Cars.com Reviews the 2009 Saturn Aura
Having replaced Saturn's L-Series, the Aura has been set loose to do battle in the tough midsize-sedan segment. For 2009, Saturn has improved the Aura's fuel economy, but will that be enough to make it competitive? Cars.com's Mike Hanley offers his views on the Aura, which now has a hybrid version and a more fuel-efficient four-cylinder. Read his full review to find out if Saturn's sedan is worth a look.
Previous
Subscribe to our feed
Email us your tips!
I think it looks better than a Malibu! That's my HO. I know the critics have been hard on the interior but it's way better than previous Saturns!
It feels like you're being a little too harsh on the Aura. I have a 2008 Aura that I have found to be surprisingly satisfying. One of my remote start fobs doesn't work all the time, but otherwise, the car has been comfortable and features like OnStar and XM Radio have made it a pleasure to travel in. I average about 25 mpg combined city/highway, but when I do a lot of city driving it's hard to keep the numbers up. I bought the Saturn because I got a 'deal', but it turns out I like it more than I thought I would. No loose armrests in my car, but my daughter misses the rear center armrest.
I have a 2008 Honda Accord and I am thinking about trading it for a 2009 Saturn Aura 4 cylinder 6 speed automatic. 22/33 is superb and styling is great.
"...the five-person Aura..."
With the bulging floor, narrow interior and raised center-seat, how long 3 can seat in the back?
Are you kidding me? A mid-size sedan has no rear center armrest? Even my compact car has it.
doug, why would u do such a dumb and irresponible thing? accord vs aura? 88 vs 60 on customer reports test scores. not smart
The output of the 3.6 V6 kind of stinks.
It should be direct injection and about 300hp
GM can fill the gap between the base engine (soon to be direct injection 2.3 & 6t40) and the V6 by using the 250hp 2.0T & 6T45 transmission.
I test drove the Aura when I was shopping for a new car recently. How Saturn even compares the car to the Honda Accord is beyond me! As you can imagine I purchased a '09 and just love the 271hp and the 29-30mpg on the highway. I now understand why Accord owners love them.
We've owned over 30 cars/trucks over the years what with ourselves and a family of young drivers. We owned Nissan, Toyota, Renault, Chevrolet, Pontiac, Dodge, Plymouth, Mitsubishi, and a few more. We had a nice Toyota Sienna mini van, and the last we bought in a foreign brand. It had it's problems. But we still shopped and drove a Toyota Camry, Mazda 6, and Saab 9-3. We really liked the Mazda and Saab. The Camry didn't seem as great a car as it has been talked up. Plus the price even with low interest. The Saturn Aura XR-4 won hands down for price, features, safety, and fuel efficiency. We got an Aura XR-4, 6 speed automatic and all options. It has peppy performance around town and getting on the freeway. We are getting a combined 29-31 mpg calculated each tankful. Haven't had it on anything longer than a 200 mile highway trip, but it got 34.2 on that with only 600 miles on it at that time. The tan leather seats and interior are top notch. The seats are very comfortable for both my wife and I. I am 5-11 and fit in it very comfortably. We have both an 8-way power driver seat and a 6-way power passenger seat. Comparing it to Toyota, Mazda, as well as looking at few other brands , the Aura has great fit and finish, a nice European design, a smooth, comfortable ride, and XM radio plus OnStar standard for safety. It has a full compliment of front, side, and head curtain airbags. My wife wanted to make sure it had all that! We also got it for a price $2,000 to $4,500 less than the other cars we looked at. The Chevy Malibu was also nice, but the price was a bit more and the Saturn looks and feels a bit more upscale. Friends, and family are really surprised when they look at or ride in our new Aura. It has plush European amenities without being gaudy or over the top. It is solid, quiet riding, smooth and gets great mileage. We thought about the 6 cylinder, but this works for us, and feels even stronger than the Toyota Camry we test drove.
We've owned over 30 cars/trucks over the years what with ourselves and a family of young drivers. We owned Nissan, Toyota, Renault, Chevrolet, Pontiac, Dodge, Plymouth, Mitsubishi, and a few more. We had a nice Toyota Sienna mini van, and the last we bought in a foreign brand. It had it's problems. But we still shopped and drove a Toyota Camry, Mazda 6, and Saab 9-3. We really liked the Mazda and Saab. The Camry didn't seem as great a car as it has been talked up. Plus the price even with low interest. The Saturn Aura XR-4 won hands down for price, features, safety, and fuel efficiency. We got an Aura XR-4, 6 speed automatic and all options. It has peppy performance around town and getting on the freeway. We are getting a combined 29-31 mpg calculated each tankful. Haven't had it on anything longer than a 200 mile highway trip, but it got 34.2 on that with only 600 miles on it at that time. The tan leather seats and interior are top notch. The seats are very comfortable for both my wife and I. I am 5-11 and fit in it very comfortably. We have both an 8-way power driver seat and a 6-way power passenger seat. Comparing it to Toyota, Mazda, as well as looking at few other brands , the Aura has great fit and finish, a nice European design, a smooth, comfortable ride, and XM radio plus OnStar standard for safety. It has a full compliment of front, side, and head curtain airbags. My wife wanted to make sure it had all that! We also got it for a price $2,000 to $4,500 less than the other cars we looked at. The Chevy Malibu was also nice, but the price was a bit more and the Saturn looks and feels a bit more upscale. Friends, and family are really surprised when they look at or ride in our new Aura. It has plush European amenities without being gaudy or over the top. It is solid, quiet riding, smooth and gets great mileage. We thought about the 6 cylinder, but this works for us, and feels even stronger than the Toyota Camry we test drove.
The 2009 Saturn Aura is among the best mid-sized sedan in the segment. So what if the interior isn't the best, the styling, performance, reliability, and size is what counts. It has better fuel economy than the anually accliamed Toyota Camry or the Honda Accord. The Aura in my opinion is a tough act to beat in features, price, and fuel economy, that is what makes it a great car.