Saturn Aura XR

[Northstar]

That's no good if they're making Aura keys out of Chevy keys.

On a side note, that keytag reminds me of working and filling those tags out.

[razoredge]

saturin is gonna save GM...................just wait, you'll see..................

tic toc tic toc tic toc tic toc

[balthazar]

The Camcords walk all over this interior in terms of design, material quality and general fit and finish.

Intersting: Motorweek just this past weekend said the exact opposite.

[Mr.Krinkle]

saturin is gonna save GM...................just wait, you'll see..................

tic toc tic toc tic toc tic toc

197346[/snapback]

its saturn g*d!mn it. no "i".

please make a note. :AH-HA_wink: if you really need the "i" in there try "satruin".

please. i have no probs with you but every time i see saturn spelled liked that i get a little crazier....

im really just kidding around, but i think the emphasis placed on saturn goes back to the "mispoken" words about the damaged brands of pontiac and buick.

its easier to reinvent saturn than any other gm product without creating another new division. sure, the original saturns didnt win many over, especially people who bought them. i know a few.

pontiac and buick have even larger hurdles to overcome. whether you belive it or not, or even like it or not. i dont on either count...but in the whole scheme of

things saturn has the best shot at winning over new customers. i truly believe that. they werent around long enough to offend as many people as buick and pontiacs....again, i like both brands, esp pontiac and it doesnt necessarily represent my personal feelings.

as far as the aura goes, i like what theyve done in principle. i think they have a genuine opportunity to win some new market share with their revamped image.

its gonna get interesting. i really think they (GM) are trying to do right by us as consumers--and in turn for them as a whole.

[AmericanRevolution]

The bad trim alignment and seemingly overall shoddy quality don't bother me. What bothers me is how drab that interior is. This is supposed to be our European style fighter?

The Camcords walk all over this interior in terms of design, material quality and general fit and finish. This won't work. Anyone who cross shops and first checks out an Aura and then checks out an Accord/Camry will not be returning to the Saturn Dealership. That much is guaranteed. Step it up GM, you HAVE TO.

197002[/snapback]

Please see them in person. The interior and exterior in pics makes it look about as cool as the previous gen Camry. In person, it's about the nicest out there, inside and out, and fairly stylish, too. Also, go check out the current Accord. That interior quality isn't any better. Infact, 90% of the dash is hard plastics. FAAAAR more soft-touch areas on the Aura's dash. Might I add that egonomically, it scores BIG over the Accord, too.

[AmericanRevolution]

Suuuuure... I believe you...

I'm obviously not the only one that experienced issues with production Auras. Besides, being that you work at only one Saturn dealership, how can you speak for all Auras delivered across the entire country and into Canada and such? Just saying...

195238[/snapback]

I can't speak for ALL cars delivered, but nor can you, either. Go to the dealerships in your area now, and take a look, as they should all have some to see.

[AmericanRevolution]

So is the door armrest hard plastic or soft?

195169[/snapback]

Soft. It's not leather-soft, but not hard plastic, either.

[AmericanRevolution]

The Camcords walk all over this interior in terms of design, material quality and general fit and finish.

Intersting: Motorweek just this past weekend said the exact opposite.

197393[/snapback]

Pretty much EVERYONE who seems/sits in it in person also says the same thing.

[AmericanRevolution]

its saturn g*d!mn it.  no "i".

please make a note.  :AH-HA_wink:  if you really need the "i" in there try "satruin".

please.  i have no probs with you but every time i see saturn spelled liked that i get a little crazier....

im really just kidding around,  but i think the emphasis placed on saturn goes back to the "mispoken" words about the damaged brands of pontiac and buick. 

its easier to reinvent saturn than any other gm product without creating another new division.  sure, the original saturns didnt win many over, especially people who bought them.  i know a few. 

pontiac and buick have even larger hurdles to overcome.  whether you belive it or not,  or even like it or not.  i dont on either count...but in the whole scheme of

things saturn has the best shot at winning over new customers.  i truly believe that.  they werent around long enough to offend as many people as buick and pontiacs....again,  i like both brands, esp pontiac and it doesnt necessarily represent my personal feelings.

as far as the aura goes,  i like what theyve done in principle.  i think they have a genuine opportunity to win some new market share with their revamped image.

its gonna get interesting.  i really think they (GM) are trying to do right by us as consumers--and in turn for them as a whole.

