Saturn Aura New Owner Reports

Karen_S

Do you have a new Aura in your driveway? What are your initial thoughts?

bdubsee

I am proud to say that I now have a Saturn XE in my driveway. It's Midnight Blue with the gray interior. Has Preferred and Convenience Packages as well as the premium floor mats. I leased my car on Wednesday, 2/21/07. My initial thoughts are wow. The styling is a knock-out and, with the dark blue, the car is very sophisticated looking. I previously had a 2005 Malibu Maxx (a platform-mate of the Aura, built in the same factory). I LOVED the layout of the car but had to constantly apologize for the exterior of the car and poorly executed interior bits. Not so with the Aura. This car has been thoughtfully finished and everything feels done to the highest level.

Likes: Amber ambient lighting, comfortable bolstered seats, beautiful gauges, sophisticated Audi-like styling, excellent buying experience, large trunk, cargo nets on side of trunk, tambor door over cupholders, chunky and comfortable steering wheel, OnStar, A lot of car for the money, it suits me exaclty.

Dislikes: There is no handle or indent for closing the trunk lid without touching the exterior paint, I should have gotten the leather interior as cloth doesn't match the style of the exterior, the nearest dealership is 15 miles aways (in Central Florida that equals an hour round-trip of just driving).

Finally, the Saturn buying experience was incredible. Like many of you, I had heard about the Saturn way but I thought it was more marketing hype than reality. I was wrong. The experience was pleasant from beginning to end. Even the dreaded F&I office was pleasant. I am now slightly embarassed about how combative I was with the sales associate and F&I manager - behavior that I developed over the last 3 purchases that my wife and I have made in the last 4 years. I would recommend a Saturn for the buying experience alone - the excellent new products are a bonus.

ous

I got mine two days ago. An XE, loaded. Techno Gray. I love the leather interior, very comfortable and supports well. I have owned Chevy/Olds cars, vans and SUVs in the past. My last vehicle was a 2002 Trailblazer with 95,000 trouble free miles. I was worried about giving up so much utility on the switch from a SUV to a sedan but did it hoping my gas mileage would improve enough to make me forget the trade-off. I did a 600 mile round trip just for fun and only got 28mpg on dry roads so my fears might have been justified. My SUV got around 22mpg in the same road and circumstances. And with the small gas tank on the Aura, I stopped for fuel as often as the SUV. Bummer. EVERYTHING else on the Aura feels great. Fit, finish, road noise, handling and braking are excellent.

dehg7019

I'm proud owner of '07 Aura XR - black with brown leather and every option. Car has just under 4,000 mi. Am experiencing strange noise at first start-up of day if temperature is below 60 degrees. Sounds like jet engine whine. Seems to come through speaker system, is affected by radio on/off, turn signal on/off, and even opening of door. This lasts for a few minutes and goes away. Dealer service department called Saturn engineer and was told it was the electric power steering. Illogical to me since the noise is in the passenger compartment; not the engine compartment. They offered no solution.
ANYONE HAD THIS PROBLEM? OR HAVE A SOLUTION?

donnerwetter

I've had my new XR for about 2 weeks now (Ocean Mist w/Black Leather) and have been loving it so far.

Pros: -Interior is gorgeous with understatement reminiscent of Lexus
- Car is insanely quiet, even at 80MPH
- Great road feel, very little body roll in hard cornering.
- Nice sound from factory stereo/speakers
- Integrated phone with OnStar
I'm happy GM has finally decided to become competitive!

Cons: -Design of front air dam... I somehow managed to break the front air dam on some ice backing out of my driveway. Upon reading some forums, I found out that this is a fairly common occurance, even in the XRs with the 18" wheels. It's an easy fix ($145 installed at the dealership) but I anticipate having to make a few more visits for this flaw.
-Torque Steer. FWD with a powerful engine, whaddya going to do?
-Bit of groaning in the steering wheel when you go hard over in either direction. Dealer indicated that this is not abnormal for this model

white6

FWIW, Saturn's own literature states that the Aura uses hydraulic power steering, not electric power steering.

trauppius

The power steering pump thing is a red herring as the XR uses a hydraulic power steering pump instead of the GM Magnasteer as used on the Malibu and G6. This does not sound like a normal (i.e. just ignore it, they ALL do that) type of thing. Something is going on here.

I am an aerospace systems engineer with an electrical/electronics background and it my first impression is that you are hearing some form of acoustic resonance artifact resulting from some form out-of-spec performance by the alternator/regulator. This would explain the change in tonal character as you vary the electrical load (lights, radio, etc.).

