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After a busy summer full of volunteering time at Hybridfest, we are set for a late summer Madison Hybrid Group meeting.

Mark Mostrom from Saturn of Madison has offered to share one of their Saturn VUE Greenline Hybrids and even offer test drives.

As always, bring your questions and be ready for a great time!!


Madison Hybrid Group Meeting
Saturday, October 7th
1:00-2:30

Culver's of Madison - Todd Drive
2102 W. Beltline Hwy
Madison, WI 53713

There will be time before and after the meeting for informal discussion.

Topics for the meeting include:
Plug In Hybrids
Hybridfest
Fuel Economy Techniques
Saturn VUE Greenline Hybrid presentation
Test Drives

For a map, go to the Culver's web site ( www.culvers.com )click on "Restaurant Locator" on the right hand column, and then type 53713 in the search field. This will bring up a link to the Location Map.

See you there!

Since I didn't get a chance to do more than glance at the VUE Greenline at Hybridfest as it drove by the MPG Challenge tent, I'm really looking forward to this group meet.

Maybe those guys will finally have drained that gas tank in Oklahoma before Saturday, and Wayne will stop in on his way home. <grin>

Since I didn't get a chance to do more than glance at the VUE Greenline at Hybridfest as it drove by the MPG Challenge tent, I'm really looking forward to this group meet.
Funny, Linda, I thought the same thing!

If you could find a way to have the meet-up closer to the Chicagoland Area, I'd be there in a heartbeat. As it is, from home to Madison is a two-hour heartbeat. Or as my wife puts it, "you're going to burn half a tank of gas to talk about how to save gas?"

Sorry Eric but I have to pass on this one.

No problem Tony!
We all have lots of priorities when it comes to this time of year. I'm lucky to have time to get to the meeting myself. :)
I'll be spending the morning coaching soccer, then grab a quick lunch, and lastly heading over to the meeting (40 minutes from my house.). Hopefully I'll have a bit of time to hang out afterwards, but I'm not making any promises. :)
It'll be good to see some familiar faces at the meeting as well as some new.

THIS JUST IN:
I'll be bringing a 2007 Mercury Mariner Hybrid to the meeting instead of my Insight. Perhaps my boys might come along for the meeting, too. (As long as I buy them some frozen custard!)

Hi All,

Terry is speaking for Wayne here. He is going to come to the meeting if his job does not require him to be on it this weekend coming up.

Linda, Wayne wants to take you out in your Insight to show you some tips on FE driving the same route that was set up for Hybridfest 2006. Maybe I should say he wants to drive your Insight since it is a CVT and would like you to come along on the drive.

Wayne "Xcel"

Hi Tony:

___I am off for the next few days and plan on heading up. You want to car pool if you are free?

___Linda, you are bringing your CVT based Insight so we can go for a little test drive, right ;)

___Terry, thanks for relaying the same message for me.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

It looks now as if I will be able to make it out to the meeting tomorrow. Unfortunately Bradlee has to work that day, but I will be able to attend the meeting if I leave shortly afterwards. I can't wait to see the Vue and Mariner..........and, oh yeah.......all of you at the meeting.

Justin,
Looks like they sent me a Ford Escape Hybrid instead of a Mariner.
Sorry! I guess they think it's the same thing.

Hi All:

___I met with the regulars up at the Madison Hybrid Group Meet yesterday … We discussed HF2006 and HF2007, cold weather tricks and tips to help retain some FE during the colder winter months, discussed the Saturn VUE with a very honest Saturn salesman from a local Saturn dealership, test drove the VUE Greenline, and then took one of the attendees out on a Hypermiling and P&G clinic. You can read about the clinic here (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showpost.php?p=13674&postcount=6).

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/515/Looking_over_the_Saturn_VUE_with_the_Saturn_Salesman.jpg
Saturn VUE Greenline w/ BAS being scrutinized.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/515/Working_End_of_the_Saturn_VUE_Greenline.jpg
Minimal help from the current gauge cluster given what was available for feedback :(

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/515/Saturn_VUE_Greenline.jpg
Saturn Vue Greenline in person.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/515/GM_-_Hybrid_Logo_with_you_know_who.jpg
GM’s hybrid logo - Sorry about getting into the pic ;)

___I missed riding w/ Linda in her CVT based Insight since she left while we were all tooling around in the VUE Greenline.

___The Saturn salesman actually said when he takes a customer out in the Greenline, if they drive without a care in the world, he recommends that they consider the non-hybrid VUE instead. Even with the $650 tax credit which helps offset the under then $2,000 premium when similarly equipped, he believes a hybrid owner should have some semblance of FE saving driving habits to begin with or it will probably not work out for the customer. I thought that was a very honest appraisal of the customer and GM should be proud of salesman like that! As for the Saturn VUE Greenline itself, I will not leave any thoughts of it here but if you search for Pravus Prime’s comments about the VUE Greenline while at HF2006, you will see a duplicate.

___Good Luck

___Wayne