2007 Saturn Aura XR: Not Quite Finished

I dont understand. Edmunds has praised the aura interior but when i drove one it was garbage. If you tap the fake wood around the center console it sounds empty and like melted down chocolate box plastic. I have to agree though, the doors are the worst. There's no padding for your elbow. Also if you're tall then your elbow has to sit on that little piece of plastic on the B pillar that is made out of even cheaper plastic. I drove an XE, i dont think they swap dashes out between the XE and XR.
 
Personally, if this is the "best saturn yet" then saturn has a long way to go, i sure hope the new malibu isnt like this.

Don't even get me started on that fake stitch on the door grab handle, I heard they changed it? maybe?

At least the AURA has "wood" or "aluminum" trim on the doors. The Malibu has none.
  
And it's not just GM; apart from a few exceptions, it seems like interior quality is worsening industry-wide. The new Accord LX no longer has cloth inserts on the door panels, and the EX-L models have a nasty, sweaty vinyl instead of leather. The Camry's door panels have a hard, shiny, brittle texture that looks cheaper than the previous generation's. And the A-pillar trim doesn't fit properly.
  
The only companies that seem to be making significant progress on interior quality are Hyundai, GM, and Ford - but those had many crappy interiors to begin with.

Door panels should be covered in padded cloth or leather, especially in the armrest and right above the armrest on the door panel itself....where the driver's left arm comes into constant contact.
 
The nicest door I've seen, in the way I described above, was a 99 Audi A4 w/ 128k miles on it. Sitting as a passenger, my right arm was in absolute bliss as it sunk into the gentleman's leather chair that was the passenger side door armrest.....
 
I don't know how to adequately say how impressed I was. I lifted up my right arm and actually took 20 seconds out of my life to examine the door's execution. Never before had I given 2 seconds to thinking about it (unless I was very uncomfortable by a design). Since then, it's actually an important criteria to me in a car. A car must have a very pleasing to touch steering wheel, shifter, middle armrest, and door armrest and panel. Those are the surfaces my extremities are constantly banging into.
 
I'm not buying a Nano Tata. I don't care if it's frigging pleather....cover it with it and put some padding underneath.
 
Joe

All doors should be covered in alcantara. It just blows my mind the Aura's doors are not fully alcantara lined.

Nissan continually makes good door panels. Even on the base Versa, you get a soft elbow pad and seat fabric on the door. If I remember correctly, just about the whole top half of the Altima's door panel is swathed in cloth as well.

"Personally, if this is the "best saturn yet" then saturn has a long way to go, i sure hope the new malibu isnt like this."
 
The Malibu is very mich like this. The door panels are almost the same in the Malibu.
 
The panel in the door above the armrest is not hard plastic. Not that I really care one way or another. Its amazing how there are no similar posts about the hard plastic in the Accord.
 
"Don't even get me started on that fake stitch on the door grab handle, I heard they changed it? maybe?"
 
Its been stated numerous times that its been changed for 2008. I can guarantee you most people wouldnt even notice the change.

we need the opel insignia period.
 
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/opel-insignia-2/841062/

"we need the opel insignia period. "
 
And thats what you will get. Period. A superior new model doesnt make this model bad.

1487 - I was in Philly this weekend and every time I saw an Aura, I thought of you. What color is yours? Next time, I'll shout "1487?" at anybody in your color Aura :)
 
Some people made some comments about alcantara. Ironically, my 06 Civic SI has a faux-alcantara seating surface on the side bolsters....it's also used to cover thick padding on the armrest in the door and center of the seats. The middle of the seat fabric is used on the door panel.
 
The bottom of any door should be a durable plastic. That's where you kick and it gets rubbed against, bumped against, constantly. So the Aura using that doesn't bother me. But the armrest and panel above the armrest should be at least cloth covered (and preferably not just cloth covered plastic, as is the case in many cars....great, it's soft to touch but hard to put weight against....exactly what it's used for...).
 
