4 cylinder Aura to become availiable

[PurdueGuy]

http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2007/08/2008-aura.html

For the 2008 model year the Aura will come with a four-cylinder engine in the XE-4 model. The XE-6 will also be made with the same standard 3.5-liter V6 it did last year. There is also a hybrid version of the Aura called the Green Line.

[gm4life]

This is good news I am glad they decided to offer a 4 cylinder model.

[Northstar]

Yep, also expect the 6-speed to be at least optional with it.

[Ravenfreak13]

does this lower the price?

[loki]

would this move to be move some to rentals? hopefully the 6 speed would be easy to get, 2 levels not the 3 the bu will have.

[ToniCipriani]

Just make the 6-speed standard. In its market filled with import humpers, it'll need it. If anyone wants a 4-speed with a 4-cyl they can get a Malibu.

[Bimmer325]

So, in other words, the Aura Hybrid is now basically pointless.

[pow]

So, in other words, the Aura Hybrid is now basically pointless.

... and overpriced. Assuming the XE-4 comes in at $1,390 less than the XE V-6, as it is between the G6 I-4 and V-6, they're charging full-hybrid money ($3,090) for a +2 MPG light-hybrid.

[vrazzhledazzle]

I think its a bad idea - originally they said they weren't going to and I don't know why they changed their mind. This could take away Malibu sales and why would anyone want to buy an Aura HYBRID that gets just 2 more MPG than the four cylinder? I think GM's midsize cars should go like this:

Chevy Malibu - Value for the money, fuel efficiency, 4 cylinder and 6 cylinder

Saturn Aura - attractive european styling, decent power/fuel efficiency, 2 V6s

Pontiac G6 - bold & aggresive styling, powerful and exciting, V6 and a V8!

There could potentially be a V8 Malibu SS but I'm against it, midsize Saab sedan should also have V6s standard

[regfootball]

the hybrid is ok for PR and for the tax credit.

[Supremus]

I think its a bad idea - originally they said they weren't going to and I don't know why they changed their mind. This could take away Malibu sales and why would anyone want to buy an Aura HYBRID that gets just 2 more MPG than the four cylinder? I think GM's midsize cars should go like this:

Chevy Malibu - Value for the money, fuel efficiency, 4 cylinder and 6 cylinder

Saturn Aura - attractive european styling, decent power/fuel efficiency, 2 V6s

Pontiac G6 - bold & aggresive styling, powerful and exciting, V6 and a V8!

There could potentially be a V8 Malibu SS but I'm against it, midsize Saab sedan should also have V6s standard

I don't see the problem, since most Saturn buyers wouldn't touch a Chevrolet. If the Aura is going aftter Camry/Accord/Altima, it needs a 4-cilinder, period.

[cire]

If Saturn is going to offer the 4 cylinder engine with a 4 speed auto transmission, then I think it is a bad idea. If the 4 cylinder engine is combined with the 6 speed auto transmission, then I think it could work. If GM is positioning Saturn against the imports, it must offer offer comparable technology or surpass the technology of the import competition (the Toyota Camry 4 cylinder is combined with a 5 speed auto transmission). If the 4 cylinder/6 speed automatic is offered, then I think Saturn can increase sales by attracting more fuel conscious buyers. I think the "image" of a 4 cylinder engine sometimes attracts fuel conscious buyers, whether the mileage is much better than a V6 or not.

[momolos]

This makes no sense at all.

The Saturn brand is supposed to be premium everyday cars.

Now the Aura has that old tech (in the medias eayes) pushrod engine.

But the everyones car the Malibu ONLY has the 3.6L as a V6.

I don't see how this makes sense.

Offer a 4 cyl which is a great idea.....but get rid old the 3.5L.

And while we are at it drop it from the Vue also.

Saturn should not have pushrods period!

