Saturn Aura

venus537

Keep in mind that the Aura's sticker price is the actual selling price (or has that changed?) when comparing the price to other vehicles. I wouldn't be too sure that the Aura will be faster than a CVT Altima. We'll find out when a comparison test comes out.

Nice review from Ann Job:

2007 Aura

nrborod

It's probably useful to note that the TSX's 4cyl engine has six mounts, where the Accord 4 cyls have only four--I believe.

nrborod

I recently drove a Murano for the first time...had never experienced a CVT before and wanted to see what it was all about. The experience was strange--I kept waiting for the shift points no matter how subtle, and ....nothing! It's an odd experience, and I wonder if I'd ever get used to that?
I wonder what shift points do for the psyche? Provide a sense that SOMETHING is happening? It's an odd thing....

nrborod

I have a 2004 Accord 4 cyl auto. Had a 2001 with the 4 speed auto for a while, and what I notice is all the driveline vibration that occurs in overdrive lets say, under 2500 rpm. My 2001 was never that coarse. Took it to the dealer--everything's as normal. Normal? Hmmmm? How come mags like C/D never picked up on that? That's why I'm a little peeved. So sometimes my Accord feels like a truck! I don't need a truck to get around. I want to be smoothed and soothed--by a 6cyl sex-mobile!! So now I'm thinking about the Aura XE, which to me is a very nice car for the bucks.

1487

I was basing that on C&D's test results. They clocked the Altima with manual tranny at 5.9 and the Aura at 6.2secs. As you know manual equipped cars are typically .5-1second faster than their auto counterparts. I would expect tha Altima to be anywhere from 6.3-6.6 secs IF C&D ever tests one with the CVT and that is a big "if".

kurtamaxxxguy

Found them ok, but leather in Saturns and most cars seems to be harder and less conforming than a cloth seat.

Saw another XR at another dealer, and it also had bad fitting trim.
I hope Saturn can get their interior build act together.
Will definitely rent one later this year.

trauppius

I have been living with my Aura XR for a few weeks now and can relate to comments on interior space. I am 6'1" and most of my height is in my torso (waist up, not long legs). When shopping around I found most of the alternatives (Camry SE, Passat, Altima) easier for me to get into then the Aura. The roof line slopes going forward and aft from the center pillar. I get in by sitting on the seat, ducking my head under the door frame at the rear most part (where it higher), then swinging my legs in. Once inside all is comfortable and cozy. I even have enough headroom to order a sunroof which slightly reduces the overhead clearance once seated.

There is not much inside storage, just little cubbies, and it is about 1.5" narrower than the Camry (the roomiest), back seat legroom is just good to just adequate depending on how long your legs are. Rear headroom is barely adequate problem for folks with long a torso.

So, the bottom line is that you need to try one on for size, but if you fit and are comfortable it is wonderful vehicle that is well worth trading off interior volume for great road performance and style. I could have purchased anything I wanted, but choose the Aura XR over many good alternatives.

trauppius

I just ran across this online review and felt that it was very close to my own reactions and feelings about this car; take a look.

link title

nrborod

Question: Who rents Auras? One Saturn dealer said they didn't, so who does. I want to rent one for at least two days. I'm in the New York City area.

62vetteefp

Most likely nobody. First, GM is not going to sell any vehicles to low profit rental fleets in the first months of a well selling vehicle. Second, Saturn is pretty much staying out of the fleet rental business.

62vetteefp

I have no problems getting in/out of my 10 year old Buick Regal (a smaller car but with a boxier profile),

First there was no compromise to the Regal due to making room for the Side Air Bags. Second the Aura has much more structure in the roof for a much more solid vehicle. Third the Regal is a bigger car than the Aura. Fourth, yes it was designed 15 years ago and being a Buick was designed to be boxier and give more head clearance. Fifth, the Aura is a bit more stylish.

jeffhall76

Hey everyone:

I haven't driven an Aura yet but am impressed by what I've read and seen. I currently drive a 2000 Cadillac Catera (an Opel product built in Germany) and completely rebadged the car as a British Vauxhall Omega. The grille, wheel center caps, engine cover, emblems, everything was taken out. Most parts were direct replacements. The car gets lots of attention and looks better than it did as a Caddy.

