My review of the Saturn Aura

I work in the parts dept. for a Saturn dealer, and I had the opportunity to drive an Aura XE 3.5L a couple days ago. I used to own a '98 SL2. The Aura is light-years ahead of the S-series cars in every aspect. I was amazed at how much better the Aura was - exterior, interior, powertrain, etc.

I'll start with the exterior. Everyone has seen pictures. The headlights and taillights are a little large for the car, but they're not bad-looking. The general shape flows nicely, and is certainly better-looking than the Camry or Accord.

The interior is a gigantic step forward from the S-series cars. The faux-wood trim provides a nice accent, as do the carbon-fiber pattern gauges. The leather seats are comfortable and supportive. The leather steering wheel feels solid, and has a good texture. There are a few chrome trim pieces here and there to brighten things up. Again, the interior looks better than the Camry's or Accord's. Trunk space is great. One thing I noticed while driving the car - it's quiet. Most cars in this class have some wind/tire noise. There was very little tire noise and almost no wind noise whatsoever while driving the Aura, and this was on the highway.

It handles well compared to the other cars in this class. There isn't much noise when going over bumps, either. The engine isn't earth-shattering, but it moves the car easily. The transmission's gear ratios could be better optimized for acceleration, though. The Aura also brakes well.

It's easy to see why this car was voted the North American Car of the Year. It's a huge improvement for Saturn, and it's more than a match for the Camry and Accord. I was very impressed with it, and wouldn't mind having one as a daily driver. If I were to purchase one, though, I'd go with the 252 HP 3.6L engine.

We leased one because it was a much better value than the Accord and Camry too. Nicer interior and you could get a V6 and a good amount of options for the same price as a base 4 cyl. from Honda and Toyota.

I have nothing but very good things to say about the Aura. It looks great inside & out, very stylish. It's put together well. It has good power. It's quiet. I once said it had the potential to be the next Ford Taurus in that it had the potential to set new standards for mid size cars, and could potentially transfer into high sales numbers.

Although the new Malibu is stealing all the thunder lately at GM, I still think the Aura is about as good if not better in almost every aspect.

I drove 2 Auras briefly but was very impressed. However the 3.5L was a dog (my wifes Old Grand AM gt could smoke it)--the 3.6 pulled hard off the line and sounded great.

I drove 2 Auras briefly but was very impressed. However the 3.5L was a dog (my wifes Old Grand AM gt could smoke it)--the 3.6 pulled hard off the line and sounded great.

I think part of that is seat of the pants feel (gearing?). The Aura weighs around 300 pounds more than a Grand Am GT, but the 3.5 is a slightly larger and more refined version of the 3.4 found in the Grand Am GT and has 30 more horses and 30 more pound feet of torque. Both cars run the mid 7s 0-60.

I test drove the Aura twice and was impressed with the relative power (4 cyl), breaking and handling of the car. Interior felt very comfortable and felt very safe with both side curtain and front airbags, standard. I also like the tail lights better then the Malibu but I like the Malibu front end better.

A huge dislike about the car is those plastic wheel covers. Sure, they fooled me at first but when I really looked at it, it was a huge turnoff. The only other wheel option is the thin spokes and I don’t believe those are optional on the base model. Another dislike is that sliding cup holder cover in the center console.

Some reviews I have read have some complaints about the electronic power steering on the 4 cyl engines. Can you give any info on that?

Nick

Cool...
Though I do kind of wonder what real basis for comparison you have when you talk about the Accord and Camry. If you work at a Saturn dealer and just now got a chance to drive an Aura, and your main direct comparison has been a 10 year old Saturn... I'm wondering how much if any actual seat time you've had in a new 08 Accord and 07+ Camry.

I test drove the Aura twice and was impressed with the relative power (4 cyl), breaking and handling of the car. Interior felt very comfortable and felt very safe with both side curtain and front airbags, standard. I also like the tail lights better then the Malibu but I like the Malibu front end better.

A huge dislike about the car is those plastic wheel covers. Sure, they fooled me at first but when I really looked at it, it was a huge turnoff. The only other wheel option is the thin spokes and I don’t believe those are optional on the base model. Another dislike is that sliding cup holder cover in the center console.

