Motorweek 2007 Saturn Aura Road Test

[@CptPicard1701-D]

This seems like something a manager of a Cinnabon in Omaha would drive

[@paulfilla1008]

Nailed it.

[@commycasty]

The manager of your local Dollar general also owns one with 210k miles.

[@barsaf9989]

These things were EVERYWHERE where I lived. I miss this car class. Mid size sedan v6 front wheel drive. Used to be a very competitive class.

[@ericbritton9346]

The Aura horsepower numbers were good, even in today standards of a roomy four-door sedan. But the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord always were on top on reliability. I was a fan of Saturn back in the 90s untill its demise in 2008. ''A different kind of company, a different kind of car.'' R.I.P Saturn.

[@LT1HILLINGHOE]

Auras were made into 2010.

[@treyvincent6876]

He has never reviewed a car that he didn’t think was impressive

[@GeeEm1313]

The Ford Aspire.

[@gvs376]

The Pontiac Cyst

[@romanseano]

@@gvs376 There was a car called "Cyst?!" As in, "an abnormal pocket of fluid, like a blister, that can form in many different areas of the body including the skin, genitals and internal organs" - ?

[@dforrest4503]

@@romanseanono, there was not

[@gvs376]

@@romanseano That's the one!! (Just joking). David Letterman had a Top-10 list of rejected car names. Of course, the Pontiac Cyst made the grade, along with the Ford Gelding.

[@cld2930]

I owned a 2007 Saturn Aura XR 3.6 V6 6 Speed automatic silver with a black interior. I loved it! Put a 140,000 trouble free miles on it. All original except fuel pump and windshield wiper motor only two parts I replaced besides wear and tear brakes tires etc. Even had original timing chain.

[@dontelindsey5846]

This wasnt a bad looking car. Especially in black.

[@Aaron.Crow512]

Nah that sky blue color with the brown leather was the best combo

[@RetroKingOG]

Prefer Pontiac. Saturn was the fastest GM brand to just crash and burn in bankruptcy. (Just 26 years) Pontiac didn’t go bankrupt, it was just dropped because GM was suffering to pay back financial debts; therefore they were forced to drop 5 different brands.

[@dontelindsey5846]

@@Aaron.Crow512 I honestly forgot about that color but the brown interior was very nice.

[@dontelindsey5846]

@@RetroKingOG Geo didn't last much longer and they chopped it because they knew bankruptcy was coming. Pontiac became another Chevy by the time they killed it. It's sad actually.

[@FIamlngo]

the brown interior looks nice but the exterior didn't age very well imo

[@marioeduardoferreiraruiz]

Man, this takes me back! I purchased one of these back in January of 2009, it was a 2008 Saturn Aura XE with some extras (I had the seat-warmers, side-mirror dimmers and warmers, remote start, and rear view mirror dimmer). Dude, I really loved the way the car looked, but the engine was a complete piece of garbage. I had the Ecotec 2.4 L4 and purchased it ‘used’ with 390 miles on the odometer (it was used as a demo vehicle in the dealership). I spend the entire first year taking it to the service center with endless transmission issues, it was quite entertaining. Mine was in ‘carbon flash’ color (sparkling black). 🤠😎

[@romanseano]