I suggest you ask your Saturn guy to listen carefully in and around the alternator when the car is cool/cold. As the engine bay and electrical loading on the alternator raise the temperature the sound probably fades away.

If the problem cannot be isolated perhaps you can take some comfort in the 3 year/100K bumber-to-bumber warranty. If the conditions worsens, and it may be an indication of a developing failure, then it will be GM/Saturn's problem to resolve to your satisfaction. You may also want to contact the Saturn regional Customer Center and see if they have heard of anything like your problem. Auras are fairly new and the maintenance patterns/problems/legends are just beginning to take shape.

P.S. I have been enjoying my XR for about 4 months now, now problems so far

phaetondriver

I was all ready to buy an Impala LTZ. I figured the size and 3.9 L V-6 (233 HP???) was enough for an old hot rodder like me. Then I read this forum. Researched the Aura(s). I found it was the same size as the Malibu, Lexus ES330, Camry, Accord, etc. Then I say the Power train specs, the 4 or 6(?) speed choices. I read about the 3.6 DOHC 24 Valve VVT All Aluminum V6. The Corvette designed paddle shifters and 4 way tilt wheel. And on and on and on went the added or better features on the Aura XR.
One driver of 3-4 miles and I opened the checkbook.
This is the closest thing to an infinity or lexus you can get for under $30 grand.
Thanks to all that write to this forum, I almost bought a Chevy.

salesguru

Does anyone know what the "I" stands for located on the gear shift plate??? :confuse:

phaetondriver

According to my owners manual (Aura 2007 Pg 120) The I is for "Intermediate" Read as second and third gear. The manual says if you are driving in a hilly area and the transmission needs to shift up and down to compensate for engine loading.
The I position will allow the transmission to operate in a more efficient gear.
With the XR, you have to shift to M and shift the car manually to get the most efficient operation.
Hope this helped

Rich
Aura XR owner for 3 days :shades:

phaetondriver

This is a bit long, sorry. I don't know what the limits are for this forum. I hope you enjoy my first impressions.

After getting acquainted with the car and adjusting the 4 way steering column and 8 way seat, my wife riding shotgun and I were ready to take our new Aura XR for its first test drive in the mountains. Ok, our San Jacinto Mountains of the southern California aren't real mountains but the roads will give me some idea of how the new Saturn Aura XR handles.

As we approached the bottom of the hill on highway 74 out of Palm Desert a young man in an Acura 3.2 TL blew past us. I was going 60 in a 60 MPH zone so he must have been hitting 80. I figure I will see him again once he catches up with some slower traffic.

As I approached the first corner I pulled the shifter back to "M." This sets up the manual shifting of the close ratio 6-speed automatic transmission. I double tap the downshift paddle on the right side of the steering wheel. This put the transmission into 4th gear and I lightly pressed the accelerator pedal, we feel a little press in the back as we power out of the first turn. I tap the downshift once more and accelerate quickly up the straight heading for the next turn. The low-end torque of this new GM quad-cam engine is, OMG fantastic.

Left hand and right hand corners keep coming at us with little or no rest in between. I just drive around the corners at 15 MPH above the posted recommendation. It was extremely comfortable for my wife, who doesn't really like mountain roads. She was actually having a good time.
I caught the Acura about three miles up the hill and he picked up the pace quite a bit. When we got to the passing lane, he took the inside line (I wanted the inside lane) so I passed him on the outside, hoping he would not lose control and take us both out. I was doing about 65 MPH through this series of corners starting with a right hand, 270 Degree, wide sweeper. When we exited the passing lane, the Acura was about 6 car lengths behind us. He made a charge on the straightaway so I tapped the paddle for 4th and accelerated away. We never saw him again.

After lunch in Idyllwild, the road got very twisty going up over the summit. As I approached one corner I wanted to see just how good the "Stability Control and Traction Control really were so I just turned into the corner at 60 MPH. It was posted at 25 MPH but there was plenty of run off area so I wasn't afraid of bending the new car.
Well, the car turned and stuck, the sand on the road made some funny noises under the 225-50x18 Goodyear Eagles, but that was all. The traction control handled the braking and the stability control took care of the lean and sliding and we came out of the corner in the middle of the lane at 45 MPH. I was skeptical that a computer and some brakes could do anything good, but I am here to tell you, IT WORKS, it really works.
A few minutes later I warned my wife that I was going to do a brake test so hold on. On the next straight stretch I told her now and hit the woa pedal as hard as I could. No screech, no slide, no skid, it did put a tremendous strain on our shoulder belts and stopped. My wife looked at me and said wow! that was impressive. She had the biggest grin on her face, which made me a very happy man. I just said ABS :shades:

When we hit the Interstate I hit the go peddal hard and held it there till the speed-o hit 80. We weren't off the uphill on-ramp yet. This car is supposed to do 0-60 in 6.4 and 95 MPH in the 1/4 mile. I believe every word of it. The only thing out of the ordinary was the tremendous feel of torque-steer, which will take some getting used to.