1487 - I liked how you tried to deflect criticism of the Aura's door panel to say "I don't see any threads on the Accord's hard plastic!". Have you been in an Accord? The door panels have a padded armrest and soft-touch panel above the armrest....Part of the reason I think it has the best interior in it's segment.
 
Joe

joefrompa - as usual, you add a refreshing dose of common sense to the discussion. You make a statement and then back it up with a good rationale (the need for a decent material on the arm rest). I also think that the seam between two fabric-covered panels is easier to form than between two plastic ones. That's why every Aura and Malibu I've been in has an ugly gap between the door and arm rest that just gets worse as I lean on it. Again, for me, it all comes back to the cars being close, but not quite there.

Siblur - Thanks for the compliment. Please feel free to forward your thoughts to Edmunds so that they offer me some sort of remote, project management-oriented, test-drive involving job that pays similar to my current job.
 
Or they could simply pay for me to relocate to San Diego. I think my perpetually-cold wife would take that offer :)
 
Joe

I have not sat in an '08 Accord, but I've ridden in both an '07 Accord and '07 Camry, and the door materials were similar in quality to the Aura. And I was specifically paying attention to this, after reading so much criticism of the Aura doors.
 
Oh, there were SOME differences, though -- the V6 Accord was about $2000 more than my V6 Aura XE, and the Camry interior looked like it was designed for grandmothers. Not that there's anything wrong with grandmothers, I guess...

In my opinion the interior of the car looks pretty simple or basic, but competitive enough to compete with other luxury cars like bmw, just read some articles on the new m1 on bmw at
Autopartswarehouse, look at it...

The 09 Sonata uses better materials and looks better, with better fuel economy, and just a better interior design. I sat in a stripper GLS and I was amazed.

I agree with CX7, the redesigned 09 sonata interior is the best interior available in a family sedan today.
 
The reason that the Aura is picked on but not the Accord for its interior is because the Accord is just that...an Accord. It's such a well-oiled, smooth, willing machine that it's shortcomings are easy to overlook. Not so with the Aura.

zoomzoom -- I also have to add that the Aura gets more gripes than the Accord because the Accord is an entirely new sedan. The Aura still has ghosts of the old Malibu hanging around.

Thanks for the link, pengwin! The new Opel Insignia looks fantastic!!!

"1487 - I liked how you tried to deflect criticism of the Aura's door panel to say "I don't see any threads on the Accord's hard plastic!". Have you been in an Accord? The door panels have a padded armrest and soft-touch panel above the armrest....Part of the reason I think it has the best interior in it's segment. "
 
I wasnt commenting on the door panels. The Accord has hard plastics in other areas. The door panels are better looking on the Accord than Aura if you chose to make a car buying decision on that sort of thing. My point was we dont see such exhausting critiques of the interiors of other cars in the fleet. The Aura is a whipping boy and that is obvious at this stage. Although I'm sure you will try to argue otherwise.

"But the armrest and panel above the armrest should be at least cloth covered (and preferably not just cloth covered plastic, as is the case in many cars....great, it's soft to touch but hard to put weight against....exactly what it's used for...). "
 
I have no desire for a cloth covered armrest for cleanliness reasons. It is very tedious to clean cloth surfaces and I would rather not have to scrub my armrests when they get soiled.

"The 09 Sonata uses better materials and looks better, with better fuel economy, and just a better interior design. I sat in a stripper GLS and I was amazed."
 
I sat in the 2009 Sonata and the interior was better than Aura, Altima and Carmy. It was at least as good as the Accord's but considering the price I would say its better. The Sonata's interior feels better than that of Malibu but I do not like the design and would take the Malibu.
 
"It's such a well-oiled, smooth, willing machine that it's shortcomings are easy to overlook. Not so with the Aura."
 