Does anyone know if the grille on the Aura can be directly swapped with Opel/Vauxhall parts? It would be fun to do this to this car as well as I am not really interested in driving a "Saturn" and would rather have an Opel or Vauxhall to stand out from the crowd.

Jeff

kurtamaxxxguy

I'm used to the Aura's distant cousin, the Maxx, which has more headroom at the expense of the slightly boxy look. I found the Aura more cramped heigthwise, but but unreasonably slow.

(Perhaps we can thank the Chrysler 300s' success for all this gun-slit urban styling mania? Virtually every new Car now seems to have tiny windows and low roof.)

The '08 Malibu's very similar to the current Aura, and is apparently built on the same chassis. I suspect Chevy will leave out some of the aluminum suspension parts and chrome trim to save cost. We shall see... :shades: .

62vetteefp

I doubt they will use different suspension components.

lawisme2002

I bought a Saturn Aura about 2 months ago. I love this car. There is practically no road noise. This can be because the stero automatically adjust to compensate for the noise. However, even with the stero off there isn't much to hear. The handling is awesome and the pick up speed will pin you to your seats. This is truly the best care I have ever owned. The dealership made this purchase very easy for me. I walked on the lot, saw the car and fell in love. It is midnight blue with grey leather seats and a black dashboard. It is clean and very slick in its design. The sticker price is the asking price. I compared it to the Nissan Altima and I got more for my money.

LOVE THIS CAR!!!

lawisme2002

I don't have this problem. I am 6'1" and own a saturn Aura and my head never touches the roof. Stupid question but did you use the seat control to lower the seat? I know you did!

kenneth

One thing I noticed, that I haven't heard anyone comment on yet, is that when getting into the Aura, my left side hits the arm rest extension on the pillar. The only way for me to avoid that is to sit on the seat and then swing my legs into the car. This is okay as long as I have the room to open up the door all the way - which I don't in my standard two car garage. This is a real disappointment to me because I really like the car otherwise.

lawisme2002

I don't understand. I think you guys are just trying to fall into the car instead of sit in it. I have never had any of these problems mentioned. I get in, right leg first and sit down. Don't hit the console, dont it the top of the car. Its interesting.

sidv

Good for you then. Bet your rear passengers had no room because your seat was tilted back. Yeah, there's a control to lower the seat... Regardless it's very unpleasant in there with the mini side windows. My wife is 5'8" and she felt the same way as I did at 6'. Not my thing, just short-sighted design in the name of very questionable "style" and nothing new at GM.

62vetteefp

What is your daily ride?

lawisme2002

That may be true. I have never been in the back seat and don't have that many passengers. After all I have only had my car a few months. Maybe things will change in the future

sidv

Saab 9-3, same platform as the Aura and within a few fractions of an inch on the interior dimensions for front seat room but a more open and airy feel which I like. On paper, the Aura shouldn't feel that way relative to the Saab but it sure does.

nrborod

I don't know...I test driven the XE 3 times now, and getting in and out has not been an issue, and I'm 6Ft. The best thing has been what a great driving position I can find in all respects, and how comfortable the cloth seats are for my skinny frame. Getting in is one thing. Staying ina nd staying comfy is even bigger for me as I tend to spend more time actually driving then getting in and out.
Can hardly wait till the lease on my 2004 Accord is up....much more comfy in the Aura

cajuncycler

I will have to check out the Aura next time we bring in my wife's Vue for schedule maintenance. I drive a new 2006 Sonata and so far I would find it hard to beat feature for feature with the price tag I paid for it, well under $20,000. The Sonata definitely has plenty of room in it all around, did not have to pay extra for side air bags, Electronic Stability Control, ABS or 4 wheel disk brakes. I can truly live with the looks and the 5 year bumper to bumper warranty too included in the price. At the time I bought it the Aura was still months away. I still have no regrets reading the reviews as of now.

