2007 Saturn Aura XR: Ventilation Controls

Josh, I'm going to add fuel to your flame...something about this picture looks cheap. I think its the blank square next to the temp down button. Or all of the ugly fake wood.

It's all the ugly fake wood. I hate fugly fake wood. Actually, I had wood in any car. Real or not.

But I agree, I don't like buttons for temp control either. I know the system is digital and buttons are for setting the system in degree increments and not mixing red/blue bars, but just use a knob. Stereos do this all the time with the volume control. It's still a digital control, just in knob form.

Looks made in china.

I would venture to say this would make this one of the worst cars in production today. In fact, I would have to say that there isn't one redeeming quality about the car, period. What say the bandwagon jumpers?

I'm curious about how much adjustment is really needed in an automatic climate system, but that's just me. Generally speaking I dont move it much more than 3 or 4 degrees so it doesnt even have to be touched often.

As if GM is capable of making anything with quality.every single GM vehicle in the LT fleet is a POS.

Measage to GM,go back to making craptastic pickups because thats all your decent at,stop trying to fool the public ,you are just not capable of producing anything with quality .

how do i know? "your best vehicle ever Enclave"
talk about a blunder,that would be it.recalls out the a$$ already.very sad!

At least the fan is rotary. Old GM cars used to the the opposite.

Also, why not show the Honda Accord's ventilation controls? They're the answer to "what makes the Aura's look terrific."

PS.

I believe the M3 and BMWs from that era have buttons for temp control.

I have to say Toyota4Life does inspire me to want to own a Toyota. If he's representative of the average Toyota saleman I am very impressed.

BTW, Toyota had amongst the highest number of recalls in 2007. I believe it was more than GM and Ford. Not that facts are necessary when getting "schooled" by an auto expert like TFL.

Meh...I hear the knobs-over-buttons complaint a lot from auto journalists, but I've never really cared either way. It's one of those things that any owner will get used to. I've seen knobs done really wrong and buttons done really well, so I think it just depends of the car.

This is American styling tradition.
If you don't like the fashion of America, why don't you just move your non-American behind to Japan?
Americans proudly wear t-shirts and jeans, and the Saturn Aura HVAC controls too. It's probably home made on the cotton gin. That's how you get that authentic American look.

Maybe the Aura needs a thumbwheel for the temp like a '70 Cadillac.

Wow, this is one of the more nitpicky things I've ever read. If it's an automatic climate control, who cares? I find the knobs in my mom's Trailblazer SS for the automatic climate control a little cumbersome and would actually prefer buttons. Obviously that's just me.

1487-- Toyota4Life's extreme fanboyism is very impressive. Also representative of the kind of blind loyalty of why I don't like the fans of a lot of popular bands or celebrity presidential candidates...

My best friend swears by Toyota and has only negatives to say about my Dodge and my parents' Chevrolets. The big rolling of eyes when I mentioned trading in my SRT-4 for a 2009 WRX and his suggestion that I buy a Corolla XRS instead was splendidly brand loyal.

Could'nt GM close those gaps a little tighter? man i'm looking at atleast a 1/4 " gap all around that fake wood looking thingy.look at each end and you clearly see white plastic clips inside and misfits, plastic woodgrain? i know its hard for GM because this is their first attemp to produce half decent cars ,but we have faith in you GM ,give them 10 or 15 yrs and they'll be right up there with Land Rover.

PS. or even suzuki

I hadn't noticed before but that fake wood really is ugly. Who would think that is a sign of luxury?

I've picked the same nit regarding my E46 BMW's climate control. Knobs are the perfect interface for this sort of thing - much easier to operate without distracting myself from the road.

What a nit-pick! A much better post would discuss whether the climate control works well. If you're constantly having to fiddle with the temp, then it's an issue, if not, not. I have one car with each, both are fine because the climate controls work well. As for the wood, it's no worse than any other plastic wood in mass-market cars, better than the Highlander I test drove.

They could have at least tried to match the paint coloring, I mean seriously.

I think the buttons provide better control. As someone else mentioned, you probably will only adjust it a couple degrees at a time. It seems easier to over adjust with a knob.

The "wood" trim does not look good. I've never liked the "wood" trim in any Saturns. I've really never liked fake wood grain in any car. The wood trim in the CTS, on the other hand, is nice.

I think the real problem is the change in silver-ish color shades in the HVAC panel.