I bought brand new a 2007 Aura XR, black with the same interior shown here. I fell in love with its striking exterior and exceptional, like-never-before-at-GM performance / ride / handling. But while testing before purchase, all those things distracted me from the part drivers live with the most: the interior. Before I get into that in detail, please stay tuned (or scroll down) for what's probably more important - a serious widespread issue with the powertrain. Quoting here "this is the best car interior GM has ever done." No. No, it isn't. Not at all. It is a great looking interior, as the video shows you. But this review never delves into the feel, the texture, the material quality - it avoids it. Let me tell you: These are some of the hardest plastics, cheapest "soft touch" surfaces, lowest grade leathers I have ever found in any automobile. The lower dash & center console is like something you'd find on the housing of a late 1970's portable radio. The upper dash, upper doors, door armrests, and "soft" door panel beneath the faux-wood trim - all are like a utility grade rubber in texture. The remaining surfaces, like around the instrument cluster, again are like something plasticky you'd find on a child's toy or portable game in the 1980's. This was where GM decided to cost-cut the crap out of the Saturn Aura: the entire interior. Notice there's not even a rear center armrest. And don't even think about the front center armrest - it's so hard it could injure your elbow. I loved this car. But I quickly hated its interior. It was all looks (*only from a distance!) and zero comfort. For Motorweek to call this an all-time best GM interior, is blind fantasy. We owned a 2002 Olds Alero GLS, 2004 Bravada... in the family a 2005 Buick LaCrosse CXS, 2001 Aurora.... Also all leather seat interiors, and all light-years better in quality of materials and passenger comfort than the Saturn Aura. If you'd dropped the Malibu's interior in the Aura, it might have been better - even it suffered from some of the same cost cutting. But it did have some softer surfaces, better (more inspiring and less bleak) color combinations, and the dash / driver view just had a more passionate design. By the way, those amber hue lights on the Aura grow depressing over time - so Malibu's bright blue also wins. Still, all of that aside - and that is a LOT to put aside - I still loved the car enough to buy it. Recognizing its flaws was just something I wasn't able to do beforehand. Now to that powertrain issue. The 6-speed Hydramatic automatic transmission paired to the 3.6L engine is an excellent performer... until it isn't. In the 60K mile range for us, there were some weird signs of a problem showing up, hesitations going into 3rd gear. Then a few days later, catastrophe hit. It could only run in first and 2nd, and couldn't reverse. Later found it was an issue of the grear bands disintegrating and their debris going into the gears. At the time - 2014, GM agreed to pay half of a nearly $5K trans replacement, even though we'd researched and found many others with the same powertrain had experienced the same breakdown. So we repaired it and sold the car to CarMax. About a year later, GM recalled all of the vehicles with this issue, and we were recompensed what we'd spent to repair the Aura. In its place, we got a 2014 Buick Regal T, which we later replaced with a 2020 Regal Sportback Avenir. Both with much better interior material quality than the Aura. And both have had virtually no mechanical issues, so far. Incidentally, the Regals inherited the platform that would have been for the Aura had Saturn not been cut.

[@zzoinks]

I think I know what you mean about the weird rubber soft touch surfaces. Because my really old Buick had surfaces like that, it was a weird squishy beige shiny plastic-rubber. Definitely couldn't masquerade as a fabric or anything. And the steering wheel probably has a similar material but less soft, and the top edge on the corner had actually started liquefying/melting into a sticky substance! Kinda like how rubberized electronics from years ago would get sticky as they age. That material is actually a bit freaky to me. I could imagine the car is possessed by a living alien being and the surfaces are its skin. Ugh. Well that's being overdramatic and the surfaces weren't horrible. I usually didn't pay much attention. Granted the car was 25 years old so it was old. And I don't know what the material felt like when it was new. My current car has a little of that kind of soft touch Rubber as the Buick, but not as soft, shiny, and only on the edges of the door. There's some kind of soft artificial leather over the rest which is 100% better.

[@gsxellence]

I had no idea they had the 3.5, that would be the engine I'd get; mom's '08 g6 GT coupe has it, and no problems unlike that 3.6 .

[@melokulekumalo2225]

I own a white one with gray leather interior. XR Model. I love driving this car as much as my Saturn Sky!

[@romanseano]

Had to be black if it was XR. XR only came in Black leather or the Morocco Brown leather interiors (with "orange" colored anything that wasn't actual leather, since GM wasn't using the best quality materials to simulate leather here).

[@melokulekumalo2225]

@@romanseano Mine came White with grey leather. I ordered refurbished brushed aluminum rims.

[@sponk2112]

90s Saturns were great in a lot of ways for the segment. Then GM studiously and methodically decided to eliminate everything that made them special, because reasons. And then, RIP Saturn. Shocking!

[@Seventizz]

I enjoyed my Aura XR a few years back. It never broke down but I had 3 flats - that might have been me not replacing the tires often enough but I thought they looked fine and a mechanic never told me to change them during a tune up. The electrics started to go though when the heated seats always come on (took out the fuse but it killed the driver's side window too). The driver's side lock also didn't work after a while too.

