and batteries. The suspension provides a good ride and sporty handling. GM calls this a "mild hybrid" system. The electric component supplements the gasoline engine and the car never runs on the battery alone, like the Prius does. The hybrid system skimps on fuel by: Shutting down the engine when the vehicle stops to reduce idling time. Restarting the engine when the brake pedal is released. Shutting off fuel during deceleration deceleration /de·cel·er·a·tion/ (de-sel?er-a´shun) decrease in rate or speed. early deceleration . Capturing the vehicle's kinetic energy kinetic energy: see energy. kinetic energy Form of energy that an object has by reason of its motion. The kind of motion may be translation (motion along a path from one place to another), rotation about an axis, vibration, or any combination of during deceleration through regenerative braking. This charges the advanced nickel metal hydride (NiMH) A rechargeable battery technology that has approximately 30-50% more charge per pound than nickel cadmium. Introduced in the early 1990s, it uses nickel and metal hydride plates with potassium hydroxide as the electrolyte. battery. Charging the battery at the most efficient time. As for the battery, a needle gauge opposite the fuel gauge indicates when charging is taking place (the needle swings downward) and when the battery is providing power assistance (the needle swings upward.) A little green Eco symbol illuminates on the dash when the Aura is operating in a fuel-efficient mode. Other than the light, needle and a slight shudder sensation when stopping, this car feels like a regular old sedan. That's because the hybrid system keeps all the accessories running when the car is stopped, including the air conditioning. The latter system features two modes: hybrid A/C provides more fuel efficiency, and the normal mode pumps out maximum cooling and enhances defogging when needed. "If you're looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. a hybrid on the cheap and want a sedan, the Aura Green Line, which starts at $22,695, is a sensible choice that doesn't ask the owner to make any significant compromises," said the Web site KickingTires.com. greg.wilcox(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3743 Saturn Aura Green Line TOP SPEED: 140 mph ENGINE: 2.4 liter Ecotec Inline 4 TRANSMISSION: 4-speed automatic with overdrive BRAKES: Antilock an·ti·lock adj. Of or being a motor vehicle braking system that electronically monitors and adjusts individual wheel speeds during braking to prevent the wheels from locking. FUEL ECONOMY: 28 city/35 highway PRICE: $22,695 base TRIVIA: Introduced at the Los Angeles Auto Show. THE WIFE SAYS: "What's that?" as the auto stop feature shut off the engine with a small shudder. (I explained the energy-saving feature.) "That's cool. It runs just like a regular car." THE MANUEL SAYS: One of the biggest problems with city streets is the amount of traffic on them. SOURCE: Daily News research COMING NEXT WEEK: A day at the track CAPTION(S): 2 photos, box Photo: (1 -- color) The Aura Green Line has plenty of power for freeway speeds but averaged just 27.4 mpg on a recent road trip. (2 -- color) Under the hood under the hood - [hot-rodder talk] 1. The underlying implementation of a product (hardware, software, or idea). Implies that the implementation is not intuitively obvious from the appearance, but the speaker is about to enable the listener to grok it. of the Saturn Aura is a 2.4-liter, Ecotec Inline 4. Greg Wilcox/Daily News Box: Saturn Aura Green Line (see text) |
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