[gm4life]

The 3500 VVT is a very proven power-plant and has an amazing torque band. I think having more options (aka) engine is a wonderful thing. Empowering consumer to pick exactly what they want. I believe someday 6spd. autos will be standard. At least they are getting a start. Who knows next year you might not be able to get a 'Bu or Aura with a 4spd. automatic. Give them time... GM is off to a solid start (finally) better late than ever.

[dimitri0917]

This is a bit crazy. They'll HAVE to lower the price below the 20 grand base price. Though this would make it more comparable in the eyes of Camry&Co. shoppers, it'll conflict with the 'Bu. And the Malibu is so much better looking, it'd eat the Aura's sales up. Sad.

This is why I was opposed to Saturn pushing upmarket in the first place. Now Saturn can be Saturn, Olds, Saab, Chevy, and Buick in price, prestige, and engines. That's retarted. I say keep with the 6s, but oh well.

[Robert Hall]

This is a bit crazy. They'll HAVE to lower the price below the 20 grand base price. Though this would make it more comparable in the eyes of Camry&Co. shoppers, it'll conflict with the 'Bu. And the Malibu is so much better looking, it'd eat the Aura's sales up. Sad.

This is why I was opposed to Saturn pushing upmarket in the first place. Now Saturn can be Saturn, Olds, Saab, Chevy, and Buick in price, prestige, and engines. That's retarted. I say keep with the 6s, but oh well.

Looks like the old GM model is still alive..overlapping models that result in each brand competing with each other...brilliant.

[enzl]

The 3500 VVT is a very proven power-plant and has an amazing torque band. I think having more options (aka) engine is a wonderful thing. Empowering consumer to pick exactly what they want. I believe someday 6spd. autos will be standard. At least they are getting a start. Who knows next year you might not be able to get a 'Bu or Aura with a 4spd. automatic. Give them time... GM is off to a solid start (finally) better late than ever.

Where to begin...

1. Saturn is supposed to be moving upmarket...so the 6 speed auto should be there. This is another example of GM backtracking...could it have anything to do with Aura's disappointing sales so far?

2. This either should have been there from the start or not done at all. GM again missed an opportunity to have a value/MPG leader, so now they're going to go back and step on the Malibu's toes at its launch!

3. The hybrid is officially a waste of time with this measure.

4. GM's 'solid' start? When and what have they started? The solid start would have been selling GMT900's without incentives for a year or two...a solid start would be Saturn selling 100% more vehicles, as they have doubled the lineup!

The last thing GM needs is more excuses...(ie 'we're reducing fleet sales", "the price of gas", "Toyota's massive incentives on Tundra").

This comapny needs a change at the top, someone willing to take a chance or two...this death by a thousand cuts is painful to watch!

[drew770]

Apparently, GM still hasn't decided what to do with the Aura. It was supposed to be some type of upscale European flavored sedan but all it has turned out to be was a flop.

If GM would have put Bluetooth, Nav and other technological goodies then it could have been what GM wanted. But, we got a watered down version of the concept.

It seems to me that GM is now sliding the Aura downscale, where it will compete with the new Malibu and G6.

It would have been great for GM to position the Aura to go head to head with Passat. But the Aura is lacking so many options that they would be embarassed.

For example: Passat offers Adaptive Front Lighting, Bi-Xenon headlights, LED taillights, rain sensing wipers, heated washer nozzles.

Ooh I forgot, Aura has Onstar!!

[Drew Dowdell]

if it were a Turbo-4, I wouldn't be upset.

[pow]

if it were a Turbo-4, I wouldn't be upset.

Or if the 9-3 were $2000 cheaper.

[MyerShift]

Without a stickshift, a four cylinder Aura is pointless. I would have rather seen either the regualr 2.4L ECOTEC/2.0L ECOTEC Turbo 4 with a 5-/6-speed manual and automatic equivalent rather than any OHV engine.

So is an Aura with the OHV engines or any Saturn for that matter. I agree. If Saturn is to become oh-so Euro, it'll NEED to dump all OHV engines.