197411[/snapback]

That's the first time I've ever seen it spelled like that.

Also, ya, Saturn can - and already HAS - begun winning others over. Mercedes' and Porsche and Z-car drivers alike come into our dealership DAILY asking for information, some with cash-in-hand wanting to outright buy one then and there. Unfortunately, we're sold out for 6-12 months on the Sky and nearly 2 yrs on the Sky Redline!

[Croc]

razor spells it with an "i" because he thinks it's cute and clever to say "urin" [sic] in saturn.

[AmericanRevolution]

razor spells it with an "i" because he thinks it's cute and clever to say "urin" [sic] in saturn.

197440[/snapback]

Ahh... ok.

[Croc]

Ahh... ok.   

197441[/snapback]

...

my sentiments.

[pow]

razor spells it with an "i" because he thinks it's cute and clever to say "urin" [sic] in saturn.

197440[/snapback]

AFAIK, Saturn doesn't make a diesel vehicle that requires a urea exhaust treatment.

[Guest YellowJacket894]

razor spells it with an "i" because he thinks it's cute and clever to say "urin" [sic] in saturn.

197440[/snapback]

Oh.

. . .

Oh! That explains it.

I thought I was going to give him a spelling lession. I was thinking -- I don't know. Maybe spell "Saturn" and "Urine" fifty times each with definitions?

[evok]

After seeing the production interior the only word I have for it is "Sloppy".

The adjustible arm rest on the center console and automatically opening cup holder cover on the console were nice touches. But the execution was "Sloppy" and "Cheap" compared to the competition.

The "orange" interior was more vinyl that Moracan leather and comes across as cheap in person. The fake wood is so out of place it magnifies all the problems with the interior.

The worst part is the interior just does not go with the exterior. It looks like it was designed for a differnt car.

It definitly could be a show stopper for me at $27K+ for the XR.

This is in sharp contrast to the world class execution for the market segment that GM managed with the 07 SRX MCE.

http://www.cheersandgears.com/forums/index...2&t=11662&st=20

Edited October 1, 2006 by evok

[Mr.Krinkle]

After seeing the production interior the only word I have for it is "Sloppy".

The adjustible arm rest on the center console and automatically opening cup holder cover on the console were nice touches. But the execution was "Sloppy" and "Cheap" compared to the competition.

The "orange" interior was more vinyl that Moracan leather and comes across as cheap in person.  The fake wood is so out of place it magnifies all the problems with the interior. 

The worst part is the interior just does not go with the exterior.  It looks like it was designed for a differnt car.

It definitly could be a show stopper for me at $27K+ for the XR.

This is in sharp contrast to the world class execution for the market segment that GM managed with the 07 SRX MCE.

http://www.cheersandgears.com/forums/index...2&t=11662&st=20

199973[/snapback]

regardless though, people seem to like this car. and from what i gather fully loaded its still less than a camry. -- just glossing over the edmunds and yahoo autos reviews it appears to be generally liked.

the morracon leather does look tacky to me in the least. and the wood although fake its pretty standard affair. hyundai has gotten away with murder as well as others for assembling questionable interiors.

bottom line is most wont be offended by it.

funny enough one review i read on the above mentioned sites noted the interior fit and finish and misaligned panels....oddly enough liked the leather appointments but found other faults. and evidently still purchased.

i think its gonna do just fine. perhaps not to the more scrutinizing eye, but i think it has a more intangible quality to it that becomes apparent after testing/buying it.

in other words its not just another mass produced trinket.

