Apple is running a brilliant TV spot starring nerdy John Hodgman and geeky Justin Long in the lead roles of “PC” and “Mac.” PC is a meek, troubled soul while Mac is a confident smooth talker. The takeaway is that PCs are half-heartedly engineered, high-maintenance, and undesirable. The automotive corollary might be the Saturn Vue Green Line in the role of PC and the Toyota Prius as Mac. We drove a Saturn Vue Green Line around Los Angeles for a week, and can't think of many reasons to recommend what comes across as a slapped-together patch designed to deflect criticism for GM's tardiness to the hybrid game.

The Saturn Vue Green Line is GM's first production hybrid, blending a 2.4-liter gasoline engine with a basic electric assist motor and nickel metal hydride battery pack. It includes regenerative braking to recharge the battery pack, and has an auto-stop feature to automatically shut off the gasoline engine when sitting at a traffic light or in traffic. It is a mild hybrid that cannot be driven on battery power alone. An “eco” light in the gauge cluster tells the driver when fuel economy is maximized, but the Green Line does not include an average fuel economy display or power meter like other hybrids. The Green Line is $3,225 more expensive than a Vue four-cylinder with an automatic transmission.

Despite cabin upgrades for 2006, the Vue is a mediocre piece of design and engineering. Dynamically the Vue feels dull and ponderous, light and disconnected all at the same time. The electric steering is awful, providing zero feel for the road or the degree to which the front wheels might be turned. The brakes feel OK until the regenerative feature abruptly cycles on and off, suddenly cutting or lengthening stopping distances at whim. Ride quality is decent, and you get the sense that there is a fundamentally sound SUV under all the compromise-by-committee execution.

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