I took the 2007 Saturn Aura XR to Vegas for a few days for a conference. Nearly all of my time in the Aura was spent on soul-crushingly long, flat stretches of highway with the cruise control set to a sped that was over the speed limit but not so high that I was likely to get pulled over.
The Aura got good gas mileage. For a long time on the way to Vegas, I was getting 27+ mpg. I finished the trip at about 25.5 mpg, but that included a horrific commute this morning on PCH, which was clogged with surfers taking advantage of the best surf day of the year.
However, being in the market for a new family car, I likely wouldn't buy the Saturn Aura for a couple of reasons.
The Aura was comfortable, but I prefer a wider seat. (My load? It is wide. My trunk? It has a lot of junk.) The car felt smaller on the inside than it looked from the outside. I have never driven a Honda Accord or a Toyota Camry, but I used to own a 2002 Nissan Altima. My Altima felt bigger on the inside than it looked from the outside, and I really liked it. To be honest, I'd rather get another 2002 Nissan Altima than the 2007 Saturn Aura XR based on roominess and comfort alone.
In previous blog posts, editors and readers have talked about where to put your gadgets and cords in the Aura. I normally have all these things with me in my car. There was plenty of room for it with just me in the car, but it would have been a little cramped if someone else wanted to sit in the front seat. Here is a picture of my use of the Aura's holders.
- I plugged my iPod Mini into the Aux.
- My iPod Mini usually sat in the passenger seat since its battery sucks and it had to be plugged in a lot. I used the charging outlet in the armrest and snaked the cord out the convenient little hole for it. Occasionally, if the Mini wasn't charging and I was wearing my sunglasses, I put the Mini in slot #7
- This charging outlet was occupied by the car charger for my BlackBerry.
- My BlackBerry fit perfectly in the change holder (at least I think that's what that was).
- There is always a can of Diet Pepsi in my car. I used this cup holder because the other one was inconveniently close to my leg.
- I don't know what that rectangular slot was meant for, but it held my access card for the parking garage at work.
- I usually kept my sunglasses in this slot since it is fabric-lined.
Michelle Magoffin, Sr. Product Manager @ 10,900 miles
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