First Drive: 2007 Saturn Aura Green Line

I tested Saturn's Aura midsize sedan last year and had a chance to get in its new hybrid version last week. The Aura Green Line shares its hybrid drivetrain with Saturn’s Vue Green Line SUV and gets an EPA-estimated 28/35 mpg (city/highway). That's the same rating as the Honda Accord Hybrid but less than the Toyota Camry Hybrid's 40/38 mpg. If the Aura isn’t already at your local Saturn dealership, it should be arriving shortly.

The Aura Green Line has what’s called a mild hybrid system that supplements the car's four-cylinder gasoline engine with additional power from an electric motor/generator when accelerating. The car doesn't move on battery power alone, like a Prius. The Aura’s total system output is 164 hp, which is adequate, and more importantly it operates seamlessly. If you didn’t know you were driving a hybrid, there's relatively little from the driving experience — apart from the engine shut-off feature when the car comes to a stop — to clue you in to the fact.

Comments

Too bad it doesn't have GM's new 6 speed automatic, 6t40.

I took an aura for a test drive and loved the interior...not as many gaps as you might think. Not any more than the average car

its just an extra 2 gears, nothing special! just get in and drive!

Seems like the review is more about interior design then the over all functioning of a automobile.

two sentences on the interior.

GM has the axle ratio of the Aura hybrid lite absurdly tall.
3.05, the same as the 3.5V6, and the V6 has smaller diameter tires and weights are comparable.

So if GM puts their 6 speed automatic, it will allow for a very tall top gear, without absolutely killing acceleration, and wasting fuel in the unlocked torque converter.

get over it!

I'm an owner of a (2005) Accord hybrid. Except for the price, I don't see why folks will look at the Aura Green Line. The Accord has better fit and finish (addressing the reviewer's pet peeve); more options like navigation; and--finally--253 ponies, which is BETTER than the standard V-6 at 244.

GM, I'm rooting for you, but you've got to stop being so half-arsed in your executions! Buyers won't put up with excretement these day.

I LURVE the Aura, and I think the Green Line will be a hit based on price alone, but I agree with MH somewhat about the interior. I think it's a bit of a mixed bag compared to some of GM's other fine efforts (GMT900, SRX refresh, Lambda crossovers).

In the Aura it looks like Jill Lajdziak won with some bits, like the front seats, low-gloss dash, steering wheel and cupholder assembly.

Then it seems the bean-counters won other battles, like the faux-wood center IP trim and fake-stitched door panels.

But to me, the driving experience (at least in the regular-trim Aura) trumps all of that. It's Teutonic-firm and serious, which is something the Camry hybrid cannot touch. The Accord hybrid, btw, is just an overpriced mess. I haven't had a chance to drive the Altima hybrid (not available in my state).

Since Joela posted above me abt the Accord hybrid (didn't see it when I posted) I should probably explain why I called it an overpriced mess: the car I test-drove at a dealership had a lurching throttle response that was very uncharacteristic of other Hondas I've been around, and the transmission seemed to endlessly hunt around for gears, again very un-Honda like. It was almost like the Integrated Motor Assist wasn't properly, you know, Integrated.

Other reviews mention these problems as well. Anyway, I ended up liking the regular (cheaper) Accord 4 cylinder sedan better.

I like GM's take on hybrids. By making them more inexpensive, you can get a greater market penetration. When you look at monthly payments, the difference is minimal. This will make it easier to recover the cost in gasoline. If you can get these mild hybrids to become ubiquitous, you'll make a much larger impact than having 1-2% of the market driving the more efficient (and more expensive) models. This means less money wasted on gasoline, less oil imports, and cleaner air. Now all we have to do is see if the strategy works.

sad that GM cant produce a hybrid vehicle with substantial fuel economy gains over a standard 4 cylinder japanese competitor. The nissan altima gets 26/35...almost exactly the same as the saturn and its fit and finish is light years ahead of saturn. Also...its much cheaper...no wonder they lose billions of dollars a year

yeah but who the hell wants a nissan? I dont want to be stuck on the side of the road, thats why im buying GM. Anyway, the aura outruns the accord, so it doesn't matter how many "ponies" you have under the hood, its all about TORQUE (which imports lack) and weight. Its power to weight ratio.

