2007 Saturn Aura XR: Not the R8

normal economy car.

ZING!

I wouldn't rate the Aura as a normal economy car. Focus? Civic? Cobalt? Those are normal (albeit the civic blows the focus and cobalt out of the water).

But the Aura? That's a decent car there :)

Joe

Give these editors couple more months with the R8 then the STi, CTS and C300 will all become "normal economy cars"...

The STi is a $40k economy car, does that count? ;-)

For 2009, Saturn is making the 6-spd auto standard on the 4-cylinder Aura XE. That's my kind of economy car (considering my rant on the subject in the recent xB post)!

But they could always make it more like the R8 by removing the AUX jack...

Donna DeRosa, are you saying if you weren't born with the smartest kid in class as your child, you'd be ashamed of him forever?
Shame on you. Love your child no matter how retarded or how many limbs or brain size he's missing.
The Aura is a great kid, doesn't matter if he likes blowing up his steering column, or if he likes making clunking sounds when he moves. So he may be missing a few screws, a few trims of high quality material, some interior space, cupholders that hold cups, and a rear seat armrest here, drink too much gas here and there, but he's still a great kid! Even if he was born a C and worked hard to get to a B!

Why not tell your neighbor how the Aura out accelerates the Accord? Or how it outhandles and outbrakes the Accord? Oh yeah, not permitted by Edmunds :)

Instead as is required by Edmunds :) you start by criticizing the Aura. I understand, it is a job requirement.

No, the Aura is not an R8. What a shock!

I truly feel sorry for those misguided souls who purchased an Aura in June, sales up 45%. Whatever were they thinking? Holy cow, what was I thinking 18 months and 12,500 miles ago.

This koolaid is good :)

"But they could always make it more like the R8 by removing the AUX jack..."

Or they could quadruple the price. Remember, there are unlimited ways for IL to convey how much they dont like the Aura. Just when you think they have hit it from every angle they find a new line of attack. It would be interesting to see if they hate the Aura more than the Focus.

"I truly feel sorry for those misguided souls who purchased an Aura in June, sales up 45%. "

Its interesting how so many predicted that the "far superior" Malibu was going to put the Aura out of business and yet both cars are doing well. I would imagine they will do better with best in class highway mileage for 2009. The Camry hybrid gets 33mpg on the highway as will the 2009 Aura.

I feel like I'm reading GM's fastlane blog with all these, defend-domestic-at-all-cost commenters. Lighten up.

Sales for the Aura are up, but the Malibu is still murdering the Aura as far as sales go. 27K units in may VS 75K units for the Malibu says the Malibu is selling excellently. Is the Aura going to get 33mpg in 2009? The hybrid or the 4cyl?

Of course the malibu is going to outsell the aura. There are how many chevrolet dealerships compared to saturn dealerships. What people were saying is that aura sales were going to tank when the malibu came out but the sales have gone up. The 4 cylinder is going to get 33mpg for 2009 not the hybrid unlike the camry which needs a hybrid to be able to do that.

"...there are unlimited ways for IL to convey how much they dont like the Aura. Just when you think they have hit it from every angle they find a new line of attack."

Zzzz. And there's back-talk for all of it, ad infinitum. But that's all it is. Still waiting for an original thought, a new idea, a point. Anything.

"I feel like I'm reading GM's fastlane blog with all these, defend-domestic-at-all-cost commenters. Lighten up."

there is such a thing as constructive criticism. You just wont find much of it regarding this car. There really isnt anything to "defend" in this case so I'm not sure where you are coming from.

BTW, the fastlane blog is full of people attacking GM. Not sure which version you have been reading.

"Sales for the Aura are up, but the Malibu is still murdering the Aura as far as sales go. 27K units in may VS 75K units for the Malibu says the Malibu is selling excellently. Is the Aura going to get 33mpg in 2009? The hybrid or the 4cyl? "

Did you ever consider how many Saturn dealers there are vs Chevy dealers? Of course you didnt. Saturn has about 400 dealerships. Saturn is selling more Aura per dealer than Chevy is selling Malibus. GM is building the Malibu at two plants and can probably build over 250k a year. Aura is built at one plant shared with Malibu.

Mild hybrids are rated at 26/34. More of that deficient American engineering.

"Why not tell your neighbor how the Aura out accelerates the Accord? Or how it outhandles and outbrakes the Accord? Oh yeah, not permitted by Edmunds :)"

I gathered from this post that Ms. DeRosa was *not* trying to put her neighbor to sleep with a 1487-style lecture.

blankfocus, welcome to the party. :-)

"Why not tell your neighbor how the Aura out accelerates the Accord? Or how it outhandles and outbrakes the Accord? Oh yeah, not permitted by Edmunds :)"

Because her neighbor probably owns an Accord, so she doesn't care. :P
just kidding.

