2007 Saturn Aura Review

Introduction

By Thom Blackett

Saturn Aura – Review: Saturn once billed itself as a different kind of car company. Those were the days of plastic body panels, a lineup that consisted of a sedan and coupe, and no-haggle pricing. Today, that company has morphed into a full-fledged unit of GM with a sometimes fuzzy take on that no-haggle deal and a healthy lineup of everything from roadsters to full-size crossovers. For 2007, the Aura midsize sedan gets added into the mix, and to be sure, this is not a different kind of car. Subjectively preferred over its twin, the Pontiac G6, the Saturn Aura aims to take on the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry with attractive style, commendable power, and questionable build quality.

What We Drove

A few months back we attended a driving event in San Diego. For the return trip to Orange County, GM loaned us a 2007 Saturn AURA XR for a week of evaluation. Since our tester didn’t include a window sticker, we had to do some calculating to figure out the price. We came up with $28,019, which is based on the XR’s $24,345 base price, a $650 destination charge, and optional features such as XM satellite radio ($199); an Enhanced Convenience Package with power pedals and a power passenger seat ($425); premium floor mats ($100); leather upholstery and trim with heated seats ($800); and a full-length sunroof ($1,500).

Performance

Packed under the hood of our Saturn Aura XR was a 252-horsepower 3.6-liter V6, an engine that proved completely capable of scooting the 3,647-lb. sedan around town with easy, jumped up to highway speeds without hesitation, and dug down deep for impromptu lane changes at a moment’s notice. The refined V6 was hampered by torque steer and a six-speed automatic transmission that had a few issues. We occasionally noticed delayed and abrupt shifts, and the counterintuitive steering wheel paddles were not fun to use. Only functional when the gear lever was in M, a push equaled an upshift and a pull was a downshift – we prefer each side dedicated to either upshifting or downshifting. We recorded 17.2 mpg over the course of one week.

Handling

Saturn engineers have done a commendable job in terms of the 2007 Aura’s handling. The steering was sensitive at slow speeds but took on a comfortable weightiness at highway speeds, and while there was plenty of road feel for a family sedan, it’d probably come up short in the eyes (or hands) of enthusiasts. Even so, the Aura tackled on-ramps with verve as the Goodyear tires held the road well and the suspension kept the ride well balanced. You won’t be slicing and dicing with Corvettes and Ferraris, but the Aura’s handling is ready to scrap with the best in the midsize family sedan segment. Equally impressive were the responsive brakes, which featured an easily-modulated pedal and provided telling feedback.

Visibility

Buyers of sports cars know, or should know, that they’ll likely have to make some sacrifices, including great outward visibility. To address that issue, they may want to fill the second bay of their garage with a 2007 Saturn Aura, a family sedan that features ample side mirrors and generous amounts of side glass that take the guesswork out of determining what’s in the next lane. The rear outboard headrests don’t fully retract, but the tall and wide rear glass negates any ill effects on visibility.

Fun to Drive

Fun is a very subjective word. If you’re a NASCAR driver, a day in the life of a corporate accountant may not feel like a good time. On the other hand, if you’re a felon who recently spent two months in the hole, walking outdoors might cause you to become downright giddy. For its part, the 2007 Saturn Aura XR, with its well controlled ride, comfortable interior, and eager V6 engine doesn’t really qualify as fun. Entertaining may be a better word, especially for those who try to trick themselves into believing that the paddle shifters are useful or offer the slightest modicum of sport.

Front Comfort

The Aura is a very comfortable car to drive in due in part to padded door sills and armrests, a rubberized center armrest that slides forward for a proper fit, and plenty of overall room. We especially appreciated our tester’s height-adjustable driver’s bucket, dual-setting heated seats, and the manual tilt and telescoping steering wheel. Put together, these features all work to create a hospitable interior. The seats are supportive and spacious, and while the bolsters are a little soft, they’re fine for keeping you planted when aggressively tackling on-ramps.

Rear Comfort

Let’s describe the Aura’s rear seat as fine. Why? Well, for an upper trim car with a sticker teetering on $30,000, we were expecting just a bit more, like a fold-down center armrest, or a recline feature, or soft front seatbacks, or a center headrest. The lack of these features doesn’t warrant a “NO SALE!” yelled across the negotiating table, but they’d surely all be welcome additions. But, there are a few highlight to point out, including wide-opening doors that make for easy ingress and egress, generous foot and head room, adequate knee room, and a supportive bench, albeit one without any bolsters to speak of.

Interior Noise

Rigid and quiet. Those are two words that manufacturers increasingly use to describe virtually any new or significantly redesigned model. Ford is using what it calls Quiet Steel in its SUVs and Buick has been promoting how its Lucerne beats its Japanese rivals in the area of sound insulation. Now you can add a midsize Saturn sedan to the list of low-decibel rides. Despite rolling on 18-inch Goodyear tires and its classification as a non-luxury vehicle, the 2007 Aura is surprisingly quiet, allowing for easy conversation at highway speeds and providing a welcome respite when navigating through snarled traffic after a hectic work day.

Loading Cargo

Useful trunks are overrated. That’s what Saturn Aura owners must believe. The covered box in the tail of this midsizer is shallow, so tall or bulky items must be avoided or beat into submission. That’s bad if you’re charged with toting Jr.’s science project to school; it’s good if you’re packing you mother-in-law’s fragile birthday present. Granted, the split rear seat folds down for added carrying capacity, but the rear parcel shelf sits so low that, again, you’re limited on what you can stuff in there. If you’re thinking that there must be some saving grace, guess again – the lid lacks a grab handle, the trunk opening is small, and the liftover height is a little too lofty.