That is a crock. The Aura rides, accelerates and handles as well as the Accord and is quieter to boot. Not to mention it looks better and costs less comparably equipped. There is nothing about the Aura's powertrain or ride/handling that is lacking when compared to the Accord. The Accord comes with all the good will the Honda badge has earned with journalists and thus is seen as perfect. The Aura is just a lowly Saturn and we all know the Saturn brand doenst have the greatest image. When the 2010 or 2011 model comes out it will be praied intially (just like the current car) only to be deemed inferior to the Accord in the future. I cant wait to see what excuses will be made once it becomes apparent that the next gen Aura will have a class leading interior.

The updated Sonata is the best mid sized transportation appliance period. It's better than the Accord, Camry, Malibu/Aura and Altima if all you need is space, economy and a low price. If you want power, style and personality- look elsewhere.

I just re-read the post, and while I appreciate the attempt at even-handedness, I have to point out one glaring inaccuracy:
 
"It's all hard plastic."
 
In fact, only the lower panel with the map pocket, and the panel forward of the door handle are hard plastic. The rest is soft-touch vinyl similar to the dash surface -- which was praised in early reviews of the car.
 
No, it's not as cushy and inviting as your favorite recliner, but it IS comparable to many others in this class.
 
Haven't sat in the new Sonata, but it sounds nice. Too bad they took a step backward with the exterior refresh...

If you want power, style and personality- look elsewhere.
 
Hardly, the new Sonata is very restrained and good looking, dull but good looking, and the new V6 is meaty and still gets excellent fuel economy comparable to some 4cyl's.

I'm not getting what the complaint is. From the pictures, it looks like a nicely styled door panel. It's certainly competitive with everything else in the class. I mean what is so much nicer about a Camry or an Accord door panel? Finished in hard plastic? Well, what did you expect, exotic hardwoods and carbon fiber? This is a $25k sedan, not a luxury car or a supercar. Soft plastic doesn't wear well, and can't support door structures (buttons, handles, etc.).

Stingray -
 
It's uncomfortable for some people. Resting your arm/elbow/weight on something hard and flat tends to be uncomfortable. So people ask for a covered and padded surface. Cars like, say, my 06 Civic SI, have nicely padded and cloth covered surfaces at the armrest and door panel directly above the armrest.
 
So, yeah, people paying this amount for the car expect a little more attention to detail. I agree, it's attractive (the aura's door)....from 5 feet.
 
1487 - "I have no desire for a cloth covered armrest for cleanliness reasons. It is very tedious to clean cloth surfaces and I would rather not have to scrub my armrests when they get soiled."
 
I have 46k on my Civic SI and I've used it to transport some stuff that really gives off dirt (primarily, lots of broken down drywall and 2x4's with lots of dust all over me while doing it). I've never had to clean the armrest or seats with anything other than my trusty Rigid wet/dry vacuum.
 
And I've really enjoyed my incredible seats and softly padded 3-stage extendable center armrest and cloth covered & padded door armrest. And they are even still cushy even after 46k miles.
 
So I guess, if I were to follow your desires, I'd rather have my elbow/forearm be uncomfortable or even uncapable of resting on the door than to have to clean the cloth surfaces once every couple years?
 
Your justifications are so weak man. I hope you aren't a defense attorney....
 
Joe

And if you've ever sat in one, the door, soft touch, every plastic in the car is high quality or soft touch. Cheap soft plastic is the stuff that isn't durable, and the cheap hard stuff is the stuff that starts to crack after 10 years.
 
http://i26.tinypic.com/1z1s28h.jpg
 
http://i28.tinypic.com/11w3fbo.jpg
 
And for 26,095K LOADED Limited with Navi & a V6?

Misterfusion:
 
Good point. It's not all hard plastic, but it's plasticky and hard and not very pleasant. I was making a specific contrast to what I feel is otherwise a well-finished interior. My 20-year-old car has nice leather on the door panels and a nice leather (or leatherette) armrest. There are numerous solutions.

CX7 - The picture of the Aura you just posted is very attractive, but wow I need to sit in a new Sonata :)
 
I wasn't impressed with the 06 Sonata interior (rented in San Francisco, impressed with the overall car but not with the interior).
 