"I gathered from this post that Ms. DeRosa was *not* trying to put her neighbor to sleep with a 1487-style lecture."

a point based on facts cant always be made with one or two glib sentences. If I abandoned any need for reasoning I could surely shorten things up a bit and just try to be funny. If you call 3 or 4 sentences a "lecture" I would think the issue is more related to your attention span than the actual length of my posts. :)

"If you call 3 or 4 sentences a "lecture" I would think the issue is more related to your attention span than the actual length of my posts. :)"

For more information on your lecture series, you may want to refer to some of your previous posts from the last 2 years or so. But do my eyes deceive me, is that a smiley?? From 1487?? Sense of humor!? Have you turned a new leaf and decided to start playing nice? You know what they say, you'll catch more bees with honey than cyanide.

I suppose coming out of a $110k Audi R8, the Aura feels like an economy car by comparison. But the Aura is no economy car.

"But the Aura is no economy car."
Exactly, the advertising calls it a sports sedan.

In comparison to the rental car I had the last two days, it sure feels more like a sports sedan than an economy car. Of course I also had a Chevy Colorado extended cab. And of course, I only had it because the steering in the Aura had to be fixed for the 3rd time. Don't get me wrong, it really is a decent car, I think/hope I just got a bad example regarding the steering. It handles well, decent power, good amenities, looks great.

As for constructive criticism that 1487 states is lacking: The Aura needs the following interior adjustments: higher door mounted arm rests, rear seat arm rests, bluetooth functionality, rid the car of the peddle operated parking brake and have a dedicated footrest and grab handles (this applies to all the GM cars I have driven recently).
Powertrain adjustments: paddle shifters need to have operation reversed, I would still like a console mounted manual gate, transmission ratios changed to better the acceleration from 45-70.

After owning the Aura XR for 18 months and 23,000 miles, this is what I would change.

Donna-

This is yet one more reason why you and your staff at Inside Line are nothing more than a JOKE...read for entertainment.

If I want unbiased, hardcore automotive journalism, I will stick to my Car & Driver...but Inside Line is always good for a chuckle.

You and your staff won't miss a chance to take a cheap shot at the Aura.

Comparing it to an R8 is ludicrous, calling it an economy car is shameful. Call it what it is: a decent, middle of the road family sedan, with a sporty engine (XR), which undercuts its competitors prices significantly yet provides a comparative driving experience.

Why even post the above writing? There was nothing imformative or helpful about it. Just another smear campaign by a biased group of writers.

zillafire

I agree with you on almost every idea. Make the DI version of the 3.6 standard on the XR.

I would add get 2 versions of the two-mode hybrid system. A 3.6 XR hybrid and a 2.4 hybrid.

The 6 speed automatic combo with the 2.4 coming out in 2009(2008?) now means the Aura gets better mileage than the Camry or Accord.

For GM as a whole, I would institute the BAS+ in all cars within 2 years, improving mileage across the board 10-20%. Do not call them hybrids, simply provide it in all non-hybrid vehicles. I know it would take time, money, but it should be done.

I can guarantee Saturn I would buy a Aura XR hybrid 3.6 in a heartbeat.

Yes, very deficient. RR numbers are dismal, the estimates are what they are, estimates, the Aura hybrid is just a marketing ploy, it drives terribly..

Now that GM has a few cars that people should consider, GM fans everywhere think that they're superior, and excellent, top of their class dynamics, oh and it's a GM, which means it will last forever, and the resale will be good. Oh they look good too, so you all should by one and support GM. Anyone that makes a rebuttal, that the Aura isn't all it's cracked up to be, is a import biased fool that will never know how it feels when your PS pump fails or your steering column makes odd noises.

"Have you turned a new leaf and decided to start playing nice? You know what they say, you'll catch more bees with honey than cyanide."

Thanks for the advice. I'm just making points that others dont make, I'm not too concerned about how many kudos I get from the peanut gallery. Those who can apply critical thinking skills typically understand what I am saying.

"Yes, very deficient. RR numbers are dismal, the estimates are what they are, estimates, the Aura hybrid is just a marketing ploy, it drives terribly.."

wrong as usual. No surprise there. I have read reviews where testers have gotten 28mpg in the mild hybrid. Real world numbers have exceeded the EPA numbers. In fact MT compared the Aura GL to Camry and Altima and the Aura was within 3-4mpg of the full hybrids. Do you ever fact check before posting?

"Anyone that makes a rebuttal, that the Aura isn't all it's cracked up to be, is a import biased fool "

If the shoe fits.................

"Comparing it to an R8 is ludicrous, calling it an economy car is shameful. Call it what it is: a decent, middle of the road family sedan, with a sporty engine (XR), which undercuts its competitors prices significantly yet provides a comparative driving experience. "

You will get roasted around here for comments such as the one above. The Aura is completely mediocre in every way. Just check out the last 30 blog entries if you dont believe me.

1487

Not all the blog entries are critical of the car.

Just all those from Edmunds editors. Don't get too upset, otherwise it will cause the price of oil to shoot up, just like when someone sneezes in Iran or Nigeria.

Remember, the editors are just doing what they have to keep their jobs. Just like working for Honda/BMW and Driver and Consumer Reports, one must take a vow to hate most American cars, especially GM products. They only allow a few exceptions, ie the Corvette or CTS.