2007 saturn aura xe review manual#

2007 saturn aura xe review manual#

Helping the 3.6 even more is a 6-speed automatic with available steering wheel manual shift paddles the 3.5-liter comes with a 4-speed auto. Upgrading to the XR brings a more sophisticated, DOHC 3.6-liter V-6 with 252 horsepower and 251 lb-ft of torque, allowing it to compete well with the likes of the Nissan Altima and the Honda Accord. While devoid of character, the base motor has more than enough scoot for most buyers and compares favorably with, say, the 3.0-liter in the Ford Fusion. The base XE comes with a 3.5-liter SOHC engine that produces 224 horsepower and 220 lb-ft of torque. But as it stands, at least until the hybrid Aura comes out next year, Saturn is offering the Aura with a choice of V-6 engines, both with respectable power.

We're sure the temptation was there to offer a cheap, four-cylinder version of the Aura to appease frugal-minded customers and fleet departments.

Brakes appeared more than up to the task of bringing the 3647-lb sedan to a quick halt, though at no point during our afternoon drive with the car did we get them terribly hot to measure fade. The Aura's long wheelbase combines with relatively firm shock/spring tuning to strike a good balance of ride smoothness and crisp handling, even with the 18-inch wheels that come standard with the uplevel XR. On our preview drive, we found the hydraulic power steering to be nicely weighted and surprisingly quick off-center. That said, the Aura's Euro roots serve to its advantage in the driving department. However, three butts in back is snug-a telltale sign that this car was intended primarily for European consumption.

But whereas the Saab is considered a compact, the stem-to-stern stretch puts the Aura into the mid-size and bestows it with an appreciable rear legroom advantage. The Aura is the first of Saturn's new family of European-based or Euro-influenced products that drive and look nothing like the plebian Saturns of yore.īased on the Epsilon platform that underpins the Saab 9-3, the Kansas-City-built Aura has a 7.0-inch longer wheelbase and 7.5 inches of added length, but only about an inch of additional width. With thinly veiled European roots, the Aura-along with the sexy Sky roadster-portends good things to come from a planet that's being reborn as you read this. And no amount of cartwheels and balloons could mask the fact that most of its competitors could run rings, so to speak, around Saturn in terms of quality and character.Įnter the Aura, the newest and best Saturn product yet. After initial success offering a 'different kind of car' from a 'different kind of company,' Saturn slipped into automotive oblivion as people realized what the products actually were under those smack-proof skins: cheap.