What I have never liked about Saturn is the having to pay sticker price for one. No other dealership has this. If I think the car is overpriced their attitude is take or leave it which I did on that silly looking Ion. Too little freaky car for too much money. We like the Vue (will never be in love with its looks) and I really loved my 2005 SC2 Coupe.

kurtamaxxxguy

...of Saturn is no_haggle purchasing. If you prefer, there are plenty of other GM brands that will offer you a persian bazzar experience.

Unfortunately some Saturn dealers have decided to "pimp their rides" so that their Auras have tinted glass and "performance" (read, oversize bling bling) wheels, with that stuff tacked onto the "no_haggle" price. This defeats the whole point and makes the Aura a lot less desirable.

cajuncycler

That's kinda my point. GM has a nasty habit of loading up the cars on their lots with stuff you may not want then expect you to shell out the extra money for it no questions asked (a la Saturn) Don't get me wrong, I loved my Saturn. But I don't appreciate not being able to say no to things I don't care for like sun roof (THAT WILL EVENTUALLY LEAK, trust me) or things you may want and not get like full side curtain air bags. My wife paid $26,000 for a VUE in 2002 and it came loaded with all but the side curtain airbags which she really wanted. They said tough luck, take it or leave it. My car came with exactly what I wanted and they met the price I was wiling to pay. BTW why is GM so proud of that new 5 year 100,000 mile warranty they are touting on commercials as the Best in the Business? Do they not bother to see what the competition is offering?? Mine has a 10 year 100,000 mile warranty. Go figure...

isartam

No doubt you have to examine the fine points of the warranty, including the extent of the parts covered, the length of roadside assistance, transferability (some makers warrant it for only as you own the car), the number of repair facilities and no doubt some other things that I haven't remembered.

GM's lawyers know, however, that puffery is legal; no "proof" is required unless specific claims are made, at least from a legal standpoint. However, if someone else has a better warranty and wants to compare it to GM's, that might prove to be embarrassing.

There may be some information here: http://www.carbuzzard.com in one of the links.

62vetteefp

GM's lawyers know, however, that puffery is legal; no "proof" is required unless specific claims are made, at least from a legal standpoint. However, if someone else has a better warranty and wants to compare it to GM's, that might prove to be embarrassing.

In it's advertising I think you are refeering to, GM compares it's warranty to "full line" manufacturers. I know of no full line OEM with a better warranty. A little cheating? Perhaps but still truth in advertising. Besides whos to say which warranty is better? One that is not transferrable or one that is? To a person who keeps his car 3 years GM's Warranty is better because it is tranferrable while the others are not.

1487

You seem to be confusing GM with the import companies. They are the ones who dont give you choices when it comes to options on vehicles. I don't see how you think GM is a serious offender in this respect because GM allows you to pick stand alone options the majority of the time.

Anyway, only 2 days until Aura Hybrid is revealed. Any gueses on the mileage? My guess is 27/37 which would put it slightly ahead of most 4 cylinder cars in it's class.

62vetteefp

Actually I think Cajun's beef is with the dealers? GM is much more free on allowing their vehicles to be ordered with many options. Saturn is a bit tighter than GM overall though. Saturn is trying to be more like the transplants. Take a look at the Accord, hardly any options.

Perhaps the dealer is not ordering the vehicles as he wants?

isartam

Exactly. It all depends on what the meaning of "is" is.

cajuncycler

Very true about the options thing. However there is something to be said about a car you can buy with a lot of "options" as standard equipment. There is a good deal of individual items you can order on a car with through a GM dealer. However it seems most people, including ourselves have bought off the lot because cars you order seldom have "deals" associated with them so you pay more. Cars on a lot, in my experience are subject to rebates, and dickering down the MSRP. Something you still cannot do at my Saturn dealer. I wish Saturn good luck with their new approach to building and marketing cars. However the things that endeared me to the previous generations of Saturn are history. When I was car shopping in May and June I looked at a Sky. Looks great in pictures. There was one in the dealership. I sat in it. Tight and cramped. The convertible top was a PIA to get up lock into place, I had a salesman show me and he struggled with it. There is virtually no trunk, 2 seater, 4 cylinder engine(??) all for $25,000 starting price :confuse: I couldn't justify the cost. I guess some high paid teen will love it but this 54 year old didn't care for it. I was given a loaner Ion a while back while my SC2 was in the shop. Peppy engine but nothing else to impel me to purchase one. It rattled more than my SC2. I hated where they stuck the intrumentation. So I knew that there was nothing at that time that endeared me to get another Saturn vehicle. I love the dealership. Never had a problem, they were always professional and took care of any problems I had the first time. But I needed a new car by June and the Aura was months away.