Hyundai wins the "most improved" award year over year. It seems like once they see a weakness, their first "shot" at improving it does quite well.
 
Joe

"In fact, only the lower panel with the map pocket, and the panel forward of the door handle are hard plastic. The rest is soft-touch vinyl similar to the dash surface -- which was praised in early reviews of the car. "
 
Exactly. The insert isnt hard plastic. The door armrest isnt hard either contrary to what joefromPA is saying. Only the bottom of the door panel below the armrest is hard plastic, but you never touch that.
 
"My 20-year-old car has nice leather on the door panels and a nice leather (or leatherette) armrest. "
 
You should know its pointless to compare the Aura with an old car. My last car (debuted in 1998) had more soft touch material than the 2007 Camry, last gen Altima, last gen Accord or current Accord. Everyone knows there is cost cutting in interiors today that didnt exist 10 or 20 years ago.
 
Joe,
 
Who said the armrest is uncomfortable? I surely didn't. If I'm not mistaken you dont own an Aura so I am confused as to how you are the authority on how uncomfortable the interior may or may not be. I haven't had any issue with armrest comfort because the armrests aren't hard. If I was an attorney I surely wouldnt try to prosecute a case without a handle on the facts as you are known to do occasionally. You are making accusations but don't even have the facts straight.

"Hardly, the new Sonata is very restrained and good looking, dull but good looking, and the new V6 is meaty and still gets excellent fuel economy comparable to some 4cyl's."
 
The Sonata has typical Asian car styling meaning its not ugly but its totally forgettable. The Aura and Malibu look much better than the Sonata. In fact, the 2008 model was more attractive than the chromed up 2009 model. The Sonata is about value and the new interior. If you like the Accord you will love the Sonata and save money to boot. Since I wouldnt buy an Accord I wouldnt buy a Sonata.
 
Joe,
 
you have to sit in a car to gauge the type of materials used. Have you ever sat in a Malibu or Aura? If you do so you may realize that surfaces you claim to be hard are not at all. You can tap them for yourself. ALL hard plastics in the interior are below the trim line or armrests. The upper dash is soft touch as is the upper door panel. The plastics you wouldnt normally touch are hard. I drove 5+ hours to CT and had no issues with arm comfort.

The Malibu's rear-end is not easy on the eyes, nor is the Auras bug-eyed front end, when I see a Sonata I know if it's a 2006+ or 2009. It's the among the best Mid-size cars son the market today, and it's forgettable if you only eyes for GM.

okay, 1487, everyone here, including me, tries to be patient with you, but all you care about is GM ! Who cares if the Accord or the Sonata is better than the Aura/Malibu !
Get over it !

There is a definite bias towards import cars...its the domestics own faults for all those years of shoddy products.
 
Now, even with great new products its still hard to overcome. I for one back 1487 for speaking up when he sees that bias in action.
 
I own an Aura, drive it every day. The top of the door panel is softer plastic...the bottom is the hard stuff. I have never had any discomfort with resting my arm on the door. I haven't even thought about it, which means it must be fine for me.
 
Until you have sat in and driven the car for a period of time, its really pointless to throw opinions out there based on one internet photo and a lot of second-hand talk.

I might have freaked out a little ( or a lot), it's just that I really don't like it when people love or hate a certain thing/brand. I personally like Honda's, but I will admit that they've made some mistakes.

"It's the among the best Mid-size cars son the market today, and it's forgettable if you only eyes for GM."
 