Some reviews I have read have some complaints about the electronic power steering on the 4 cyl engines. Can you give any info on that?

Nick

According to the Saturn site base cars get 17" steel wheels w/plastic wheel covers, there are optional 17" aluminum wheels available and 3 different styled 18" wheels.

I test drove the Aura twice and was impressed with the relative power (4 cyl), breaking and handling of the car. Interior felt very comfortable and felt very safe with both side curtain and front airbags, standard. I also like the tail lights better then the Malibu but I like the Malibu front end better.

A huge dislike about the car is those plastic wheel covers. Sure, they fooled me at first but when I really looked at it, it was a huge turnoff. The only other wheel option is the thin spokes and I don’t believe those are optional on the base model. Another dislike is that sliding cup holder cover in the center console.

Some reviews I have read have some complaints about the electronic power steering on the 4 cyl engines. Can you give any info on that?

Nick

I am pretty sure the 3.5 is the base Aura engine, the only way to get a 4 cylinder is the Greenline model and I don't know if those are out yet.

I am pretty sure the 3.5 is the base Aura engine, the only way to get a 4 cylinder is the Greenline model and I don't know if those are out yet.

Nope, there are 2 XE models, the I-4 and the V6. :)

Nick

According to the Saturn site base cars get 17" steel wheels w/plastic wheel covers, there are optional 17" aluminum wheels available and 3 different styled 18" wheels.

Yah, for $1,500 to $2,000 as an upgrade. Even the base model LS Malibu has a rim.

http://www.chevrolet.com/i/pic/malibu/2008/features/16inch_fascia_spoke.jpg

Nope, there are 2 XE models, the I-4 and the V6. :)

Nick

When did they add the I4? I know it launched w/ the 3.5 and 3.6 only. I guess they wanted something to compete directly w/ the 4 cylinder Camry and Accord.

When did they add the I4? I know it launched w/ the 3.5 and 3.6 only. I guess they wanted something to compete directly w/ the 4 cylinder Camry and Accord.

Not sure. I became interested in buying one about 2 weeks ago and both dealers I went to so far had 4 cyl XEs on the lot.

Not sure. I became interested in buying one about 2 weeks ago and both dealers I went to so far had 4 cyl XEs on the lot.

Will a 6 speed auto be available like on the Malibu LTZ 4 cylinder?

Cool...
Though I do kind of wonder what real basis for comparison you have when you talk about the Accord and Camry. If you work at a Saturn dealer and just now got a chance to drive an Aura, and your main direct comparison has been a 10 year old Saturn... I'm wondering how much if any actual seat time you've had in a new 08 Accord and 07+ Camry.

I used to work at a Honda dealer a year ago. Although I haven't gotten a chance to drive an '08 Accord, I did get to drive the '06 and '07 models on a daily basis. I can't imagine the '08 is radically different from those models. I also have a friend with a new Camry, which I got to check out. The Aura is easily a match for these two cars. I threw in the '98 SL2 for comparison because it's a recent Saturn car, and the differences between the two show how far Saturn's lineup has come in a short time.

I love the exterior of the Aura. It looks fresh to me. All other sedans seem to carry only 3 different styling themes (or approximations thereof (there's the Cadillac trapezoidal Arts & Science look, the BMW 3 series look, or the Nissan Altima look)).
The Aura doesn't look like any other car on the road.
I've never driven one, so I have nothing to report on that. I have, however, sat in many and I have only a couple of dislikes.

1) The dash: seems to be unfinished; like it could be snazzy-er, especially the center stack area. Maybe GM has a new dash waiting for the Aura.

2) The seat fabric: the seat fabric is truly tragic. And it seems to be ALL of GM's fabrics of late. They remind me of woven nylon. The Altima has nice seat fabric and door trimmings.

Just fix those 2 things...oh, and add a manual tranny (wishful thinking) and the car would be great.

Yah, for $1,500 to $2,000 as an upgrade. Even the base model LS Malibu has a rim.

http://www.chevrolet.com/i/pic/malibu/2008/features/16inch_fascia_spoke.jpg

That's not a rim. They're 5 spoke bolt on wheelcovers over 5 spoke steel wheels. I much prefer them to just spoke covers, though.