Seriously picky. It's a nice, clean, easy to use interface, and the controls feel good, too. I like the wood, fake or not, mostly because it gives a nice contrastic color in the interior; I'm glad that they offer it with the black seats instead of some fake metal-esque trim or dopey carbon fiber "makes my car look fast" bits.

fake wood in most cars looks fake. The fake wood in the Altima and other competing cars is totally unconvincing when you examine it closely.

Fake wood is optional on the Aura. If you dont like it you dont get it.

while the nitpicking is expected at this point it never ceases to amaze how the "objective" folks here have an issue with a particular feature on a car they dislike but are oblivious to the same feature on a car they love to death. Has anyone had similar concerns about the M3's buttons? My cousin has a last gen 5 series and not only did it have buttons for climate control, it had virtually no interior storage and lacked ANY cupholders. I'm assuming the M3 has the same flaws but we will never read about them because it's being hailed as the perfect vehicle.

"I'm assuming the M3 has the same flaws but we will never read about them because it's being hailed as the perfect vehicle."

It's easy to overlook flaws in a car that you love. Family sedans are pretty tough to be smitten with.

I've this fancy thermostat in my house. It lets me program temperature adjustments willy nilly. It too has buttons. Why? Because it friggin makes sense! When you're fine tuning down the the single degree, buttons work much better than do knobs. Would you really want a knob on your programmable thermostat at home? Really?

Sames goes for automatic climate control in a car.

I'm convinced that IL is intentionally trying to get people riled up.

I have one of the worst dual climate control systems known to man: The current generation Legacy GT.

I would blog about it's counter-intuitive nature, obscene programming, and weird quirks you need to learn. Even though it works quite well once it's set.

What's wrong with that? If it was an M3, I probably wouldn't (though I would blog about it's lack of storage capacity). I'd be blogging about how beautiful it is to drive the M3 :)

By the way, the Legacy GT has individuals knobs to adjust temperature for each side. I actually think it is a nice touch, about the only part of the system I like.

Joe

"Family sedans are pretty tough to be smitten with."

Not for people on a budget who need practicality. Hence, the huge sales of the midsize sedan. I'm pretty sure Sarurn sells more Auras than BMW sells M3s. If you think family sedans are penalty boxes in 2008 you are more out of touch than I thought. And that's saying something.

"When you're fine tuning down the the single degree, buttons work much better than do knobs. Would you really want a knob on your programmable thermostat at home? Really?"

Please refrain from making any more logical statements you silly fanboy. Logic has no place here!

1487 - So you are saying people who buy Camrys, Malibus, etc. are smitten with their cars?

Or are they smitten with the practicality the car offers?

There is a big difference between loving the functionality of your vehicle and loving your vehicle so much that you glance out the window at it and lovingly rub sweet sweet polishing oils into it's paint.

When you are on the latter of those, you'll overlook ALOT more than the former.

Joe

"So you are saying people who buy Camrys, Malibus, etc. are smitten with their cars?"

Some are. When you are spending $25k on something you probably like it quite a bit. The point is irrelevant anyway. Sabastian was suggesting that family cars should be judged differently because they are boring. That is ridiculous. The Aura should be evaluated against it's peers, not the M3. Similarly the M3 should be evaluated as an expensive sports coupe and not a pratical, affordable vehilce that would suit families. Those who have a $30k budget and need a backseat and trunk probably don't love the M3. Those who live vacariously through IL editors or people who drive expensive cars for free undoubtedly love the M3 very much.

"...they are boring. That is ridiculous. The Aura should be evaluated against it's peers, not the M3."

I agree; apples to apples. I would add, though, that it's not always an issue of Aura vs. the competition. Sometimes it is appropriate to compare the 'Aura that is' to the 'Aura that could/should be'. If there's a control that could be better, that's something that should be pointed out because there's always room for improvement. That said, I think this system is fine, and I like the two buttons, and as 1487 said, how often should you be tweaking an automatic HVAC system, anyway?

"the M3 should be evaluated as an expensive sports coupe and not a pratical, affordable vehilce that would suit families."

To many people, the M3 is affordable, practical, and does suit a family of four, especially when offered as a four-door sedan. But, if I read you correctly, I think the expensive car sets a high benchmark and cheaper car should aspire to be as nice without blowing the budget. Here, the Aura does pretty well. And yeah, people can lust after some pretty affordable cars, and with good reason. (I won't be surprised if the 2010 Camaro with the base engine can hit the M3 where it hurts for 25k. It will probably not have up/down temperature buttons, though. J/K.)