That Quad-Cam, 24 Valve, V6, revs like a Formula 1 engine, to the fuel cut off at 7-grand. The power band never ends. From 2000 RPM to 6500 it pulls like mad. It was hard to tell where the torque started to drop and the horses started to build.
The 6-speed makes use of every part of the power band like nothing I have ever driven before. You can't make a bad shift, unlike a standard gearbox, this one has a computer that determines if the shift will over-rev the engine or not, before allowing the shift you requested via the paddles. Shifts are snappy and quick, unlike the other GM automatics that have pushbutton shifting on the floor-mounted levers (like the Malibu, Pontiac G6) which shift whenever they feel like it after you press the button.

Now I must say I have one complaint about this big 4-door sedan. It has the heart of a fine racecar, but it sounds like an old Buick. It needs some throat clearing so it can sing when the rev counter hits 4K-plus.
The automotive writers got this one dead on, Car of the year. Maybe car of the DECADE?
I can't wait till my next test drive. :shades:

bdubsee

Is anyone else having trouble registering for the Saturn Owner Center on Saturn.com? I have been trying to register for four weeks. I've e-mailed customer service and I get the standard "we're working on it". How hard is it really to give me access? <--Last question rhetorical. :mad:

seniorsrule

Purchased my Saturn Aura XE a couple of days before Thanksgiving, 2006. Can't say enough good things about the car; color is Pewter Brown and absolutely gorgeous with a beige interior. What a classy vehicle. The smooth ride is what really turned me into buying this vehicle.

If anyone is looking for a great looking vehicle, and not bad on gas - look into buying a Saturn Aura. The salesman and people at the dealerships are incredibly nice to deal with.

Monetarily - ya can't go wrong either.

phaetondriver

I have had the same trouble. Last week it said my VIN was not valid. Same thing this week so I sent the Email info. Maybe next week.

olduffer

I'm pushing 70 and wanted something that rides smooth. Living in the Portland, OR metro area I travel along the I-5 freeway all the time and wanted a car that will get up and go and boy did I get the right one. After going to the Portland auto show we noticed most of the people at the Saturn expo and that is what turned me on to my first Sasturn. So I got on the internet and found the one I wanted under 25 grand and bought the XR midnight blue from one (Russ) of the only two dealerships in the portland area. I only have 1800 miles on her but i can tell this is some car for the money. I haven't run it up to the redline yet but will do it soon i'm sure when my wife isn't around.
The only weird thing is that I have yet to see another 2007 Aura on the road. And why isn't there more advertising or dealerships here in the NW.
I was told this is the same engine as in the Cadillac...3.6.
Obviously I love my car as much as golf and it is way more foregiving.
thx Saturn.

phaetondriver

Good choice. I don't see many Aura's down here in golfers heaven either. Palm Desert is full of High end European hot rods. Every other car is a BMW, Mercedes, Bentley, or Lexus. They all are quick and the name of the game here is to be the first to the next stoplight.

This XR really makes them wonder if spending 50, 60, or 100 grand was such a good idea.
It'll go from 0-60 in under 6 seconds which is amazing for a car that you got for under 25k.

One word of warning. When you do decide to "take it to the redline" Hold on tight to the steering wheel. The torque steer will just about rip it out of your hands in an attempt to make a right turn. For max fun, turn off "traction control" and use manual shift paddles.

bob919344

Just took Delivery this past Saturday for a New 2007 Aura XR fully loaded with EVERY option avail !!

I was turning in a 2004 Caddy lease and was quite scared to " step down " i thought !!!!

To my surprise......The car is GREAT !!! Drives Fantastic, Handles Great with 18" alloys, and has everything in it.. Lots of power, and drives awsome.

After working for BMW for over 15 yrs in MGMT and driving a free 7 series car fro the last 10 yrs+ This is a Great car !! I considered a Camry Top line model and for the money this car beats it !!!! Really very surprised so far and NOT unhappy with my choice !