Honda doesn't have ANY style whatsoever, unlike the saturn.

I want a Nissan (the Altima Hybrid), and I have seen way more GM stuck on the road than Nissan.

Please, discuss the hybrid, not another Domestics VS Imports! And to get your fact straight, unknown dude,

(1) Imports have torque, and at many times higher than the domestics if you compare the same engine displacement;
(2) Honda outsold Saturn, which has been in a struggle to survive since its beginnings;
(3) Honda has often produced the BEST power to weight ratio of all mass production vehicles, if you have done some research. Ever heard of the Integra Type-R or Civic Type-R?
(4) The Aura itself is a rebadged Opel - whichi is styled in Europe. So to speak about no style - it's really Saturn, not Honda.

Now see what happens when you tried to wage another domestics vs imports argument with no straight facts, dude?

As to the hybrid system itself. I would say that this will give GM the chance to say, yes, we have hybrids. It is a bybrid system all right, but it isn't a fuel saving system - when you compare to 4 cyl of the same class vehicle like Honda, Toyota, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, VW or Audi. (Europeans hardly have 4 cyl anymore!) the best technology so far is still used by Toyota, but I surely hope that Nissan & NEC will successfully produced the Li battery that weights much less, have a longer range (more than 80 mi/charge), and a much shorter re-charging time. Hydrogen cell could be dangerous - I dunno if tests so far have included what happens when there is a crash, but hydrogen is extremely flammable.

Price savings? Compared to what? Based on list price, at least, this isn't any cheaper than the Prius, which is also a midsize car, at least by EPA standards. How does rear legroom compare? (The Camry is only a bit bigger than the Prius overall).

While the Aura Green Line and Prius have comparable interior room and similar prices, the key word in the last sentence of the first drive is "sedan." The Prius is available only as a hatchback.

If the ride is anything like the regular Aura it will have a vastly better ride and driving experience to the Prius, that car's main fault. The mileage won't be as good however.

Okay Mr. Amuro Ray, looks Like I need to set a few of your "facts" straight.

"I want a Nissan (the Altima Hybrid), and I have seen way more GM stuck on the road than Nissan."

Ever hear of the Altima's infamous engine fires on the 4-cyl motor? They actually had to stop selling the cars for a period last year because of that. My family's GM cars have never given any serious trouble

"(1) Imports have torque, and at many times higher than the domestics if you compare the same engine displacement;"

A gross exaggeration if I ever heard one, and not necessarily true at all when comparing modern engines.

"(4) The Aura itself is a rebadged Opel - whichi is styled in Europe. So to speak about no style - it's really Saturn, not Honda."

The Aura may have Opel-inspired styling, but under the skin it has much more in common with the Pontiac G6 than the Vectra.

"As to the hybrid system itself. I would say that this will give GM the chance to say, yes, we have hybrids. It is a bybrid system all right, but it isn't a fuel saving system - when you compare to 4 cyl of the same class vehicle like Honda, Toyota, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, VW or Audi."

Looks like you are the one who needs to get your facts straight. Let's compare the Aura Green Line to midsized sedans from these brands with a 4-cylinder/automatic transmission combo (the only fair comparo, since the Aura Greenline can't be had with a manual):

Saturn Aura Green Line: 28/35
Nissan Altima 4-cyl/CVT: 26/34
Honda Accord 4-cyl/auto: 24/34
Toyota Camry 4-cyl/auto: 24/33
Mazda6 4-cyl/auto: 24/31
Mitsubishi Galant 4-cyl/auto: 23/30
Volkswagen Passat 4-cyl/Auto: 22/31

So you see, only the Altima really comes close in the city cycle (highway is irrelevant, since hybrid systems don't help there), and that car has a continuously variable transmission, unlike the others (including the Aura) which have conventional automatics.