GM should not move Saturn downmarket again. Disappointing sales? What did they expect? The Aura was never properly contented, equipped, or even marketed really. Saturn has such a small presence, coupled with far fewer dealers, of course the sales didn't light up the market.

[regfootball]

first off, the buyer shift has been to cheaper and more fuel efficient cars. having a 4 cylinder and cheaper version addresses that.

secondly, mags have ragged the pushrod v6 for not being as smooth or fast as a competing 4 cylinder. the ecotec 4 cylinder being offered addresses this to some degree, needing ot have a competitive four cylinder option.

third, not having a stick is ok for now i think. it would sell to small a numbers, even though myself i would be attracted to a turbo four aura.....hard sell when the 3.6/6 speed paddle shifter combo is so sweet. the fusion manual is selling ok but not setting the world on fire.

four, saturn's traditonal customer base and market perception is used to a 4 cylinder option as a base. so to appeal to the old saturn base, they need a four cylinder.

this is GM's response to jump start the aura line. give it time to work. the 6 speed will come soon. until then, lets give this model a chance to survive.

keep in mind so many other cars sell for much more than the aura and still have four poppers in them. why dumbasses pay 30k for an accord TSX for example, or loaded passats. yeah they drive nice, but its not like its a good sixpot under the hood.

the aura is a good car, the word is not out yet.!

Edited August 2, 2007 by regfootball

[enzl]

first off, the buyer shift has been to cheaper and more fuel efficient cars. having a 4 cylinder and cheaper version addresses that.

secondly, mags have ragged the pushrod v6 for not being as smooth or fast as a competing 4 cylinder. the ecotec 4 cylinder being offered addresses this to some degree, needing ot have a competitive four cylinder option.

third, not having a stick is ok for now i think. it would sell to small a numbers, even though myself i would be attracted to a turbo four aura.....hard sell when the 3.6/6 speed paddle shifter combo is so sweet. the fusion manual is selling ok but not setting the world on fire.

four, saturn's traditonal customer base and market perception is used to a 4 cylinder option as a base. so to appeal to the old saturn base, they need a four cylinder.

this is GM's response to jump start the aura line. give it time to work. the 6 speed will come soon. until then, lets give this model a chance to survive.

keep in mind so many other cars sell for much more than the aura and still have four poppers in them. why dumbasses pay 30k for an accord TSX for example, or loaded passats. yeah they drive nice, but its not like its a good sixpot under the hood.

the aura is a good car, the word is not out yet.!

The Aura is a good car, that needed to be great and supported by a marketing program that was coherent and sustained.

If the Saturn customer base wanted a 4 cylinder, why wasn't it there to begin with? I agree it should have one, but if we're to buy the move upmarket, why not have the 6 speed man/auto available at launch?

The TSX is a much better product on a number of levels. It's GM kool-aid time if you regard these vehicles as comparable. And both the Passat & TSX have features that are not available on Saturn's 'import fighter' that might justify the price differential. GM should not have let this car out without the high-line options that would be EXPECTED by cross-shoppers (if there are many).

I personally like the Aura...but GM has botched another lauch of a savior product. Let's be completely honest--if they wanted to reinvent Saturn, the Aura, Outlook & Sky should be wonderful places to start....have you seen the sales figures? It's embarassing and people should be fired.

They needed to put $ in to relaunch Saturn, instead they used limited launch budgets for individual products that got lost in the shuffle, media-wise.

[Drew Dowdell]

The Aura is a good car, that needed to be great and supported by a marketing program that was coherent and sustained.

If the Saturn customer base wanted a 4 cylinder, why wasn't it there to begin with? I agree it should have one, but if we're to buy the move upmarket, why not have the 6 speed man/auto available at launch?

The TSX is a much better product on a number of levels. It's GM kool-aid time if you regard these vehicles as comparable. And both the Passat & TSX have features that are not available on Saturn's 'import fighter' that might justify the price differential. GM should not have let this car out without the high-line options that would be EXPECTED by cross-shoppers (if there are many).