[evok]

regardless though, people seem to like this car.  and from what i gather fully loaded its still less than a camry. -- just glossing over the edmunds and yahoo autos reviews it appears to be generally liked. 

the morracon  leather does look tacky to me in the least.  and the wood although fake its pretty standard affair.  hyundai has gotten away with murder as well as others for assembling questionable interiors.

bottom line is most wont be offended by it. 

funny enough one review i read on the above mentioned sites noted the interior fit and finish and misaligned panels....oddly enough liked the leather appointments but found other faults.  and evidently still purchased.

i think its gonna do just fine.  perhaps not to the more scrutinizing eye, but i think it has a more intangible quality to it that becomes apparent after testing/buying it.

in other words its not just another mass produced trinket.

200105[/snapback]

See the vehicle for yourself.

[Flybrian]

Maybe its me seeing the XR with dark seats and metallic trim, but I had no qualms about it really, except maybe the door panels looking a bit dank.

I also noted a neutral/taupe & wood-trimmed XE, but those color combinations all look the same to me. Seemed like two vastly different cars.

[Mr.Krinkle]

See the vehicle for yourself.

200315[/snapback]

hmmm. that sounds ominious.

aside from the orange cheeze doodle looking leather combo which doesnt

come off looking so hot to me it still is a saturn. that really is awful looking to me probably because it wasnt pulled off so perfect but i still have a hard time believing the pictures at the start of this were an accurate indication of the

quality as a whole. the sloppiness i can believe.

also one point of concern was the door handle on the inside. someone commented they were "flimsy" that is a sad oversight because more so than any other thing else inside that car onse you are inside you are gauranteed to touch

that handle to get out. it should have a reinsuring quality to it. thats not a great indicator to me.

[Spike]

About two weeks ago my girlfriend purchased an Aura XE. She did not want leather but had to have a sunroof. In the XR you must get leather to have a sunroof so she went with the XE. I think that overall the interior looks nice. The material on the dash has a nice texture to it - it is not hard, but not very soft either. The switch gear functions nicely and has a good feel to it. There are really nice amber LEDs that lightly illuminate various areas of the interior at night, such as the center consol. They shine a look of elegance to the interior.

The biggest downside pertaining to the interior are the details. Looking very closely you can see how some of the different components don’t fit as well as they should. The air vents are the best example of this. It is much better than the car that TED took pictures of. That car has a panoramic roof, which is not yet available, so I am guessing that is a per production car.

[d2000one]

I haven't seen pictures of the ambient lighting in the Aura. Can someone please post pictures?

Thanks

[GMTruckGuy74]

I haven't seen pictures of the ambient lighting in the Aura.  Can someone please post pictures?

Thanks

200411[/snapback]

Spike, can you do this favor for those of us with inquiring minds? Or anyone else with access to an AURA and a digital camera?

I learned about a week ago of this feature on the AURA; the VUE Redline offers this feature too, but only in the footwell areas (never seen it in person though). Too bad SATURN didn't make this feature a part of the SKYs option content - it would have been another separator from it's Solstice cousin. Tis could be a nice feature offered only in SATURN's an no other GM division.

Edited October 3, 2006 by GMTruckGuy74

[Spike]

Spike, can you do this favor for those of us with inquiring minds?  Or anyone else with access to an AURA and a digital camera?

I learned about a week ago of this feature on the AURA; the VUE Redline offers this feature too, but only in the footwell areas (never seen it in person though).  Too bad SATURN didn't make this feature a part of the SKYs option content - it would have been another separator from it's Solstice cousin.  Tis could be a nice feature offered only in SATURN's an no other GM division.

200672[/snapback]

I will take pics tonight after work. I am not sure how well they will come out though. It really is lightly illuminated. It does give the interior a wow factor at night.

[Spike]

Here they are...

I tried various forms of backlighting, none of them came out really well. The pictures should give everyone a general idea though.

Edited October 4, 2006 by Spike

[Paolino]

Would you mind posting some more pictures of the interior during the day, and maybe the gauges at night? Thanks! I can see the hue on the gear shifter... looks cool

[Aura XR]

Don't forget the lighting of the interior door handles.

Those pics don't really do the ambient lighting well.

BTW, the seams on my XR are nice and tight and the trim lines up. My car doesn't have the Plood in it.

