2007 Saturn Aura XR - Something Nice

"But because we were both moving, my photo is a little blurry"

That's a reason for it not to be blurry. I've so much to teach you. :)

"beauty is in the eye of the beholder" has never been more true.

don't care for the brake lenses and the dual mufflers are poorly integrated into the rear fascia.

"I was admiring the lines of the Aura's bum."

And I thought it was only guys who checked out bums.

Cool :)

It does have an attractive rear. The Malibu front with this rear and you have a nice car. As it stands....

Where's 1487??? =) A positive article about the Aura is quite possibly his Mecca.. j/k..=)

Anyway, the Aura has never been a bad looking package in my eyes, but as has been noted many times, styling is subjective.

On an unrelated note, the two pictures give the viewer the feeling of two disparate atmospheres. The top picture feels rather "cold" and literally looks like it could have been taken in the winter time. The bottom evokes quite the opposite - were they taken on the same day?

I'm going to buck the trend and say that I really don't care for the looks of this car, front or back. I think it looks best from side profile, but even then, not really a fan. I do like the rims and color choice on the IL long termer though.

The Malibu, while similar, I think is a great looking car.

oh also, I think the Astra has too much Aura in it.

Best looking car in the class

"Best looking car in the class"

Most tastefully conservative car in it's class :)

(that's a good thing)

Joe

My problem with the Aura XR on 18's is the perceived high ride height. The large wheels without the usual very low profile tires has this effect. It especially makes the back end seem very tall to me, and that rear bumper cover is huuuuuge. I also find the headlights to have a weird leering look to them. Styling is subjective.

the tires are not low profile, they are 225/50s. Many Euro sedans come with lower profile tires.

Styling is subjective but most reviews commented favorably on the car's styling. This and the Malibu are very handsome. I don't like the color choice here though.

I do wish those who don't like it's styling would tell us which midsize cars hit the spot from a styling standpoint in their eyes. The Accord? The Sebring? Galant? Aside from the GM twins the most attractive midsize sedans are the 6, Fusion/Milan and Altima although the Altima looks more and more generic as time goes on. While the 6 is a very nice looking car I cannot say it is wholly superior to the Aura in styling. The fender flares are over done and I don't like the wheels.

If the Aura is the most tastefully consevative car in the class than the Accord is the most blatantly ugly.

"If the Aura is the most tastefully consevative car in the class than the Accord is the most blatantly ugly."

+1

"I do wish those who don't like it's styling would tell us which midsize cars hit the spot from a styling standpoint in their eyes."

In no particular order: Fusion, G8, Altima (the most recent iteration, anyways), Malibu, old 6 (I haven't seen the new in person yet).

Cars I think are uglier: Galant, Sebring, Accord, Camry

I agree, if comparing the Aura to cars within its segment and/or price range, the only other car that competes in styling is the '09 Mazda 6. Three model years after its introduction, the Aura still strikes me as one of the most freshly-styled cars on the road today.

And that includes the Malibu. It looks like they ran out of time before finishing the design of the rear end. Nice interior, though.

I don't think the Altima is unattractive in any way, but they did keep it pretty conservative in style.

"In no particular order: Fusion, G8, Altima (the most recent iteration, anyways), Malibu, old 6 (I haven't seen the new in person yet).

Cars I think are uglier: Galant, Sebring, Accord, Camry"

+1

Nice to hear something good about the Aura. My mother just got a new Malibu and there are so many little details on that car I'm always finding something new(i.e. the Chevy bowties in the marker lamps). I don't think that the Aura is as rich in details as the Malibu but it won't look silly in 4 or 5 years.

I dont think either car will look silly in 4 years. LIke the TL they are designs that will age well. The 2008 TL is still a nice looking car after 4 years and it better looking than the 2009 TSX or TL.

1487, have you heard anything about an Aura with the 2.4L Ecotec and the 6-sp auto, like the Malibu LTZ now offers - or are they waiting 'til the new Aura arrives? I gotta plead ignorance on this one, but in the Malibu, I think it's the most appealing combo. Also, any word on a manual transmission for driving enthusiasts? Seems logical, considering they call the Aura a 'sports sedan' in their commercials.

Siblur, the base 2009 Aura will come with the 2.5 and 6-spd auto standard, a great move by GM. That is surely what accounts for the '09's stellar mileage, which is as good or better than many smaller or lighter (and lower-content) cars.

If every automaker would match their base engines with *modern* automatic trannys, then we would see an increase in performance and economy across the board.

One thing that concerns me about the '09 Aura: I heard that GM dropped the laminated front glass as a cost-saving measure. Can anyone confirm this? 1487, Chavis?

I have heard nothing about them dropping the laminated glass. I sincerely doubt that since the Malibu has it. I do believe they have deleted the chrome rub strip on the side of the car though. I believe stability control is standard now.

With the 6 speed auto 0-60 drops by about .5-.7 secs vs the 4 speed auto. C&D clocked the Malibu at 8.6 which is only .4 lower than the 190hp accord. I would think the base accord and Malibu will be very close in terms of acceleration. No one has tested the 177hp Accord to my knowledge.

Yes they dropped the laminated glass from the Malibu and the Aura. Sad, but not surprising in the least.

Here's a thread at Saturnalia Aura owners talking about this topic (removal of the special triple laminated glass):

http://www.saturnfans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=124458

I'll save you the time of reading through 4 pages if you'd like: Essentially, most people agree that it was removed sometime in mid 2008...no one is sure when exactly and one online conversation with GM just said "the feature is not available on the current model Aura".