I would buy the Sonata in a hearbeat over the Camry or Accord. What exactly are you talking about? Style is a high priority for me and the Sonata is dull just like most mainstream Asian sedans. If I was only concerned with price and practicality the Sonata would likely be my #1 choice. Unlike you I am fully capably of acknowledging nice cars. You pop up in every GM vehicle blog to hurl insults. If you hate these cars so much I dont see why you bother to post. You have nothing positve to say about any GM product, even the products that have been lauded by the press so you have zero credibility as far as I'm concerned. Just stick to advocating for Mazda.
 
carfreak,
 
I dont know where you came from but you certainly need to read my posts more carefully before going on the attack. Facts are facts. You have a right to hate GM products or any other kind but that doesn't change the facts. Aura owners can tell you about the materials in the car better than someone who is making definitive declarations based on internet photos. I'm not going to corroborate false information just so I can appear more objective to people like you. If you can find any evidence that I believe GM has no faults you can feel free to share it with the group. Since this is an Aura blog entry I would presume its acceptable to talk about the Aura and its competitors. The fact that IL editors dont like the Aura doesnt prove the car is substandard. In fact, contrary to all the Aura bashing that goes on here its sales are up this year even though GM's sales are way down.

Okay, so I freaked out, but I don't post that much, and I was just saying how it's really annoying when someone gets angry if another car/brand is better than the one's they like. Is my point that unreasonable ?

joefrompa - "It's uncomfortable for some people. Resting your arm/elbow/weight on something hard and flat tends to be uncomfortable"
 
The armrest is not hard plastic on the Aura - it's soft. It is flat, I'll give you that. Then again, so are the armrests in most cars.
 
Those of you praising the Sonata - there's more to a car than a decent interior and a nice stereo. Here are just a few reasons I would never buy one:
 
http://www.leftlanenews.com/nhtsa-investigates-hyundai-sonata-for-extreme-corrosion.html
 
http://www.leftlanenews.com/hyundai-recalls-sonatas-due-to-faulty-seat-sensor-that-deactivates-airbags.html
 
Yes, they are the older models, but it is proof Hyundais do not age well. Further proof is their horrible depreciation, and why Hyundai won't lease them.
 
They don't age well because they cut corners where the average customer doesn't see. I have family members and friends who bought Hyundais, and almost all of them will not be purchasing another one. That tells you a lot right there.

1999 to 2002 and lets not even get started on the GM recalls.
 
They've made some really big strides since then, so why bring up the old past, I could easily do so with GM and all the garbage they put out during that same time.
 
GM has WAY more recalls than Hyundai.
 
Tells me your group of people don't want another Hyundai, not much else, tell them to buy a GM.
 
Oh and 1487, get over it, the Aura was praised for being the best stuff GM had out at the time, now it's already sniffing the bottom of the mid-size car pits. It never was best in class.
GM fanboy. Make all of your assumptions based on my screen name, I love it.

CX7lover
 
Actually, the Aura was named Car of the Year, not 'GM car of the year', so I think you are a bit off with your facts. Considering it is basically the same car as the new Malibu which is more than holding its own with the Accords and Camrys, I would say it is far from the bottom.

"GM has WAY more recalls than Hyundai. "
 
GM sells WAY more vehicles than Hyundai. Common sense dictates that higher volume manufacturers typically recall more vehicles. Toyota also recalls more vehicles than Hyundai. What is your point?
 
"Oh and 1487, get over it, the Aura was praised for being the best stuff GM had out at the time, now it's already sniffing the bottom of the mid-size car pits. It never was best in class.
GM fanboy. Make all of your assumptions based on my screen name, I love it."
 
I make my assumptions based on the fact that all your posts are either a) anti GM or b)pro Mazda. In fact, I rarely see you say anything positive about anyting not made by Mazda UNLESS you are talking about how other brands are superior to GM. The Aura beat the Camry in a comparo done by Autoweek. It was also named best famile car by Motorweek in 2007 and it won NACTY in 2007 beating the camry and Fit. The Aura XR has never been in any comparisons besides the AW comparo. Even though it finished 4th in a C&D comparo it still beat the Camry. The nearly identical Malibu beat the Camry in a recent I-4 midsize sedan test in C&D and finished third behind Accord and Altima. Get your facts straight. You may be a Mazda expert but you dont know squat about GM's products.