[@42luke93]

I like the trunk chrome piece

[@caryleepierce2605]

Motor week never gave bad reviews. All cars were great!

[@JSmith-zr2ve]

I had an identical 2008 model. It was a nice ride.

[@treyvincent6876]

“the most impressive sedan from GM in decades”. It’s hard to take these reviews seriously.

[@allewis4008]

This and the Malibu were excellent cars

[@MyerShift7]

Those saying this is an Opel are more wrong than they are right. It IS an Epsilon car, but it's a refaced Pontiac G6. The Aura and Vectra don't even share wheelbases. Or interiors. Profiles. Rear styling. Most of the Epsilon cars couldn't even be built in each other's plants, especially the SAAB 9-3, due to various model differences. Anyone that was following the industry and informed circa 2002 and on would be aware of this. The Saturn Astra IS an Opel because it's completely identical AND built in the same Antwerp plant. The Opels are better than any GMNA car.

[@markhealey9409]

Exactly! I had a Vauxhall Vectra of that age in England. Auras are longer & have bigger engines. The exterior styling is Opel/Vauxhall though. Astras & a few other Saturns,& now a few Buicks,are basically Opel/Vauxhalls in size & design.

[@ftr911drvr]

That's a long way to say you don't anything about cars, the G6 and this car have different dimensions completely this is not a REFACED G6 I never get these silly KZbin car experts that don't know basic common sense smh For those that aren't very bright it's possible to stretch a car's wheelbase and it still be the same car.....common sense should have told you that.....there are plenty of car's that share the same platform etc that are smaller or larger maybe start over with basics and once you've learned a little more than try again any mere child would know that

[@smellsuperb1]

​@@ftr911drvryou're horrendously wrong. The Saturn Aura shares platform (unibody and subframe) and drivetrain components (engine and transmission) with the following: Chevy Malibu Fiat Croma Opel Signum Opel Vectra Pontiac G6 Saab 9-3 The G6 and Aura have nearly identical body shells and the interior is practically interchangeable model to model. This is from GM corporate data. Not "KZbin experts".

[@romanseano]

@@smellsuperb1 It's not "horrendously wrong." Sharing a platform / drivetrains / being corporate cousins, is nothing like a reface or rebadge of the same vehicle. The Aura IS most similar to the Malibu, but they're also very different. And the G6 is actually shorter in length and a lower roofline than both. This resulted in a little less headroom and a chunk less cargo volume in the G6. As far as body shells, body shells are either identical or not - there's no category of nearly, because there's no need to share a "nearly identical" shell between models. So "GM corporate data" doesn't deal with "almost." And oh, NO, about interchangeable interiors. I wish! As an Aura owner, with a G6 in the family, and who later considered the Malibu cousin, I can tell you that is absolutely false. The steering wheel, the door handle in some instances, and a few other very specific items, yeah - same molds or pieces - and tweaked versions of the same audio controls, etc. But even your naked eye (yes, please google and look before you object) can easily see that those interiors are overall not the same, and most definitely could not simply interchange with each other. Otherwise, why on earth would I have wanted a Malibu interior so bad over my Aura's interior? If you really want to know more about how different these interiors are, please see my separate comment / review of the Aura's.

[@smellsuperb1]

You're one of those people that can never admit they're wrong, even in the face of irrefutable, verifiable evidence. One quick look at the side by side interior pictures of both the aura and the G6 reveal identical seating, layout and arrangements in controls. Of course the aura appears to be more upscale, as the G6 was marketed towards the more budget-minded or sporty consumer. They both have the exact same floor pan, exact same trunk layout, same steering wheel and controls, with differences in the audio section and shape of the HVAC vents. Additionally, they ride on the exact same wheelbase with the exact same track width, with the main difference being that the aura initially received the better six speed auto, which got upgraded across GM's entire line later. You sir, despite all of your long-winded protestations, are wrong. Just because you want attention drawn to your channel does not make you correct or accurate. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.@romanseano

[@GeeEm1313]

They weren't bad cars. I wish they had sold more. But GM badge engineering at its finest.

[@zac.6960]

These things were QUICK for what they were.