"When you're fine tuning down the the single degree, buttons work much better than do knobs. Would you really want a knob on your programmable thermostat at home? Really?"

I actually do prefer turning a knob even to do a single degree. My '08 Lancer GTS had this feature, and it was quite easy. I'm not saying its RIDICULOUSLY easier then the button push set up, I'm just saying I prefer the knobs.

I agree with wanting buttons on a home thermostat, but I'm guessing most people adjust their car temperature much more often then their home one.

"I agree with wanting buttons on a home thermostat, but I'm guessing most people adjust their car temperature much more often then their home one. "

They are the same thing. Just as there is little need to radically adjust your home thermostar there isnt much reason to change the setting in your car. When you go to work the office temp is relatively constant. They may allow a higher temp in the summer to conserve energy but day to day the office is the same temp.

"To many people, the M3 is affordable, practical, and does suit a family of four, especially when offered as a four-door sedan. "

I agree that's true for a small segment of the populace. For most people the M3 is a small, pricey, gas guzzling sports coupe (or sedan) that wouldn't be practical for them from a cost or space standpoint.

"I agree with wanting buttons on a home thermostat, but I'm guessing most people adjust their car temperature much more often then their home one."

Exactly. An automotive environment is far more dynamic than a household one, and more frequent climate control adjustments should be expected. I know all the new-gen BMW units have moved to knobs for temp. The E46 M3 has the old-school unit.

"I think the real problem is the change in silver-ish color shades in the HVAC panel."

That has been my beef with that unit - why the mismatched silver paint? That and the poor alignment of the panel with the audio faceplate/surrounding trim on many cars.

I think Josh made a perfectly reasonable critique, although it is one that extends (IMO) to any vehicle with auto climate control.

I'm not a Luddite. In fact, I'm a borderline gadget-head. But for some reason, I've never gotten on board with auto climate control systems. Give me a couple of manually-controlled knobs any day of the week.

And yes, fake wood looks fake. But then, both of these items have been blogged about here like 300 times already...

I give up. Clearly you need your car to be 80 degrees in the morning and 62 degrees in the afternoon. I'm the crazy one that like it to be 70 degrees all the time. Of course, the only way to change more than two degrees is with a knob, because large, easy to use, buttons aren't up to the task.

Btw: if you really need to vary the temp a lot, you don't need climate control.

*sigh*

brn, maybe decaf is in order. We're splitting hairs, but we're having fun doing it, so don't let us get you down ;o)

When it comes to changing radio stations, I find a knob far better than up/down buttons because I can jump from 95 to 105 with a quick twist instead of having to hold or - even worse - press repeatedly to get there. The buttons mean more time with hands off the controls and eyes off the road. If adjusting temperature was something I did as frequently as changing stations, I'd prefer a knob with many well-defined detents.

Where I live, it's very cold in the morning and very hot in the afternoon for many months of the year, and broadly adjusting temperature IS a necessary tool for defrosting/de-icing the windshield as much as it is for getting comfortable, so for somebody like me, the buttons could be a real grind.

"Btw: if you really need to vary the temp a lot, you don't need climate control."

exactly. The point of auto climate control is to minimize the need for constant adjustment. 72 degrees is always 72 degrees regardless of season or outside temp. There isnt much reason to tweak your temp setting in the car.

I'm saying I don't mind the buttons, but to be clear, a slider or knob is the better interface for this job, from an ergonomic standpoint, and this is especially true if your car's system is not fully automatic. Reaching over and hitting the same button ten times is annoying and distracting. A knob, on the other hand, shouldn't be so sensitive as to make it hard to hit your mark. I wish cruise controls worked this way for speed selection as well. Like I said, in a radio station selector, a knob works great, and that's in spite of the fact that you have twelve pre-sets to use. Perhaps a truly useful HVAC panel would have pre-set temperatures so you could have "warm up and defog" for the morning, and "cool me down" for the afternoon. Just a thought.

"72 degrees regardless of season or outside temp"

I get what you're saying, but weather plays a critical role in what the HVAC system has to do. If a fully automatic system also controls defogging, etc., then that's fine. Otherwise, temp control is important and has to be done quickly and with as little distraction to the driver as possible.