Great car for the $$ .....gas mileage could be a bit better, but hope it increases as it breaks in.

But for $360 less a month than my 2004 Caddy its a STEEL

GO FOR IT..... GO FOR THE XR LOADED TOO

enjoy.....i sure am

andygrv

My XR has about 4000 miles and is less than 2 months old. The engine has a slight knock when it idles. The dealer thinks that the engine is miss firing. The car has been at the dealership for the last 2 days.
In addition, there is annoying ticking noise from the speedo meter when I hit the gas.

Wondering if any one else had these issues?

Second thoughts
May be I should have bough a Toyota or a Honda?

Still a little leery about GM quality.

phaetondriver

I have 7K miles on my XR. No weird noises yet, TG.
My experience says the knock can be: 1, bad spark plug/wire. 2, computer program glitch. 3, fowled injector from dirty gas/defective fuel filter.
I would love to know what the dealers service dept. finds.
Clicking from the Speedo? In the old days it would be a broken gear or bind in the cable form the trans to the speedo. Todays electronic gauges, No idea!

Keep us posted

bob919344

My Aura XR is only less than a week old...All i can say is Toyota quality has slumped big time since turning up Volume!! SOmrthing that usually happens with any Mfg when they start to push out volume than quality. With high volume quality will always suffer with any car.

I too was going to get the Toyota over the Aura, but after reading all the reviews, it pushed the Aura OVER the Toyotas now.. Give them a chance to fix it and hopefuly it will get repaired .

I just retired from the Auto business from a major mfg of a high line German Auto maker and trust me...Plenty of problems with them too !! And many over $50K - $90K and lots of problems with many of them .. its called Volume over Quality, like i said before...

GM is trying to get their BUTTS back into the driver seat and the Aura XR is a great car for the $ so far.. Hope my feeling does NOT change.

good luck to you and your repairs....

seniorsrule

Give the Saturn dealership a chance. I have a Saturn XE and it was the best all around deal that I could of gotten. I've had mine for six months. I've noticed when I put into drive, there is a little noise as I go off - I don't think its anything major. I had my husband test drive it, and he said there's no noise, so its in my mind, I guess. Anyways, give them a chance - and I'm sure they'll fix your car.
I got the Pewter Brown color and it is gorgeous, light tan heated seats and a sunroof; its absolutely gorgeous and I get so many compliments on it. Best move I could of made. I leased it, so this way in three years, I'll either buy it outright or get a new one; whatever the mood and pocketbook strikes my fancy! I have yet to see another one around, I live in the Albany, New York area. If there's anybody out there in this area with one, give me a holler. Would love to get some feedback from a fellow Saturn lover! (XE, that is).

andygrv

It has been over 4 days and the XR is still at the shop.

The dealer can't figure out why the engine keeps is miss firing.

I will keep you guys posted.

romanholiday

Hi, andygrv,

You mentioned that "The engine has a slight knock when it idles" in your previous post. Does it mean when the car is stopped by hitting the break, your leg can feel some shaking on the break?

Thanks.

tracyv

I have had the same issue with the steering noise. When turning hard to the right or left a loud whining noise comes from the engine compartment. Dealer also told me this is normal for this model. Did not seem to hear it on the test drive? Great I'm looking at 4yrs of dealing with GM about this. Also rear speaker cracks when listening to talk radio. Should have bought Toyota... GM is still GM :mad:

bob919344

FYI:
I worked for Toyota and take a good look at the reviews from professional companties about the product lately.

Reviews for Toyota product have gone down in the past couple years for the first time. This is due to mass production of their cars. Its the same old saying " Quality suffers when Quantity is first " . Thats whats happening with Toyota in the past couple years. They are only looking for Huge Volume in sales NOT quality as they once did. As many other manufacturers are doing too now. Great for them, not good for the customer who gets one of their bad cars.

good luck....there is no Eutopia in a car made today, not even a Bentley or Rolls... They all have problems even when spending over $200,000 .

We the public suffer for the huge numbers they are looking for Not the companties making the profits

carolb925

I'll never buy another one! My 2007 Aura XR has an idle stumbling problem. The dealer can't fix it and I'm stuck with a car that's miserable to drive. That's what I get for expecting something great from Saturn.

phaetondriver

I have been working on cars for over 40 years and one thing I have learned is that no one dealer, mechanic, parts counter guy, or engineer can fix every problem every time.
If the dealer you are taking the car to can't find the problem, it is not Saturns fault, it is not the cars fault, it is the mechanics fault. Take your car to another dealer or a reputable mechanic and have them run a diagnostic on it.
You always have the lemon law to fall back on. If the problem can not be fixed in three attempts (may very depending on the state you live in), contact your regional GM office (number should be in your owners manual) and complain.