However, aside from that, there's very little evidence to prove the point that it was removed. If it was removed, GM definitely did not tout the fact in any way, shape, or form. The Saturn website has it listed as "laminated acoustic glass" and it's still there.

After that, I decided to go on GM's live chat (very quick btw). Here's what I got:

Emily: How can I help you today?

Guest: I'd like to confirm the availability of a feature on the Saturn Aura

Guest: Can you confirm the current Aura has triple-laminated glass windows?

Emily: I apologize for the inconvenience, but that would depend on when a specific AURA was produced. Your Retailer would be able to confirm if that's on a vehicle you're considering.

Guest: For a newly produced vehicle

Guest: I meant for a newly produced Saturn Aura (i.e. if I ordered a new model)

Emily: It is not available on AURAs produced now.

So, according to GM live chat, it's no longer available.

Joe

Nice detective work, Joe!

While I'm disappointed in the dropping of the feature, I am even more amazed that a Live Chat operator was knowledgeable and direct. Good on GM's Customer Service department (if not their Product Planning department).

But what's the upshot? What other cars in the segment do/do not have this feature?

Most of them don't but that's no excuse for them decontenting the car.

The Aura is a attractive sedan but I still prefer the Malibu over it.

Before deciding to get up in arms over the glass change, I'd like to see some tests done on two similar cars, one with and one without the triple layer glass, to see if it makes a difference noisewise. That seems like it'd be fairly simple to accomplish.

Otherwise it's not worth discussing.

jerrywimer
Please

That's not the point, the point is that they're cost cutting things that they had an edge over, they're probably nearly as noisy as the Accord now.

We don't know how noisy/not noisy it is or isn't. Decibel meters an also be deceptive, as the frequency and tone of noise is often what makes it bothersome.

The Aura's triple-laminated glass was a nice feature and a feature it's competitors didn't have. I'm sad to see it gone. If they replaced it with some other, more effective, sound muffling or canceling feature I'd be happy to hear it (pun intended).

BMW tuned their e39 chassis so that it resonated in different frequencies than the engine and suspension, thereby not amplifying any sounds from those areas. They also filled the door cavities and other empty spaces, as much as possible, with foam.

The 2004+ Acura TL's sound system senses ambient noise and creates the opposite wave form, and then emits it to cancel out ambient noise in the cabin.

I don't know what the best method is....I just hope they replaced the triple-laminated glass with some other superior noise-deadening system.

That'd be an upgrade. Otherwise, this is de-contenting.

Joe

"Most of them don't but that's no excuse for them decontenting the car."

Lots of cars are decontented over the years to save money. The old Accord had LED tail lights and the 2008 model does not. Toyota decontented the Camry Hybrid for 2008 to bring the price down.

The laminated glass definitely worked but I don't know if removing it will make enough of a difference to be noticed.

To answer my own question, MT says there will be a 2.4L Aura XR.... Too bad, no Getrag stick to be found. I guess I'd have to stick with the G6 and its new Bugs Bunny grill, or move up to a 9-3, which hardly seems worth it to me. The percentage of manual transmission Accords is probably very low, but it's nice to have the option. If the CTS stick is popular, maybe they'll take a cue and create an [even poorer man's] enthusiast's performance/luxury sedan.

The old Accord only had the LED tailights as a mid life cycle freshening, they would probably bring them back midlife cycle just to freshen things up.

"they would probably bring them back midlife cycle just to freshen things up."

They probably will not since they decided to go with cheaper incandescent bulbs to cut costs.

siblur,

The G6 doesnt offer a manual transmission anymore. The old GTP model had a 6 speed for one or two years.

The % of buyers choosing the stick on the CTS is low as it is the case for most midsize or luxury cars.

You're trying to make it seem like what GM is doing is ok when infact it's not. What Honda did with the 08 accord is nothing like what Saturn did, The 08 was a complete redesign, the 09 Aura/Malibu got some nice little cost cutting measures.

Altima, Camry, Accord, Mazda6, Fusion, Milan, Passat - I can shift my own gears in all of these, albeit not always with the V6 motors. It's too bad, but I guess they go with the sales numbers for the sake of simplicity keeping costs down. I don't see that savings coming back to the customer, though. Hm. I guess a loaded up Cobalt Sport sedan would be a good enthusiast's alternative to one of these cars, then. That is, for somebody looking for fun and 30+ hwy mpg and four doors.

"The 08 was a complete redesign, the 09 Aura/Malibu got some nice little cost cutting measures. "

Please explain why its OK to remove high tech features in an all new and supposedly superior redesigned model. That makes no sense whatsoever. Most owners probably wont know the laminated glass is gone. I notice the LED lights are gone every time I am behind an Accord. I wish they had left the glass alone but this is not a GM only phenomenon even if you want to pretend that's the case. Then again, you pretend every negative trend is authored by GM alone.

siblur,

Most people buying midsize cars buy autos. If you compare the price of a four cylinder import sedan with auto added and a Malibu or Aura with the auto standard the import is probably more expensive. One reason manuals are standard on many import cars is so that they can say the model starts at $19k or so even though you find one on a dealer's lot for that price. It also allows them to tack on a $900-$1000 automatic to virtually every four cylinder car they sell.

I believe the Passat may have dropped the manual for 2009.

the aura is not inferior to the malibu! they both are ncie looking vehicles and both have nice interiors. plus their respective looks are a matter of opinion, just like any car. somtimes i like the mailbu more b/c of its tailor exterior and at other times i love the auras look for it's european inspired design elements. either one is fine. Gm has people doing the same thing with the sky and solstice.but i will say this: this is GM's most impressive car lineup ever. everyone has something that looks very nice. the game changers like malibu, cts, and enclave are a big plus.