Besides, GM has a "full" hybrid system coming out this year, that will debut on their full-size SUVs and eventually filter down to smaller vehicles (the Saturn Vue will be the first FWD vehicle to get it, and will also be the first OEM plug-in hybrid): This system is superior to the ones currently employed by Toyota and Honda will no doubt be capable of matching Toyota's next-generation hybrid system provided the current NiMH batteries are replaced with Lithium batteries (which Toyota plans to use on their next system, as does GM on the Chevrolet Volt). After the Two Mode hybrid is out, I could see the Aura Greenline's Belt-alternator starter (BAS) system proliferate to a much wider range of GM vehicles, perhaps even becoming standard equipment on some models.

J.N., I am NOT gonna start another domestics VS imports battle, because no matter what I said, you'll always think that GM is the best, so I'm saving my energy on that...except for one thg: just because your GM haven't given YOU any SERIOUS trouble, I sincerely doubt that many people who turned away from GM, or actually have family members killed in crashes due to GM's design, will side with you on that...

Back to the subject: You proved your OWN DEMISE, dude.
"Looks like you are the one who needs to get your facts straight. Let's compare the Aura Green Line to midsized sedans from these brands with a 4-cylinder/automatic transmission combo"
In fact, I did get my fact straight, but I sincerely doubt yours. You were comparing the Aura's Hybrid with the Regular 4 cylinder from other manufacturers, right? See how CLOSE the other ones come when ALL OF THEM HAVE CONVENTIONAL 4 CYLINDER ENGINES, YET ACHIEVEING MPG THAT ARE CLOSE TO SATURN'S Hybrid system? Yes, the Aura Hybrid has A LITTLE BIT better mpg, but it's supposed to - it's a hybrid, and that's compared to the regular 4-cyl engines.

WHY DIDN'T YOU COMPARE TO THE OTHER HYBRIDS, such as the Altima Hybrid, Camry Hybrid, Pirus Hybrid and Civic Hybrid? I know, 'coz that shows how bad the gas mileage the Aura's Green Line really is.

As for other future hybrid system, unless they are out in the market, or unless you are the only person in this world that can foresee the future, I won't comment on your "prediction," because it's just very simple for me to say that, "yeah, and the Asians will THEN have a better hybrid system, and will definitely kick GM's behind!" See, there's no point, when you try to convince someone with things that don't exist (in the market), is there?

Sorry to burst your bubble on the Saturn's Aura Greenlilne.

Sorry JN, but just can't resist to burst your bubble again, times 2:

"The Aura may have Opel-inspired styling, but under the skin it has much more in common with the Pontiac G6 than the Vectra."

BINGO!!! You do understand the term, "styling," don't you? The unknown poster stated "Honda doesn't have ANY style whatsoever, unlike the saturn."

I thank you for supporting my point :)

And if you want to tell my that GM's battery or hybrid of the future will be better than the others, with the Chevrolet Volt as an example...

You do know that GM has already stated that Volt is just a concept, and very very very likely not a production vehicle at all. In fact, the entire system is just more of a fantasy, as GM has suggested more or less...there were many reports on this last month, and if you haven't read those reports, I suggest you to google to find out the real future of the Volt, before using it as an example to prove your point. Man, that's a really bad burn.

Amuro Ray...according to Cars.com website the Volt is going to be in production for 2010 or so (http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2007/03/chevy_volt.html). And you just need to get your facts straight. No one said that the Aura was a full hybrid and would match the greatly exagerated MPG numbers of the Civic, Prius, or Camry hybrid. I did not include the Accord because Honda wanted to badge that as a performance enhancer. Everyone knows that the Aura and many future Saturns are being rebadged from Opel....there is nothing wrong with that and that does not mean there is a lack of style. I agree, Hondas have no style, but are very good cars.

"greatly exagerated MPG numbers of the Civic, Prius, or Camry"

WRONG. As a previous Camry Hybrid owner, I can personally attest that 38/40 Hwy/City is about right for the Camry. I managed, lead foot and all, to get about 42mpg highway and upper 30s the rest of the time, very much NOT highly-exaggerated.

As for the Prius, mid-40s certainly is not 51/60, however there are some folks who can attain those numbers and much higher, we just wouldn't want to be behind them.

There was an even more recent story confirming that the Volt will be ready for production in 2010. A very solid confirmation from a company that doesn't often say anything about future products.