In California, many new car owners have been give a new car because a problem could not be fixed in three or four attempts.
Sorry to hear about the problem, but I hope this helps you get satisfaction.

carolb925

I didn't post enough of the details....

http://www.saturnfans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=85241

The above link describes the Aura's idling issues and these were posted well before I bought my car. I'm sorry now that I didn't read up on it.

bob919344

THATS WHAT ITS FOR............

CARS THAT CANNOT BE FIXED BY THE MGF....GET A LAWYER AND APPLY UN THE STATE LEMON LAW !!!!

most mfg try and avoid this by either replacing the car or buying you out of it to avoid going to court !

check your state laws...sometimes you can
do it yourself and not even get a lwayer

seniorsrule

I'm so sorry you're having serious problems with your 2007 Aura XR. I've had mine now for about six months, I'd say and I'm so pleased with it. I'm sure (if nothing goes wrong) that after this 36-month lease, I'll get another one.
What I don't understand is why doesn't your salesman go to bat for ya and get ya another car? My salesman and the owner of the place would never allow this to happen. something's definitely wrong with the manager of the place because SATURN, I've found stands by their cars 100 plus percent.
I've never gotten more compliments on a new vehicle in my life and its a perfect running car!

carolb925

I hope nothing goes wrong for you and some of the messages make me think that perhaps this is something that can be fixed and I will get to keep my Aura and enjoy driving it one day soon.
I get a lot of compliments on the appearance of the car. That all stops when we drive it.

emanresu2

Its hard to guage the severity of the stumbling issue you are experiencing. If it is enough to visible shake the car and the tach jumps significantly, than there may be something wrong, but if it is an occasional stumble you can feel through the wheel or the floorboards if you pay attention, then you will be told that this is normal. These days practically every car exhibits this stumble at idle - manufacturers program the cars to run as lean as possible without stalling. They do this by continuously leaning the mixture until it starts to stall, then the computer gives it some extra gas and starts the cycle over again. Some manufacturers have longer cycles than others and some, expecially luxury cars mask it better than others, but they all do this. Fixes for this issue would be first to check your gas, is oxygenated or is there ethanol in it? Try buying different or better brand gas from somewhere else for a couple of tanks. This may extend the cycle and reduce occurances of the stumble. If that doesn't work you can ask the service writer at your dealer if they can increase the idle speed. I don't know if how this works on the Aura but is a simple change on some cars. This may cost you a couple of mpgs in city driving but will make the car idle smoothly.

sgrmba

I experienced that same behavior in a Toyota Avalon - whining or humming when turning the steering wheel. I have bought 13 cars over the years and this behavior has occurred in various makes. My Avalon also had a problem with the engine 'gelling'. If it got too bad, the only solution was to replace the engine. My advice - never assume that Toyota always makes the best quality cars. I have received more recall notices over the years for my foreign cars than my domestic.

sake

I purchased my Aura XR in October of 2006. It is black onyx with the black leather and chrome interior. It has all the upgrades (not that there were that many) including the billet grill, which brings me to my first question...There is a horrible high pitch whining that comes from the grill when it is windy or at speeds over about 50 mph. The grill was replaced once already (because the dealership thought that their sister dealership might have installed it wrong), but the new one makes just as much noise. Saturn says that they are still going to fix it (I am actually taking it in today), but I wanted to know if anyone else who has this grill has been having the same issue?

Also, I have not had the steering issue that has been mentioned by a few other people, but it does seem to have a rough idle when stopped. My biggest mechanical complaint is that the transmission is very &#147;clunky&#148; &#150; as my husband puts it. I thought that it was just because the car was new and needed to be broken in, but it has 11,000 miles on it now and still does it. I am going to mention it to the dealership today. Any thoughts?

Lastly, I was wondering what kind of MPG people are getting in the XR? I know that it is rated 20/28, but I drive almost all freeway everyday and I am lucky to see 23 mpg.
Thanks!

texvette

I purchased a new XR and my wife took delivery. I have noticd the the polycarboniate front and rear caps on the car are nto the same shade of sivler nor do they exhibit the deep pearl look as the sheet metal. I am insisting that they correct this issue, as they are all to be the sme color... this is currentlyint he hands of Saturn factory mgt.

