This weekend was spent driving through the Central Valley from Los Angeles to Sacramento, where the daytime ambient temp easily cleared the century mark, at one point reaching a blazing 111 degrees.
Our long-term 2007 Saturn Aura, which is nearing the end of its year-long service, provided a welcome relief from the hot weather with a constant rush of cold air coming from the vents. For three days and just a click over 1,000 miles, the Aura's air conditioner kept our cabin comfortably cool, even with its black leather seats.
With the A/C blowing, the Aura achieved 25.5 miles per gallon...
The steering is still cranky, and doesn’t have a smooth touch to it at all. But on this trip of straight-ahead heat-wave shimmering asphalt, the Saturn Aura was a comfortable, cool car.
Kelly Toepke, News Editor @ 17,519 miles
chavis10 says:
11:47 AM, 05/19/08
Sheesh, that's pretty hot weather.
banhugh says:
12:16 PM, 05/19/08
How good are other cars trip computer doing compared to your calculated mpg?
estreka says:
01:39 PM, 05/19/08
Wow, that's actually hotter than my days in TX. Then again, Austin consistently keeps humidity levels quite high.
slickersdrip says:
04:33 PM, 05/19/08
Estreka, are you in Austin currently?
I am-- I was just thinking that other than the humidity, I'm glad that the temperature is at least a hair better than sunny California.
estreka says:
04:44 PM, 05/19/08
Nah, I live in Montana now. I usually take a trip down there annually, though.
slickersdrip says:
05:06 PM, 05/19/08
Groovy, well, if you're ever down here and see a yellow SRT-4 with black wheels, flag me down.
mjd1123 says:
05:32 PM, 05/19/08
So what's the deal with the steering? I thought we were going to hear Dan Edmunds' theories about the problem according to an older blog post. Update please!
deadmansale says:
10:52 PM, 05/19/08
Yay, someone else was on the five with me this weekend! Glad to see you were comfortable. The glasshouse that is the 1995 Previa was torture.
cx7lover says:
12:57 AM, 05/20/08
GM has always had good A/C
ktoepke says:
08:22 AM, 05/20/08
The Aura is going back to service this morning for another look at the steering issue. We'll let you know what we learn.--Kelly
mjd1123 says:
08:36 PM, 05/20/08
Thanks Kelly! My AURA has had the same problems mentioned in previous entries, particularly the steering, so that's why I'm so interested.
1487 says:
05:49 AM, 05/21/08
what is the steering doing now exactly? Making noises?
mjd1123 says:
06:54 AM, 05/21/08
1487,
It's the infamous intermediate steering shaft issue that has plagued this car from its launch, and if my experience (and it seems Edmunds' as well) is any indication, it can never be fixed correctly. Take a look back at some of the past blog entries about it. It starts off as rubbing and clunking noises when turning. Attempt to get it fixed and the steering loses all of its nice feel...and the noises eventually return.
hexxum97 says:
08:49 AM, 05/21/08
I'm going through the EXACT same problem with my 2007 Aura XR. Had the clunking and noises in the steering, for which they replaced the Intermediate Steering Shaft. Didn't solve anything, so I brought it back and they ended up replacing the whole rack assembly! Now the clunking and noises are gone, but the feel of the steering is cr@p. It feels loose and sloppy compared to when I first bought it, and the service people can't find any cause. I'm running out of options, so I too am very curious to hear Edmunds take on this.
I have to say, the Saturn service people have been nice and genuinely seem to want to make me happy, but I am getting frustrated that there seems to be no solution.
mjd1123 says:
01:28 PM, 05/23/08
I wonder if the Aura is still in the shop for the steering. If it's anything like mine has been it'll come back with the same problem again.