blane

lawisme2002,

You wrote "This is truly the best care I have ever owned." Just for clarification, please indicate what other cars you've owned previously.

ray_h1

Crosley, An East German Trabant, Renault Dauphine, Ford Cortina, Hillman, various Fiats, DAF, Corvair, Edsel, Yugo, Lada, Hyundai Pony, Kia Rio - the usual representative automotive cross-section.

(OK, I'm not lawisme2002 and I'm in a puckish mood - so shoot me, already. (I need the time off... )

lawisme2002

My very first Truck when I was 16 was a Chevy S-10 then I had a Mits. Eclipse, then a Honda Civic, then a Mits. Galant and now the Aura.

blane

What a great collection Ray. I'm jealous. What? No Amphicar?

savetheland

What about selling European Fords as Lincolns and Chinese Fords as Mercurys?

nrborod

Is there anyone out there who has an inside track on whether the '08 Aura XE will be offered with the 6spd auto? If that's gonna happen, I'm going to wait.

62vetteefp

Not sure but they sure are rolling it out quickly in new models. My guess is that they have an issue with capacity and it will not go in until at least 2009. Besides, a 6 speed just is not that important in a lower revving, high torque, non overhead cam engine. The overhead cams need to be really high revved to get them moving and the higher 6 speeds really make it a better package overall. In fact does anyone even sell a 5 or 6 speed non overhead valve powertrain combination?

nrborod

THANKS FOR YOUR RESPONSE. THAT EXPLAINED SOME TECH STUFF I WAS UNAWARE OF. SO, I TAKE IT THAT THE ANSWER IS "UNLIKELY" FOR THE TIME BEING(NOT THAT I DISLIKE THE 4SPEED IN THE XE--I LIKE THE COMBO BETTER THAN MY 5PD AUTO ACCORD 4CYL)

nrborod

NON GM CUSTOMER HERE. BEEN DRIVING JAPANESE FOR OVER 20 YEARS--HONDA SPECIFICALLY. BUT THE AURA CAUGHT MY EYE. AND IF MY CURRENT LEASE ON MY 2004 ACCORD WAS UP TODAY, I'D BE GETTING INTO THE AURA--AN XE WOULD SUIT ME FINE. REALLY LIKE THIS CAR. I'VE DRIVEN THIS MODEL 3 TIMES NOW, AND IT'S FOR ME. SURE, I DO HAVE SOME CONCERNS ABOUT RELIABILITY. BUT THE RIDE, HANDLING, QUIET AND DRIVETRAIN ARE ALL TO MY LIKING. I REALIZED LATELY THAT I'VE BEEN DRIVING HONDAS MOSTLY BECAUSE THAY HAVE A GREAT RELEABILITY RATING. BUT NOW THAT IS NOT ENOUGH FOR ME. AND THE VALUE IN THE AURA IS HARD TO BEAT. SO, YES, THIS CAR HAS SERIOUSLY ATTRACTED MY ATTENTION. MY FIRST TIME FOR AN AMERICAN CAR( AND I'VE SWORN IN THE PAST THAT I WOULD NEVER CONSIDER AN AMERICAN CAR--ESPECIALLY FROM GM, A COMPANY THAT HAS DONE MORE TO DISMANTLE PUBLIC MASS TRANSIT THAN ANY OTHER COMPANY!!) GOTTA GO AND EAT SOME CROW.

62vetteefp

GM reliability is as competitive or better than Honda for at least the new models in the last two years. There are some exceptions of course (such as Cobalt) but overall GM is one of the top makes.