[GMTruckGuy74]

Don't forget the lighting of the interior door handles.

Those pics don't really do the ambient lighting well.

BTW, the seams on my XR are nice and tight and the trim lines up. My car doesn't have the Plood in it.

210804[/snapback]

Just to clarify, can you list all the areas that have the ambient lighting?

How do you like the AURA XR so far? It's definitely on my radar... I have an '04 Malibu (purchased Nov. '03) that I want to get rid of and the AURA and Lucerne are the top two contenders (however, if the wife would drive it, I'd get the all-new Sierra crew cab).

[Bizz]

See the vehicle for yourself.

200315[/snapback]

double post. Edited November 3, 2006 by Bizz

[Intrepidation]

Here's a pic of the lighting on the door handles from our friends at edmunds

[Bizz]

See the vehicle for yourself.

200315[/snapback]

i did. and, i bought one. while you are correct in much of your analysis, guess what? i buy cars to drive not to measure the interior with a micrometer. i bet most buyers have similiar feelings. if consumers never considered overall value, the japanese and koreans would not have gotten their footholds in the market.

ive sat in and driven lots of cars. there wasnt a single one that i would consider anywhere near perfect in design, performance or execution. but, quite a few of them would make me a happy owner.

is the interior world class? no. is the powertrain world class? no. is it, all around, a damn good car for the money in an attractive (to me) package? yeah.

edit: just read my reply. dont take it as hostile in any way.

Edited November 3, 2006 by Bizz

[Bizz]

Just to clarify, can you list all the areas that have the ambient lighting?

How do you like the AURA XR so far?  It's definitely on my radar... I have an '04 Malibu (purchased Nov. '03) that I want to get rid of and the AURA and Lucerne are the top two contenders (however, if the wife would drive it, I'd get the all-new Sierra crew cab).

210870[/snapback]

one LED for each front door handle, but not the rears, and two in the overhead switch panel. i took some pics, too, that might help.

fingering the door handle

hand halfway tween LEDs and center console. note awesomely gruesome thumb.

hand at center console expressing feelings towards most automotive analcysts and other journalistic tits and twits who dont seem to have an ounce of common sense or...

i also took a short clip (1.3mb .mov) of the start-up needle sweep if youre interested.

Edited November 3, 2006 by Bizz

[Bizz]

I surely believe that the issue has been fixed, but why oh why did the few slip to dealers

195277[/snapback]

easy, production quotas. the recent revelations of the top management in detroit hasnt filtered down the pipeline. or, upper management hasnt enabled production level management to properly deal with these issues. you dont stop or slow production simply because some parts dont fit just right. you build them anyway and fix them later. unless, you are over budget on your overtime spending. then, you ship em.

[Bizz]

So is the door armrest hard plastic or soft?

195169[/snapback]

uh, hard but kinda squishy, much like cyst-like growths on my elbows. i only mention the grossness because i spent 13hrs driving the car to NC last week. if the armrests didnt bother my elbows, they'd probably be ok for you, too.

[GMTruckGuy74]

one LED for each front door handle, but not the rears, and two in the overhead switch panel. i took some pics, too, that might help.

fingering the door handle

hand halfway tween LEDs and center console. note awesomely gruesome thumb.

hand at center console expressing feelings towards most automotive analcysts and other journalistic tits and twits who dont seem to have an ounce of common sense or...

i also took a short clip (1.3mb .mov) of the start-up needle sweep if youre interested.

211923[/snapback]

Thanks Bizz for responding. Yes, I definitely would be interested in seeing that video.

[Bizz]

sorry for the shakycam, it was c-c-cold out there. the color doesnt come through, either.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfstZ1MabTM

[pow]

Now it's time for 0-60 vids!

[MyerShift]

I sat in a couple of Aura XE's in Ft. Wayne tonight.

They are amazing. The quality of the interior materials blows everything else below Cadillac in the GM range out of the water. Everything fit together and was aligned perfectly. The amber interior lighting reminded me of my Plymouth. I felt right at home for so many reasons. Reminders of my Chrysler-built car, and that GM truly has a great mainstream North American product on its hands. Let the Opelization continue and be completed!!