Build Quality

When things are on an upward swing, there’s almost a guarantee that there will be a hiccup or two along the way. In this case, the upward swing is General Motors’ quality improvement, and the hiccup is the 2007 Saturn Aura XR we drove for a week. At first, we loved the look, but once we started looking closer we were just a group of shaking heads and gritting teeth. Inside, the left dash didn’t line up correctly, the rickety center console was misaligned, the switch panel on the driver’s door was popping off, and the rear portion of the headliner was not secure. Things were a bit better outside, where we found some inconsistent gaps but little else to complain about.

Materials Quality

For the most part, the materials looked rich and suggested quality, and to some extent, that was true, evidenced by a padded dash cap with matching material on the door sills, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, faux alloy trim, and durable, thick leather on the seats. That was the good stuff. Down on the negative slope were the lower inferior plastics, the synthetic feel of the door panels, and the varying shine level and grain patterns of all the materials. As a package, the 2007 Saturn Aura’s interior had us thinking “Look, but don’t touch.” Not because it was delicate and valuable, but because it leaves the tactile senses wanting.

Styling

Questionable quality aside, the Aura’s interior gets two thumbs up from our staff. The black interior looked upscale with faux alloy and chrome trim on the door handles, gauge rings, control knobs, and shift surround. A one-piece dash cap shares gentle curves with the upper door panels, and the center horizontal strip serves to give the interior a gentle flow. It all adds up to a sporty/luxury appearance, something not often seen in a Saturn sedan. Exterior styling is subjective, though we see the Aura as a more attractive alternative to its corporate cousin, the Pontiac G6. Props go to the sporty, attractive alloy wheels, the detailed taillights, and the shiny chrome grille.

Storage

You might think with its smallish trunk, the 2007 Saturn Aura’s interior would compensate with a bounty of storage provisions. Sorry to disappoint, but you’ve guessed wrong…again. Pockets on all four doors are good for holding a cell phone (and, no, not one of those bricks from the ‘80s) and little else, there’s a covered cubby forward of the shift lever that’s awkward to use when the Aura’s in Park, and an average-size glovebox is damped but not lined. Four cupholders are provided. But there are a few golden nuggets to report – the front center is home to a very spacious cubby, there are seatback nets, and a small dash slot folds out by the driver’s knee.

Infotainment Controls

Rubber grips! OK, so we spend a little too much time with test cars. It’s just that we don’t always find attention paid to little details, so when we do, we get a little excited. Those tactile-friendly grips were found on the large power/volume radio dial and the smaller tuning knob, with clearly-marked buttons used to control functions such as seek and station presets. We also enjoyed steering wheel audio controls (as one would expect given the sticker price) for volume and tuning. What we didn’t expect but enjoyed discovering were the rear headphone controls on the back side of the center console.

Climate Controls

There aren’t a lot of times when you can honestly award points to a Saturn over a Mercedes-Benz or BMW. Unless, of course, you prefer easy controls that are discussed in the Owner’s Manual for the sole purpose of enlightening society’s lowest common denominators. For the vast majority of buyers, those two big dials for fan speed and mode will be self-explanatory. Even the center section, a digital readout surrounded by buttons for temperature control and other secondary functions, should prove straight-forward. Interestingly, the climate control dials mirror those used for the radio, yet they feature plastic rather than rubber grips. We don’t understand the logic here, as rubber is softer to the touch and imparts a sense of quality.

Secondary Controls

Secondary controls are logically placed, with a few exceptions. The oft-used power window and power door lock switches are on the driver’s door, while the power mirrors are located on the door by the A-pillar. A button for the adjustable foot pedals is on the left dash instead of the center panel as is typical, and if you reach instinctively overhead to open or close the sunroof, you should feel right at home in the Aura. However, the traction control switch, admittedly not something most Aura driver’s will probably be looking to turn off, is found almost by chance, hidden on the vertical front side of the center console.

Competition

If you’ve ever walked into a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream store and been lambasted with a dizzying array of choices, you’ve kinda got an idea of what it’s like to shop for a midsize sedan. The 2007 Saturn Aura enters a field bursting with competition in the form of the Buick LaCrosse, Chevrolet Impala, Chevrolet Malibu, Chrysler Sebring, Dodge Avenger, Ford Fusion, Honda Accord, Hyundai Azera, Hyundai Sonata, Kia Amanti, Kia Optima, Mazda 6, Mercury Milan, Mitsubishi Galant, Nissan Altima, Nissan Maxima, Pontiac G6, Pontiac Grand Prix, Subaru Legacy, Toyota Camry, Volkswagen Jetta, and the Volkswagen Passat.

2nd Opinion – Perry

Saturn Aura – Perry’s Opinion:
I should know better than to judge a car on looks alone. My initial impression of the Aura was one of admiration for its pleasing design, but after taking a seat in the Aura, I was immediately disappointed. Typical cheap GM plastics and leather abound and build quality is horrible. On the up side, driving the Aura wasn’t as big a disappointment with plenty of torque and acceleration available upon request. If dealers can keep customers out of the car they may stand a chance of selling the Aura based on looks alone.--Ron Perry

2nd Opinion – Wardlaw

Saturn Aura – Wardlaw’s Opinion:
My 22-mile commute took two hours, and the Saturn Aura was a fine vehicle to have for the night. It’s leather-upholstered power driver’s seat was comfortable after a 10-hour day riding a crappy corporate desk chair, it’s dual-zone climate control system kept me comfortable, it’s XM satellite radio kept me entertained, and it’s use of Quiet Steel kept the idling traffic at bay. When holes opened in the sea of brake lights, its 3.6-liter V6 squirted the Aura forward with authority. What Saturn got wrong was the hard plastic center console lid that serves as a Geneva convention-defying torture device.--Christian Wardlaw

Photos courtesy of Saturn