Aura XE 4 is new for 2008. I wish you could get one with leather. You'll be able to get a Malibu LTZ with leather and the 4, but ordering an XE with leather forces you into the 3.5.

^ Huh... Doesn't look like one. I guess I would have to see it in person.

I drove 2 Auras briefly but was very impressed. However the 3.5L was a dog

The one we have feels pretty quick. 3.6L cars are not too far away from being LT1 fast.

I love the Aura wheel covers (as much as you can love a hub cap) because they are 17" vs. 16 from the competition and with the Aura you can't see the steel wheel behind the cap. it is a 5 spoke steel wheel.

^ Huh... Doesn't look like one. I guess I would have to see it in person.

Note that on Chevrolet.com they call that a "Fascia Spoke" (there are chrome 17" "Fascia Spoke" as well) vs. the 16, 17, and 18 inch Aluminum wheels that say "Aluminum" in their description.

It's like Z28x said 5 spoke cover on a 5 spoke wheel. You have to look closely to tell since the cover is "3D" looking vs. your typical flat wheelcover and you can't see a black steel wheel behind it.

These were available on the previous Malibu the last couple of years as well. They are WAY better than typical wheelcovers in my opinion.

I figure the "why try, it's an economy car base model" wheelcovers on my Cobalt LS must have cost about 9 cents apiece to manufacture.

Correct, the Aura and the Malibu have a steel wheel under that wheel cover to make it look nicer instead of just a standard wheel cover a generic steel wheel. The steel wheel on the Aura and Malibu are actually shapped like the wheel cover.

The Aura will come in 4cyl XE and XR trim like the Malibu. And like the Malibu, the XR 2.4 gets the 6spd auto and leather options.
Aura is nice, but teh Malibu is the clear winner now. Aura will move foward once EPII is here and we get the Insignia design.

The Aura will come in 4cyl XE and XR trim like the Malibu. And like the Malibu, the XR 2.4 gets the 6spd auto and leather options.
Aura is nice, but teh Malibu is the clear winner now. Aura will move foward once EPII is here and we get the Insignia design.

That's great. I hadn't heard about the 4 cylinder XR. Will it be coming around the same time as the LTZ?

The one thing that the Aura has over the Malibu is the fact that there are no incentives or offers on Malibu and there's 0% for 60 months on Aura. But I agree that the Malibu is the ultimate Epsilon for now...

I think part of that is seat of the pants feel (gearing?). The Aura weighs around 300 pounds more than a Grand Am GT, but the 3.5 is a slightly larger and more refined version of the 3.4 found in the Grand Am GT and has 30 more horses and 30 more pound feet of torque. Both cars run the mid 7s 0-60.

oh the gearing and the weight was def the culprit. Might be a bit over 400lbs difference.

I am not sure if I have seen a test of the 3.5L Aura---I wonder if it can crack the 8 sec barrier...there not worlds apart though.

The most prevalent number I could find online for a Grand Am GT sedan is 3168 with coupes being 100-200 pounds lighter. Most common numbers for Aura seem to range from 3528-3550. 0-60 numbers for XE seem to range from 7.7 to 8.4. So it is a little slower on average than I thought.

Correct, the Aura and the Malibu have a steel wheel under that wheel cover to make it look nicer instead of just a standard wheel cover a generic steel wheel. The steel wheel on the Aura and Malibu are actually shapped like the wheel cover.

The Aura will come in 4cyl XE and XR trim like the Malibu. And like the Malibu, the XR 2.4 gets the 6spd auto and leather options.
Aura is nice, but teh Malibu is the clear winner now. Aura will move foward once EPII is here and we get the Insignia design.

I wonder how much more cost efficient that is to produce as opposed to a standard Rim. I would assume that was just one of the designs to make the car more affordable, but I am curious to find out how much.

I wonder how much more cost efficient that is to produce as opposed to a standard Rim. I would assume that was just one of the designs to make the car more affordable, but I am curious to find out how much.

My Malibu has the 17" wheel cover in the posts above. Looks like a real rim, a highly polished or chrome one at that. I've been in a large amount of vehicles from the 60's to vehicles in the prototype stage even now and the new Malibu is probably one of the nicest cars I've ever been in. I love my car, it is completely amazing in every way.