Now, these had cloth seats with heaters, if I recall correctly.

So much for Chrysler claiming that as a segment exclusive.

The only things I didn't care for were the fake stitching on the armrests of the doors and that said door panels felt a tad flimsily attactched.

[Bizz]

Now it's time for 0-60 vids!

212428[/snapback]

how about a vid of it running the tail of the dragon?

myershift: about the door panel, mine does it, too. i think its the black door pull that shifts a bit in the panel. not really sure, though, i had forgotten about it until reading yor post. i guess i get used to things pretty easily.

Edited November 9, 2006 by Bizz

[Aura XR]

Sorry for the delay in responding

I love my XR, hate the dealer. I'm trying not to let my dealer experience ruin this great car.

The 3.6 / 6 speed rocks. The only thing is that the tapshift is still a bit slow to respond, even after having the transmission reprogrammed to correct that. I really don't use it anyways, just leaving it in drive 95% of the time. The body is hot, I still have people thinking it is an Audi/BMW/Lexus. The interior is nice, but I do have a rattle in the passenger door that has to go back for a fix. Not bad considering my last first-year vehicle was a Trailblazer LTZ in 2002 that went back to the dealer 24 times. I understand it was crushed because of the CarFax being so bad, they couldn't sell it.

The car does have a bit of torquesteer, but it is not excessive. The handling is phenomenal, I haven't had to call in the Stabilitrack yet, but the TC does intervene (I have a heavy foot). The brakes are awesome, best of any car I owned.

The only things I wish it had was memory seats for the power seats and the HID lights that GM used on the Opel Vectra. I am talking with some people to see if I could get them to fit the Aura since it appears the sheetmetal in front of the A-pillars is identical to the Vectra (oh, and BTW, the taillamps seem to be off an Opel Astra GTC).

As the mechanic I used said, you got a nice German car with a Saturn price.

[The O.C.]

As the mechanic I used said, you got a nice German car with a Saturn price.

213463[/snapback]

....with a domestic General Motors interior.......

(sorry)

In all seriousness.....I like the exterior looks of the AURA....and am glad they made the 3.6/6-speed combo an option.

It's just too bad the interior isn't more like the European Vectra's.....

After looking at the AURA and G6, the new Malibu has the most to gain on this platform......

[Croc]

It's just too bad the interior isn't more like the European Vectra's.....

213652[/snapback]

The ergonomics are way worse on that thing.

[Bizz]

Sorry for the delay in responding

I love my XR, hate the dealer. I'm trying not to let my dealer experience ruin this great car.

The 3.6 / 6 speed rocks. The only thing is that the tapshift is still a bit slow to respond, even after having the transmission reprogrammed to correct that. I really don't use it anyways, just leaving it in drive 95% of the time. The body is hot, I still have people thinking it is an Audi/BMW/Lexus. The interior is nice, but I do have a rattle in the passenger door that has to go back for a fix. Not bad considering my last first-year vehicle was a Trailblazer LTZ in 2002 that went back to the dealer 24 times. I understand it was crushed because of the CarFax being so bad, they couldn't sell it.

The car does have a bit of torquesteer, but it is not excessive. The handling is phenomenal, I haven't had to call in the Stabilitrack yet, but the TC does intervene (I have a heavy foot). The brakes are awesome, best of any car I owned.

The only things I wish it had was memory seats for the power seats and the HID lights that GM used on the Opel Vectra. I am talking with some people to see if I could get them to fit the Aura since it appears the sheetmetal in front of the A-pillars is identical to the Vectra (oh, and BTW, the taillamps seem to be off an Opel Astra GTC).

As the mechanic I used said, you got a nice German car with a Saturn price.

213463[/snapback]

let me know what you find out about the HIDs, please!

btw, you have to do something pretty stupid to get the ESC to intervene on dry pavement. i havent had a chance to push it on wet roads and having goodyears on the car doesnt encourage me.

