The Saturn Aura XR’s 3.6-liter V6 is strong, delivering good power throughout the rev range, and the six-speed automatic is responsive to manual input through the paddle shifters and always shifts unobtrusively. Like any real sporting sedan, the Aura’s transmission won’t automatically upshift for you when you’re in manual mode, which is selected by sliding the gear shifter all the way to the bottom of the pattern. Under hard acceleration, there is a hint of torque steer, but it’s certainly better than the previous generation Nissan Altima 3.5SE.