[@allewis4008]

224 hp for the base XE. Very good engine for it's class

[@super_slav91]

Anything beats the interior of a Camry, especially that generation.

[@Bumbumbr-zu5gc]

Even now their interiors are outdated. That’s one of the reasons I didn’t get a new Camry and got something else. The 2025 Camrys interior was a step they needed.

[@Titanic19127]

This is actually pretty nice with the leather and all

[@jacobyo99]

Such a pretty car, even today

[@jesdadotcom]

I spent 10,000 miles and a summer in one as a rental. Surprisingly good performance and comfort but the brakes and cooling system were lacking. I took it through the Salt Flats at Bonneville and through the mountains in California. It needed a second generation to fix the bugs and gain Chevrolet, Pontiac, or Buick branding. Also the 3.6 is notorious for chain failures.

[@Tuppoo94]

Nice Opel!

[@danmccarthy4700]

What Opel is this? The closest was the Vectra which rode on a shortened version of this platform but they're hardly the same car.

[@Tuppoo94]

@@danmccarthy4700 >same platform as the Vectra >same styling as the Vectra >you're still supposed to believe that it's not a Vectra No wonder GM went bankrupt soon after this car was released.

[@danmccarthy4700]

@@Tuppoo94 My Pontiac G6 convertible is on the same platform too, does that make it a Vectra?

[@Tuppoo94]

@@danmccarthy4700 No, that makes it a Saab!

[@danmccarthy4700]

@@Tuppoo94 My car is much bigger than the Saab though. And I don't think you could get the Saab with the 3.9 liter V6.

[@zjones9876]

I could be mistaken but I believe the Aura has the distinction of being the longest wheelbase sedan ever classified as midsize ever (not counting platform mates)

[@dforrest4503]

An OHV engine with VVT. wow

[@superwonderfullness]

Let’s say that the Camry and Accord are too reliable for you. Saturn has got you covered! This is the Saturn Aura!

[@simplygregsterev]

I like how Saturn sorta became a knock off Opel/Vauxhall at the end of its life. I enjoyed my Astra H immensely because it was actually built in Europe with very little Americanistation and a good product.

[@yt4870]

Americanisation is a good thing though, it makes the everyday cars more comfortable. And I say this as a German who loves Opel

[@Steve1766]

it's not a Knockoff it's Opel Rebranded for North America

[@kristoffer3000]

@@yt4870 More comfortable or just larger and more prone to breaking down due to AWFUL engineering?

[@tomtom1541]

​@@Steve1766it's also rebranded as a Holden car for Australia.

[@Steve1766]

@@tomtom1541 yeah

[@joshgutierrez7380]

Saturn is literally the definition of “just another car company”

[@PrydeWater901]

Saturn Aura: the car so bad it killed its own host company and damned near the whole segment.

[@julius6238]

Opinion or fact?

[@PrydeWater901]

I opine, but the coincidences kinda line up. It’s not Saturn’s fault the 3.5L didn’t get the attention it may have deserved. It’s not even the fault of Saturn that they became just another badge-engineered division of The General. I was being cynical, but I kinda wanna blame the Relay now!

[@kristoffer3000]

@@julius6238100% opinion. It's probably the best "American" car of the era lol Not a great car by european standards but still.

[@MrYobII]

Liked these a lot

[@RaymondHaley-tz4do]

Thanks to GM,s greed Saturn overshot it's price target

[@TheRealEmile]

I think the fact the Americans had to change the Vectra so much to sell it in the US probably is a sign of how bad the Vectra was

[@BabyBugBug]

I drove one of these when my parents were looking for a new car. Excellent acceleration and honestly I wish they had bought it. Styling was European and I like European cars.

[@toddharmon3498]

Can we get this in Patrick Bateman's voice? For some reason the descriptive tone just fits lol

[@lil_vroomstk]

GM Saturn Aura = Ford Mercury Milan 🤕🫱🏼‍🫲🏾

[@codycrawford2385]

Yet another forgotten brand that gets junked left and right

[@jgaudy_matticulous]

I wish GM had have invested more in Pontiac and Oldsmobile tbh this would have been a beauty as an olds

[@keithnewton8981]

No this was no gm first application of a 6 speed fwd auto as they been using them in vauxhall opel car in europe and clearly this was based on vauxhall vectra found in europe . The vectra was a nicer finished product more coherent in it design. This was like bit taken from here and there to make a car.