You really have to look at the data though. The 2006 JD Power vehicle dependibility study (reliability at 3 years) shows Buick and Cadillac at 3 and 4, above Toyota, Honda and Acura. Lexux was #1. Saturn is way down the list below the industry average. However the models they based the Saturn data were OLD vehicles designed and developed during GM's, shall we say, lackluster quality time period. Vehicles now have gone thru a huge change in mindset and are doing very well.

Also the diference in quality today is much smaller. The best (Lexus) has 1.3 problems per vehicle at 3 years and the industry average is 2.3. So even if you have an average car you only have 2 problems.

And, to make sure the buyer has some peace of mind, the most expensive parts to replace, the powertrain, have a 5 year/100,000 mile warranty. How many years do you plan on keeping the Aura?

AND, while GM did do a few (-) things back in the 50's (hey those guys are all dead now) GM does keep more people employed today than any other company.

ray_h1

)) "GM does keep more people employed today than any other company." ((

Excellent point - but it's too bad GM's current employment opportunities are by-and-large increasingly outside the United States...

62vetteefp

Very true. But once the hourly costs are under control and plants are downsized to retail need we can probably see some growth in later years with some increase in volume and therefore manpower needs.

We will see more importing of cars from GM though. Mostly small but do not doubt some "niche" models may start seeing there way here. Perhaps a premium Buick from China! We already see some possiblities of Saturns being imported.

Big question is if Ford or Chrysler can make it. If both/either go out of business or get much smaller there will be a bunch of possible volume there for GM.

venus537

"Big question is if Ford or Chrysler can make it. If both/either go out of business or get much smaller there will be a bunch of possible volume there for GM."

And for Toyota and Honda too...

I don't see them going out of business though. I do see the days of the UAW as we know it ending though.

trauppius

I have just completed my first month (~1000 miles) with my new XR and everything is going fine so far. The car is tight, squeak and rattle free, and all systems and accessories are working fine. I was concerned that I would need to make some trips to the dealer for "adjustments", but this has not been necessary. This is what I had become accustomed to with my prior Honda's, Toyota's and Infiniti, and it nice to see American brands delivering a good initial owner experience.

I commute 36 miles roundtrip on mixed limited access and rural roads and have been getting 21.5 MPG while using our local nasty winter emission control blend of 87 octane with 10% ethanol.

Most curious dumb feature is the dual infrared rear seat headsets and radio controls...not much use but fun to demonstrate.

Dumbest missing features are lack of passenger handholds and scarce storage space and small cupholders.

Best feature is engine/tranny and chassis performance.... very, very nice. Good engine sounds when goosed, yet very quit and composed when just cruising along. Ride is pleasant and compliant, yet without any lean, dip, squat, or nasty suspension travel limit/rebound sounds or bump steering.

The is a bit of torque steering at any speed with large throttle input. Just a little tug but easily anticipated and countered. Gobs of torque and plenty of torque multiplication in tranny is going to make for "interesting" driving on low traction surfaces like ice and snow...stay tuned.

Todd

dmjoachi

I recently sat in the back seat of the Aura. I would like to get your opinions on it. I only sat for a few minutes. But my feeling was it was too upright. My long trips are 9 - 10 hours with my family and my children will have to occupy the back seats. It did not feel very comfortable. I also sat in the Toyota - their back seats definitely need lengthening. It just does not have enough thigh support. Surprisingly I found the Corolla to have better seats.

cajuncycler

Keep the forum informed on your satisfation level of this new car. I am very curious. Thanks!

rwisem

Glad you are enjoying your Aura. I have about 3,000 miles on my XR with no issues.

I have read of new Camry owners complaining about hesitation when starting or acelerating due to the electronuc throttle control. I have just the opposite problem. The 3.6 with 6 speed will really jump off the line if you don't feather the gas pedal. I have chirped the tires several times without meaning to, so I see your concern with slick roads.

Here's a tip you may already know. In manual shift mode, you can take off from a start in 2nd or even third gear - just tap the paddle to those gears while still stopped. This should help.

nrborod

Only one GLARING ommission on the Aura's interior: that HARD center console cover. Now, why couldn't THAT be made of some soft, compliant material? Haven't bought my Aura yet, but I can see I'm headed for some after market fix already: sheepskin cover?