[GMTruckGuy74]

Thanks AURA XR and Bizz for posting the info on your AURAs. I'm hoping by next week to join you both in the ownership experience of this wonderful car. My dealer has a XR that caught my eye - Midnight Blue with Black Cloth (no sunroof either) - that I plan to check out further very soon. I'll be leaving fro Atlantic City (teacher's convention!) in a couple of hours and then have a wedding to attend to on Saturday, so I won't get back to the dealer until some point next week. But I've e-mailed my salesman about that AURA XR and hope he'll work some magic to bring me in the dealership sooner.

Bizz, why don't you like Goodyear tires? Have you experienced anything negative with them on the XR since you bought it? I personally prefer Goodyears to any other brand (lately, my GM vehicles have had Continental tires that have given me so-so performance and have worn out too early). The Envoy has Michelin tires and with almost 19,000 miles on them I'm happy so far. I noticed the other night that the XE models come with Hanhook tires while the XR models come with Goodyear.

AURA XR, I agree that Saturn/GM should have put the memory seats feature on at least the AURA XR. If it had that option, I'd even consider buying the car vs. leasing it!

[Bizz]

Bizz, why don't you like Goodyear tires?  Have you experienced anything negative with them on the XR since you bought it?  I personally prefer Goodyears to any other brand (lately, my GM vehicles have had Continental tires that have given me so-so performance and have worn out too early).  The Envoy has Michelin tires and with almost 19,000 miles on them I'm happy so far.  I noticed the other night that the XE models come with Hanhook tires while the XR models come with Goodyear.

213760[/snapback]

ive owned 3 cars with RSAs. wet weather performance was horrible, sometimes scary. BFG traction T/As fixed the problems, improved every other aspect and were a cheaper all season tire.

the Eagle LSs (i think) on the XR seem to do great on dry pavement. but, im comparing 16s (RSAs) to 18s (LSs). its hard to judge since my old GP and new aura are different cars, but i think the BFGs in 16in form were comparable to these 18in goodyears.

i dunno. im just leery of these tires because i remember the RSAs.

oh yeah, consider me envious of your blue aura (when its clean).

Edited November 10, 2006 by Bizz

[intrigued]

I have the same goodyear tires on my 06 malibu SS 18 inch 50 series (not 100 percent on that number) 225 Goodyear eagle LS2s. I had the slighly older 16inch 55s good year eagle ls p225 tires on my alero and fromthat experience I would say that while a fairly quite tire and one that will last a long time it WILL not mae the most of your drivtrain combo when it comes to off the line performance and weaving in the corners. On my alero I finally had to replace the orignal tires... after puching and puching them for almost 60k miles and got Perelli P - zero nero tires. Like night and day in terms of performance though my friend who got the same tires said the P zeros are spend in 20-25k miles and being performance tires they dont do well in the snow or rain.

IF you want a well ballanced tire with a crap load of tire life stick with the good years. If not there are only 3 choices avaliable for the 18 inch epsilon wheels as they are a really wierd profile to footprint combination. There is a cheap brand, cant remember the name, the good years, and a performance either BF goodridge or bridgestone cant remember that either right now. I I know is town fair tires quoted me a wopping 200 a tire for the performance tires. GM unfortunatley has a nack for giving us strange and or limited tire options quite often with their wheel sizes.

[Aura XR]

Bizz, I will let you know about the HID. Someone mentioned that the Chevrolet Vectra in Mexico is identical to the German Opel, so it might be easier to get now. I wish I could find some schematics or something to see without having to spend super $$$ for them and not being able to us them. I mentioned the Astra tail lamps because I do kind of like the idea of an amber taillens, but the Astra does not have the LED stop/marker lamps like the Aura.

GMTruckGuy...Ha, I just got back from Bally's and they were talking about your convention while I was there The Midnight blue is a nice color; I think the XR's look better in the darker colors because they make them look more luxurious IMO. My XR is in Onyx Black with the Black cloth interior. It is not too bad at showing dirt.

[Aura XR]

....with a domestic General Motors interior.......