Other than this small anomoly, I am delighted with the car. I do not have enough miles to asses fuel economy.

I will provide more feedback on my paint issue as this progress through Saturn.

phaetondriver

I have not seen the billet grills in the official options list yet. I have seen two aftermarket companies manufacturing these grills and like the look of 12 bars over the stock chrome and black plastic grill.
Your noise issues makes me wonder if it is a manufacturing problem or a effect of that type grill on this body style.
I would really like to know who the manufacturer of your grill is.
Hope you get the problem solved.

auraowner

I took delivery of an XR about a month ago and have put 1100 miles on it. I'm averaging 17.4 MPG. Since 1983 I've owned nothing but Accords. I love this car. Love the power, styling inside and out and the extreme value. Great buying experience. My wife drives a company 2006 Maxima and she prefers the Aura. Have only seen three Auras since I purchased and I live in car mecca Southern California.

texvette

Interesting data on the gas mileage..... assuming this is on 10% or less ethanol, I would find 17.4 MPG very unacceptable.... I have only run 2 tanks through mime (XR) so far, and am getting a 23+, on my dialy commute... only about 8 miles of 25 mile commute on freeways... otherwise back roads of New Hampshire.

auraowner

I would find 17.4 MPG very unacceptable....

I'm not happy about it. I have 26 mile one way commute with approximately 5 miles of stop and go driving on I-15 in Escondido ten times a week. That's what's killing my mileage, not to mention getting a little too frisky with the go pedal to feel the exhilaration of 252 hp under the hood.

texvette

We have similar distances to commute.... but I only have a short distance on I-93 in southern NH.... BUT.... shipping all those horse in a frenzy will create quite an appetite!.... although fun....

bob919344

Almost 18mpg with stop and go driving with a heavy foot on the pedal with a 252hp engine is seriously NOT bad at all.. Take a look at all the other comarisons out there. Also remember, NO Way will you get what the sticker gets on ANY car. Actually this year every car will have the MPG re-calculated for a more accurate mpg comparison.

If you get aprox 18mpg in stop and start driving and aprox 25-27 on highway with a 252hp V6 , trust me....Thats good !! For ultimate highway driving mog use the CRUISE!!
you will get the best mpg always using cruise anytime..


For the Money you cant beat this car !!!!! no way

auraowner

For the Money you cant beat this car !!!!
Agreed. I really love my XR. I'm at a spot in my life where I can afford the fun the 252 horses provide. Money well spent.

sake

They did not tell me who the manufacturer was, but said that they didn't think they could fix the noise and that they have not received any other complaints about the grill. I find that interesting considering the fact that it was my salesman that first pointed out the noise (he drove the car from a sister dealership). The head tech said he would ask the manufacturer the next time that they are on site. Regardless, I paid $500 to listen to a high pitched whistle. I am less than pleased and considering the experience that I had with the service department last week, I am seriously thinking about cutting my losses and selling the car.

saturn_comm

Would you sell the vehicle or return the billet grille (and have the Saturn grille reinstalled)?

sake

It is not jus the grill that is an issue &#150; it is more or less the icing on the cake with this car. Saturn has offered to install the stock grille, but I really don&#146;t like it. Part of the selling point on this car was the grille and the fact that there are not many of them with it.

texvette

Let's see.... you spent $25K or so because you liked the grille on a car and would suffer likely a 20% loss on the purchase by ridding yourself of the Saturn now, so that you didn't have to have an ugly grille on the car... although you cannot see the grille while driving anyway....

makes sense to me

saturn_comm

How else have you customized the vehicle?

sake

Like I said &#150; the grille is just the icing on the cake. I didn&#146;t buy an Aura just because of the grille &#150; though it was the reason that I bought this specific one. I am disappointed with many things about this vehicle. I can take a 20% loss now or a 50% plus loss if I wait to sell in a year or two. Seems to be I would rather cut my losses and drive something that I enjoy. What do you drive?

sake

I just have the grille from Saturn.

Karen_S

A reporter is hoping to talk with consumers who have participated in Saturn&#146;s &#147;Side-by-Side-by-Side&#148; test drive program.

Please respond to jfallon@edmunds.com before 4pm Eastern on Friday, August 3 with your daytime contact information and a few words about your experience.

sr71

After working for Toyota for 13 years I decided to go take a look at the Aura, and have a good laugh. My first impression was that this is not an American car. (Opel Vectra) I was so impressed that I bought an XE.