Under most driving conditions, I have a "minimized" need to tweak up and down, even with a manual HVAC system, so why have the automatic one at all?

Interestingly enough, when it comes to fan speed, GM chose a knob, even though it's also got an 'auto' setting option, which kinda goes along with what I'm saying. I think they also use a knob for the radio volume, even though the car probably has speed-sensitive volume control (i.e., the driver doesn't have to tweak the volume very often while driving).

I adjust the temperature on my automatic HVAC quite often. When I leave work in the morning lately, it's in the 70s. So if I leave my temp at 74 in the car, it doesn't blow much air. I like having cool air blowing on me, so I lower it down to 69 or so, just to get more cool air flowing. When I leave work, it's in the mid-90s outside, so when I get into the car it blasts me with a ridiculous amount of air if it's set to 74. Therefore, I turn it up to 79 or 80 until the temperature equalizes in the car, then I turn it down.

I'm glad that I have knobs, because pushing buttons would be a pain. Of course, if I just had a manual air conditioner, it would probably be even simpler. Progress isn't always a good thing...

At least it's not

"double click 'environment',
double click 'A/C',
double click 'temperature',
scroll to desired setting,
double click 'back', 'back', 'back', 'back'
to return to main menu."

I don't know how bad iDrive really is, but I'd hate to have that type of thing.

"Of course, if I just had a manual air conditioner, it would probably be even simpler. Progress isn't always a good thing..."

Yep. If you need to make constant adjustments, it's not automatic. In that case, I agree that I'd want sliders and knobs. Like you, for me it's the fan. I really don't like the car deciding how hard the fan should be blowing. I want complete control over that.

Time to start having blog entries where we speak poorly of cars for implementing automatic climate control, when manual control is often the superior solution. :)

FYI i stare out the window all the time looking at my Aura and enjoy every minute driving it and cleaning it. I love waxing it using lexol on the leather. I use all the best stuff on it. No reason to own a car if you dont enjoy it.

By the way i have no preference on buttons or knobs. Last car was knobs, this one is buttons. They are never touched. Always set at 70 and yes the aura is fully auto and will switch to front defroster if you have both knobs set to auto. The only thing you manually have to turn on (which is a button) is rear defog which also kicks on the heated mirrors. With fully auto climate control you just set it and forget it.

"I don't know how bad iDrive really is, but I'd hate to have that type of thing."

Eh, luckily no. iHave iDrive and the climate works just like any other high-end ATC system. iDrive is there for advanced customization only, like preferred automatic intensity, infinitely customized air distribution (you still have buttons on the dash for fixed vent/floor, vent only, etc), heat-at-rest, timers, etc etc.

"Perhaps a truly useful HVAC panel would have pre-set temperatures so you could have "warm up and defog" for the morning, and "cool me down" for the afternoon. Just a thought."

BMW actually has something like this. A sensor automatically sets windshield defogging when needed. If it's raining or high humidity is otherwise detected, the climate control automatically directs some air to the windows. And the wheel thingy on the dash lets you independently vary vent temp air. It's all pretty cool stuff.

"Sabastian was suggesting that family cars should be judged differently because they are boring. That is ridiculous. The Aura should be evaluated against it's peers, not the M3."

I wasn't suggesting that the M3 be compared directly to the Aura, because that would, as you said, be ridiculous. I was instead suggesting, as Joe mentioned, that when a car is as engaging and exciting as the M3 is, an owner is more likely to overlook minor annoyances. Family cars on the otherhand, are, by nature, less engaging to drive, thus giving owners more of an opportunity to notice little niggles. That doesn't make a similar system in an M3 excusable (in fact, I think the M3's system might be worse), it just makes the issue less likely to stick out. Unfair? Maybe. But it seems to be the trend.

"Family cars on the otherhand, are, by nature, less engaging to drive, thus giving owners more of an opportunity to notice little niggles."

According to who? Do you actually talk to people that own the Aura or any other comparable car? Interestingly enough the people that post here that actually own the car say its pretty good. The IL editors who hate the car and others who have never driven it are the ones saying it's seriously flawed. Most midsize sedan owners have never driven an M3 and thus probably dont feel like they are missing out on anything. I like cars but i honestly have no need for a car with far more hp and handling capability than the one I have. What more can I really do on public roads?