Saturn Aura Review (Car Connection)

[MNdudeswitz]

2007 Saturn Aura

A sedan to be proud of

There's something new in the air at Saturn, but can the Aura finally give General Motors' maverick brand the kick it has long and desperately needed?

http://www.thecarconnection.com/Vehi...80.A10775.html

[GM>Toyota]

I hope this car becomes a sales success.

[GM>Toyota]

Is this an american reviewer or canadian?

[Jkujo]

I will hold judgement on this vehicle until I see how the Lienert's "He said, She said" blows this car up and compares it to a Lexus LS430 or a Mercedes. I think that for the money this car should do well. No mention of the Red Line by anyone is puzzling, however, the Green Line will be a welcome competitor.

[suckstobeyou]

can't wait for the media's reaction to this. I'm sure some smart ass is going to find that the radio knob feels cheap and advise everybody not to buy the car because of that.

[mjd1001]

Originally Posted by Jkujo

I will hold judgement on this vehicle until I see how the Lienert's "He said, She said" blows this car up and compares it to a Lexus LS430 or a Mercedes. I think that for the money this car should do well. No mention of the Red Line by anyone is puzzling, however, the Green Line will be a welcome competitor.

Hopefully the Redline will be coming next year, even with only a slight to moderate HP boost. I'm thinking the Direct injection version of the 3.6 (with about 20 more HP) along with sportier wheels and ground effects would do the trick.

Personally, I'm just hoping that engine becomes available and goes in the G6 coupe...making it a GXP. That is the car I'd want (as long as they redesign the dash/center stack on the G6 also...the current one in the G6 just takes all of the life out of the entire car for me).

[91fairladyZ]

Originally Posted by mjd1001

Personally, I'm just hoping that engine becomes available and goes in the G6 coupe...making it a GXP. That is the car I'd want (as long as they redesign the dash/center stack on the G6 also...the current one in the G6 just takes all of the life out of the entire car for me).

With a Stick!

[dindak]

This is the first GM car since the Intrigue that has me excited. I will very likely buy an XR in about a year. Hopefully they will have other 18" rim choices by then also.

If the XE gets a 6-speed auto also, I would consider it.

[01cavalier]

As usual, another good review on the car. I'm going to have to go check it out for myself, though it is great to see Saturn start to become what it should have always been.

[toronado10]

I hope this car lives up to all the hype. It would have to be damn good to do it.

[yamahr1]

Originally Posted by suckstobeyou

can't wait for the media's reaction to this. I'm sure some smart ass is going to find that the radio knob feels cheap and advise everybody not to buy the car because of that.

Well, even in this overall positive review, the guy finds the need to shift out of manual mode to access the tripmeter or odometer an "unacceptable" inconvenience. How often do you check either one? I generally only see my tripmeter when I go to reset it at a gas stop, and the odometer when I'm stopped and need to jot it down for the service writer. (not that I've need much in the way of service.)

[asim]

Originally Posted by GM>Toyota

I hope this car becomes a sales success.

I hope so to, GM really needs all their new launch models to be a success.

[AndrewGS]

I saw three of them yesterday at two different Saturn dealers. The dealer I stopped at was moving the only one they had to be prepped for it's new owner, and the other dealer had two on the lot, but I didn't have time to stop. They sure look great from the outside though.

[Michael_S]

Originally Posted by Jkujo

No mention of the Red Line by anyone is puzzling, however, the Green Line will be a welcome competitor.

I don't think GM has made any official announcements about the Red Line version. They have announced the Green Line and given some specs (hybrid, 2.4 liter 4 cylinder).

Announcing a Red Line version would be pointless, since nothing is known about it at this time.

[cfch3399]

I sat in one at a dealer the other day. The XE has quite a number of features and looks great inside and out and for once, a base car doesn't feel base and cheap. The seats are amazing, they fit me perfectly. I like the door that covers the cupholders, the moving center compartment/armrest, every button/dials feels great. That triangular plastic that sticks out of the B pillar wasn't as troublesome as I thought it would be and all the panels fit nicely, unlike some of the show car pictures floating around. I'm not crazy about the HVAC unit's look, the buttons are needlessly gigantic. Love the corporate radio. It's very interesting what they did with the steel wheels and wheel covers. I'd like to see what basic 5-spoke wheels look like without the covers. The headlamps look too Accordish in my opinion with park light on top of the lights. Unlike the G6, the center of the car isn't narrowed, so it doesn't look as disproportionate like the G6. I just wish it had some decent tires instead of those cheap Hancook.