[@leodccaps]

Is this an Opel Vectra?

[@bsosmoove]

I dont believe so..this car was on the same platform as the Pontiac G6

[@alifloydtv]

It's a stretched Vectra platform - closer to a Signum, really :)

[@P00katube]

It should have come equipped with the 3800 V6. That would have had customers wait in a long line out the showroom door!!!!!

[@iluvcamaros1912]

Kinda. Weirdly the North American (Malibu, G6, Aura) and European (Saab 9-3, Opel Vectra/Signum) versions of this era Epsilon platform weren't quite identical to each other. The Americans were on a longer wheelbase and de-contented a bit for the NA market. Notably none of the 3 NA models were available with In-dash Nav for example. Something about they weren't wired for it. (But GM was able to do Nav in the aging W-body Grand Prix).

[@GeeEm1313]

Kind of

[@that_one_pole17]

German greatness (rebadge of the Opel Vectra)

[@phillyups3023]

This is just sad to me because saturn was on deaths door

[@xXshinichiconanXx3]

0:43 „with its very European charms“… Well yeah it’s essentially an Opel Astra lol.

[@romanseano]

Aura was built on a platform derived from the Vectra. Astra was on a smaller platform and was even imported & sold alongside the Aura as the "Saturn Astra." But I see what you're saying, in that it heavily adopted its front & rear styling cues.

[@xXshinichiconanXx3]

@@romanseano My bad. Now where you say it, it looks like the Vectra C Facelift.

[@SulikTrucker95]

Sadly that it failed, like Astra

[@aleksuks]

In Europe, it was the Opel Vectra. And frankly, nobody really cared for it ever. Just like it is not valued now, either.

[@danmccarthy4700]

This was a larger car than the Vectra. Same platform, but hardly the same car.

[@briantorres7339]

Those 6 speed automatic transmissions were/are garbage.

[@DavidDolinsky95]

That’s because the car is actually an Opel 💩

[@MyerShift7]

​@@DavidDolinsky95 it's actually a Pontiac G6. The Vectra, though an Epsilon car, is on a different wheelbase. Fun fact- almost none of these Epsilon I cars can even be built in the same facility due to model differences. ESPECIALLY Saab.

[@hedga001]

So was the 3.6 with the bad timing chains.

[@BillyBob-ip9uy]

The motors are worse! Mainly the 3.6s are quick but JUNK

[@taylorc2542]

3.6 had timing chain issues, and the 6 speed had wave plate problems. These got worked out in a few years of production.

[@blingking501]

Is that a vauxhall vectra?

[@danmccarthy4700]

It's an Epsilon car like the Vectra but it's on a stretched version of the platform.

[@Steve1766]

yeah but in North America

[@blingking501]

I went down the rabbit hole of vauxhall/Opel/GM and it was an experience

[@arturoapm]

Today 2024…Is it a good choice as a reliable car?

[@EricG-b9v]

Hope so Iam looking to buy one lol

[@johncranney5099]

I had a 2007 XR. Loved it! Someone hit me and totaled it. Definitely get the XR

[@mellsterr6192]

I just bought a 2008 XR with 80,000. Car is damn near brand new! It’s equipped with the tow set up to tow behind my motor home. I felt I stole it from an 80 year old who was done RVing. 50k of it was miles towed.

[@archfapper211]

The Camry and Accord are probably on the road... Hopefully the Toyota doesn't burn oil and the Accord doesn't eat the auto transmission

[@marcusdamberger]

Yup, my work had a RAV4 with the I4 engine that ate oil after 250k, everything else was still working on it when it was sent away. I had a personal Gen 6 98' Honda Accord 2 door. Transmission started slipping at 260k, the engine soon developed a massive oil leak and I parted ways with it soon after. Replacement transmission swap/cost as much as the car was worth if it was still working and running.

[@retiredsnowbunnyhunterx5106]

Not even the mighty Toyota or Honda can avoid oil burn after a 100k. At some point it's going to happen regardless.