(sorry)

In all seriousness.....I like the exterior looks of the AURA....and am glad they made the 3.6/6-speed combo an option.

It's just too bad the interior isn't more like the European Vectra's.....

After looking at the AURA and G6, the new Malibu has the most to gain on this platform......

213652[/snapback]

I like the instrument cluster and the navigation system, but I think the HVAC/Radio area is too busy for my taste. What the heck is that keypad thing next to the radio? Is that like an onboard cell phone? Oh, and the manual option is nice, but I think the biggest High Feature V6 you can get in the Vectra is a 3.2L. IIRC, the manual is only available with the Ecotec 4.

[GMTruckGuy74]

GMTruckGuy...Ha, I just got back from Bally's and they were talking about your convention while I was there    The Midnight blue is a nice color; I think the XR's look better in the darker colors because they make them look more luxurious IMO. My XR is in Onyx Black with the Black cloth interior. It is not too bad at showing dirt.

214417[/snapback]

Yeah, the convention was great and the fun my friend & I had after all the workshops was even better (thank god the wives stayed home!!!). The convention is big news in A/C and everybody everywhere in A/C talks about it. Just say that you're a teacher and the questions and comments will follow! We stayed at the Sands - tonight is their final night. Not too busy there last night; we gambled to 3:30 AM and yes, you could win (don;t know about the slots, my friend advised against them).

Saturn & Staples partner together every year and pass out goodie bags to teachers and of course Saturn has a display set up. This year there was a green VUE Hybrid, Ocean Mist AURA XE, and a white-diamond preproduction OUTLOOK. Because I'm a Saturn owner, I got a little red (Saturn Owner) ribbon to add to my NJEA badge and an AURA t-shirt (white t-shirt that has a black Saturn logo with the word AURA printed under it). I told them I owned a SKY and it was the talk of the town, although I had to show the pic on my cell phone to one girl to prove it! IMHO, the Ocean Mist looks good on vehicles when they're indoors, but I'm not a big fan of this color out in the sun.

I wish I could go to the dealership tomorrow and work out a deal on the Midnight Blue XR they have, but there is a wedding I must attend. The reception place isn't too far from the dealership, so if there's apply time before the reception we might stop by so the wife can test drive it. And I love the way the blue looks - dirty or not, I don't care - I want this car in blue!!! Keep your fingers crossed for me.

[Bizz]

Bizz, I will let you know about the HID. Someone mentioned that the Chevrolet Vectra in Mexico is identical to the German Opel, so it might be easier to get now. I wish I could find some schematics or something to see without having to spend super $$$ for them and not being able to us them.

214417[/snapback]

keep in mind that swapping would probably entail more than changing the actual capsules. the aftermarket HID kits ive seen have all had wiring harnesses, etc.

i suggest going to the dealer for info. have a tech look in SI and print up the system description and operation and component view pages. might as well get the headlamp dis/reassembly instructions for the aura, too.

they should be able to access opel info. the copy of SI i have (only up to 03MY) does have info on the opel sintra. i have no idea why. but if they were sharing that info with domestic dealers back then, maybe they still do.

I like the instrument cluster and the navigation system, but I think the HVAC/Radio area is too busy for my taste.

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when i first saw that, i immediately thought it looked like I.N.T.E.L.L.I.G.E.N.C.E. from Team America. but, i see strange things in design sometimes. there is a toyota or lexus center stack that, to me, looks like Me-Ted from meatballs. maybe i need meds.

roger, you are in luck. it rained today and i got a chance to feel out the tires a little bit. much better than the RSAs.

[GMTruckGuy74]

roger, you are in luck. it rained today and i got a chance to feel out the tires a little bit. much better than the RSAs.

Thanks for thinking of me! I didn't realize, until after logging off last night, that the SKYs leave the factory with Goodyear RSAs. On the positive side, my SKY really doesn't get used in the rain (has been in two heavy storms and one light rain since April) and will definitely not see any snow or salty roads afterwards. Dry pavement use has been great so far (I had to replace one already - $338)