Thanks Dave T., for correcting my mis-info. OK, like I said, I am not gonna comment more on "future products" 'coz that can change very quickly. However, there are 2 points that I was really making:

(1) I simply pointed out that in terms of NO style, the Aura has no style because it's really a rebadged Opel. To have style - whether it's good or bad, it needs to be created especially for THAT vehicle. So far, both pro and con domestics commentors have agreed with me. Note: whatever happened in the sheet metal underneath, that's NOT style. You may also NOT like the Accord's style, but based on the sales of the Honda Accord (I ain't a fan), I would say that more people like its style than not.

(2) Please, oh please, the point that the Aura Green Line is a lame hybrid vehicle wasn't initiated by me! However, I did support that poster's point:
- when compared to regular 4-cyl, the Green line does get better MPG, but barely (talking about equal or less than 5MPG to most). Now when you buy a HYBRID, yet not getting much fuel efficiency relative to the 4 cyl, but you've a pay a premium for the HYBRID - what's the point?
- when compared to the other Hybrids out there in the market, the Green Line's just lame. You may wanna give excuses like, "oh, it isn't a true hybrid..." like Questions has stated. I knew that. But why make a Hybrid, charge it for the price of a Hybrid (Prius, Camry, Civic and Altima Hybrid carry MSRP either cheaper or a bit more expensive than the Aura Hybrid, but not so expensive that's NOT within reach.) and do a half-bottom hybrid job to it. Will you ask your children to study 1/2 hard, and do 1/2 well in the exam?

Thus, here's my OWN conclusion (which you can disagree) when J.N. said that the Aura is better in MPG when compared to the others.:
Yes, although the Aura fuel efficiency's better than most 4-cyl of the same vehicle size, it's only marginally better, yet it costs more than the regular 4-cyl. So that's UN-INCENTIVE #1 (to hybrid would be purchasers, but NOT SO to GM die hard supporters). Furthermore, the Aura's price is around the other Hybrid's car range, but those hybrids do have way better fuel efficieny than the Saturn. UN-INCENTIVE #2.

If you can just throw away the Domestics/Imports point of view for a sec, and just look at it from the scientific data/hybrid system p.o.v. - by carefully studying Saturn's hybrid system/price range/R&D - you can then realize how un-worthy the Green Line is.

(NOTE: this is for the Aura Green Line only, ok?)

The best thing to do is to create a spreadsheet with the numbers for each car captured in it.

Here's mine --->
Assumptions:
-Use incentive as down payment
-Avg. F.E. is average of city and highway label values
-No options added to any car
-Payoff Time, years = 5
-Interest Rate = 7%
-Sales Tax = 6%
-Miles Driven / Year = 12000
-Avg $/Gallon = $3.00

Aura Altima Camry Accord
------------------------------------------
Base Car Cost 23600 25605 26820 31685
Incentive 1300 2350 2600 1300
City MPG 28 42 40 28
Highway MPG 35 36 38 35

Car cost/yr 5635 5891 6137 7672
Fuel cost/yr 1143 923 923 1143
------------------------------------------
Total cost/yr 6778 6814 7060 8814

My assumptions make sense for my own personal situation but may not make sense for others. Spin them your own way and keep an open mind.

MM

An easy way to dramatically boost numbers for this thing is so add a small, yet refined diesel engine for the Aura. Maybe they could source the engine from a third party builder that has experience with building solid diesels, or they could develop their own and release it in a few years to boost Aura sales as the car ages. A diesel-hybrid would definitely beat any gas-hybrid platform, and would definitely provide more torque.

Oops, I screwed up my own numbers. The Aura is actually about $1000 cheaper (all include destination charges).

Base Car Cost 22695 25605 26820 31685
Incentive _____1300 _2350 _2600 _1300
City MPG ______28 ___42 ___40 ___28
Highway MPG ___35 ___36 ___38 ___35

Car cost/yr ___5407 _5891 _6137 _7672
Fuel cost/yr __1143 __923 __923 _1143
------------------------------------------
Total cost/yr _6550 _6814 _7060 _8814