[@carlasghost656]

GM's answer to the question no one asked. What would an American Altima look like?

[@87Aquarian]

More torque and "pulling power" than Camry or Accord and yet it was slower, worse on gas, and less reliable... typical GM junk.

[@黃翔榆-y9v]

了解，謝謝分享！

[@Steve1766]

that's like an Opel Vectra

[@Steve1766]

that looks like an Opel Vectra

[@LamentOfTheFallen]

Why did I think it was a Vauxhall Astra🤨??

[@TheJetJONES]

Similar Front End. But fun Fact: The Astra Hatch actually has been in America, as the Saturn Astra 🙂 Unfortunately, the American Astra was a Flop 😔

[@pokedude104]

ah yes, classic GM rebadging and reusing all their platforms to compete with themselves. Because lets be real they never came close to honda or toyota and they never will lmao

[@crowdnine878]

Toyota Lexus. Nissan Infiniti. Honda Acura. They all rebadge. Japan could not have made a car without America.

[@ftr911drvr]

If you don't know anything about cars just say that 😂😂 you're on here crying like GM hurt you personally so cringe

[@super_slav91]

@@crowdnine878 If anything Britain had more input than the US did in Japans early automotive endeavors.

[@pokedude104]

@@ftr911drvr I was just stating a fact. By this point in time toyota and honda were both wildly more successful in the NA car market than GM was. I have no horse in this race lol

[@crowdnine878]

@@super_slav91 Mr Toyoda reverse engineered the Chevy stovebolt engine and copied Ford's frame. Probably around 1934 when all this took place.

[@foxe._.]

Opel inigna vibes

[@luckij]

Супер машина

[@leonm6969]

Opel Vectra moment

[@JTKels]

lol.. sadden was just another GM vehicle. Never compared to Camry reliability wasn’t there the inside looks cheap and motor week always pushes American cars with no statements about their unreliability… Saturday is gone Camry still here😅

[@romanseano]

Oh... You must be laughing because people still buy Camrys despite its ridiculous looking front & rear fascia and garishly styled interior. Got it.

[@mfitzy100]

Looks like a 2002 model Opel vectra

[@lol-de4lo]

2005

[@mfitzy100]

@@lol-de4lo my friend had a 2002 model in Ireland. Saturn was launching it 5 years later which seems a bit crazy

[@lol-de4lo]

@@mfitzy100 2005 is the facelift of it

[@crowdnine878]

The Camry featured here is the one with the so called "floor mat" issue. They have several safety and reliability issues.

[@peachyclean93]

I have a Toyota from this era it is anything but desirable full of defects not that great of a car

[@AkioWasRight]

That generation Camry wasn't great, but the floormate thing was fabricated to explain Toyota's demographic problem, and it was a way for lawyers and federal regulators to shakedown Toyota. In reality, the vast majority of Toyota unintended acceleration cases were the result of driver error, nothing more.

[@archfapper211]

It probably had the I4 that drank oil

[@marcusdamberger]

@@archfapper211 The RAV4 of that era also used the same I4 engine and had the oil burning issue sadly.. I think the V6 version was spared this fate. The rest of the RAV4 was otherwise a good design.

[@franciso_o9610]

Opel

[@nervousheadache]

Opel Vectra

[@Steve1766]

yes

[@Lewis_Treff97]

Styling looks European because it looks like a vauxhall/opel astra saloon

[@sean07de2k24]

Opel Vectra is a better name for it.

[@lol-de4lo]

Europeans know this is a vectra

[@glennjones6574]

The best car interior that GM has EVER done??? lol. Cmon. So bland

[@Everard111]

German car

[@MyerShift7]

Not quite

[@markhealey9409]

Designwise,yes. But Vauxhall/Opel Vectras were a bit smaller & had smaller engines.

[@ftr911drvr]

​@markhealey9409 shhh a car can be based on the same car and still be smaller thsts just common sense.....these KZbin car experts always lack basic common sense smh

[@ftr911drvr]

​@@MyerShift7yes actually

[@TheJetJONES]

About a Triple, or even a Quarter German 😐