Saturn's Awesome Aura

Saturn's new Aura midsize sedan is a surprisingly strong offering that could help redefine the brand

by Matt Vella

Editor's Rating:

The Good: "Take that!" looks, great value for the price, nice cabin

The Bad: Some legacy plastics, having to constantly say "Yes, it's a Saturn"

The Bottom Line: This is a Saturn? No way. What? Really? Whoa.

Reader Reviews

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Up Front

General Motors (GM) is finally bringing up its A-game. And, this time, it's not in the form of a bigger-than-yours sport-utility vehicle, obscure concept-car, or low-volume, premium roadster. No, the all-new 2007 Saturn Aura midsize sedan is so overwhelmingly good it's a welcome elbow check to import stalwarts from Honda (HMC) to Hyundai. Go, Yanks!

Frankly, it was time for GM's Saturn division to sink or swim; kick it up a notch or croak. The company that was originally founded to produce zero-hassle vehicles by adopting Japanese business and manufacturing techniques, after years of neglect, has become a sub-par brand producing dowdy, bean-shaped, plastic vehicles for people afraid of buying or owning a car.

As of last December, sales of Saturns were down more than 15% compared with the same period the year before, with parent GM hemorrhaging money out of the division as from an open wound. Instead of dumping the brand, GM decided to reinvigorate with a new plan: a makeover to appeal to the jet-set, urban young, their auto expectations raised by European cars.

The plan requires Saturn to offer vehicles that are fun to drive and fun to look at. It has already rolled out the sexy Sky roadster (see BusinessWeek.com, 5/31/06, "Sky High"), but a convertible will never be a high-volume car. The Aura, on the other hand, could be. The company will make a stab at offering performance editions alongside eco-friendly hybrid lines in quest for model breadth, as well. All-important body designs, meanwhile, will be partially cribbed from GM's European subsidiary Opel; call it European eye for the American guy.

The Aura midsize sedan, the first mass-market product of said new strategy, is not only a vast improvement over its predecessor, the it-hurts-to-look-at L-Series, but it's also a bona fide contender in a crowded segment dominated by Toyota's (TM) Camry and Honda's Accord.

No doubt, the Aura may get an undue boost given the yawning gulf between ultra-low expectations engendered by the brand's prolonged mediocrity and the high quality of today's newly competitive model. But, a comeback is a comeback.

Better yet, as part of GM's low-initial-price initiative, Saturn is aiming to seriously compete on the dollar front. That's why it surprised me that the up-powered XR version I test-drove has a base price of only $24,595. According to Edmunds.com, that's on average about $2,700 less than competing trim lines with 6-cylinder engines offered by Honda, Hyundai, Nissan(NSANY), and, yes, Toyota.

But "less expensive" and "plain cheap" differ. That's why the Aura's feature list is, in large part, reassuring. The XR is equipped with a 3.6-liter V6 that comes up with 252 horsepower via a 6-speed automatic transmission. This, note, is the same engine as the one found in the zippy Cadillac CTS (see BusinessWeek.com, 8/1/06, "V-Series Winner") that critics have given high marks to for proper pep. It's also got a set of 18-in. wheels and is the only Aura to have standard stability control.

My test ride was equipped with a $425 convenience package, i.e. power front passenger's seat, and adjustable pedals; $800 premium trim including heated seats and leather-clad shifter; $800 sun roof; and $199 satellite radio. Even with the extra goodies, the total package stickers at $26,819.

Behind the Wheel

The 6-speed auto and the boost in engine power make for plenty of pickup, and surprising oomph in getting from 60 to 80 on the freeway. Corvette-style paddle shifters would seem to make an awkward complement to a Saturn's steering wheel, but there they are. This partially manual mode works as advertised with upshifts coming considerably more smoothly and with less computer-controlled hesitation than downshifts.