I personally like the Aura...but GM has botched another lauch of a savior product. Let's be completely honest--if they wanted to reinvent Saturn, the Aura, Outlook & Sky should be wonderful places to start....have you seen the sales figures? It's embarassing and people should be fired.

They needed to put $ in to relaunch Saturn, instead they used limited launch budgets for individual products that got lost in the shuffle, media-wise.

I do want to point out that with the Passat, you can option it almost all the way to 40k. If Saturn tried that we'd be hearing things like "Who'd pay 40k for a Saturn?".

then again.... who'd pay 40k for a Passat?

[LS7]

The sure thing to get my wife and myself into the Aura would be to offer a manual transmission. F'K tap shifting, either you want a slush box or a manual. The Aura's weight is not too heavy, so put in the 4 cly. prefurably the turbo. The Aura is a nice car and should of had a manual in the first place. Some people have big issues of having 4 cyl. in mid size cars. Get over it. It was the same BS 25 years ago trying to get drivers out of their V8's into 6 cyl's. My 9-3 weights 3200 lbs and no way in the world would I ever waste my cash to upgrade to the V6. It's not worth it. But then I guess there is a big part of the population out there that feel if they have the bigger motor it's a sure guarantee of 3-4 inch's to the length of their penis.

[jbartley]

not a fan of this idea. booooooo.

[Guest YellowJacket894]

Apparently, GM still hasn't decided what to do with the Aura. It was supposed to be some type of upscale European flavored sedan but all it has turned out to be was a flop.

Have you driven one?

I know in my area, I'm starting to see Auras a lot more than I used to. Hell, just a few days ago I saw a silver one, then a black one a few days after that, then one in Berry Red just like ours yesterday.

I don't think we're giving the new Saturn enough time to catch on. I believe a lot of us expected Saturn to be the hottest thing since sliced bread the first moment it was even rumored and expected it to sell in droves. Not so. I think we were all aware of the negative stigma attached to Saturn (after all, they did build the Ion and that was a painful sight to behold) and the amount of work it would take to turn it all around. But yet we've somehow forgot that. I say we should give Saturn the proper amount of time to catch on with buyers, and then we'll see if it's truly a flop.

I will admit GM needs to expand the amount of Saturn dealers, though. That, of course, would help sales a lot.

And, for the record, we own one. We've put a little over 1600 miles on it since we first got it and I personally find it to be just as much of a car that the Camry and Accord are and just as solid as nice as any Passat. Our XE is very competent and the base model came with nice features for the twenty-grand sticker price. I'll admit, though, I am confused by this addition of a four-cylinder to the line, but there are people who will undoubtedly buy it. It also fixes an ugly issue with the Aura having a six in base form and the Malibu having a four in base form and starting at similar pricing points.

Edited August 2, 2007 by YellowJacket894

[enzl]

I do want to point out that with the Passat, you can option it almost all the way to 40k. If Saturn tried that we'd be hearing things like "Who'd pay 40k for a Saturn?".

then again.... who'd pay 40k for a Passat?

Point taken, and I agree that 40k for a Passat is a joke. That being said, you wou;ld think that there'd be enough disgruntled VW owners out there that the Saturn could make sense for....there's an expectation that things like Nav, Lights that steer or even AWD be available with alot of shoppers, whether they elect to buy them or not...

[regfootball]

I do want to point out that with the Passat, you can option it almost all the way to 40k. If Saturn tried that we'd be hearing things like "Who'd pay 40k for a Saturn?".

then again.... who'd pay 40k for a Passat?

yup, those were the dumbasses i was referring to. same folks who pay say, 45k for an A4, or way too much for an accord TSX, which amounts to an accord with nice plastic, good handling, and a torqueless wonder under the hood that won't even give enough accelaration to make it seem like its worth 10-12 grand over say, a camry. not that the camry is insanely wonderful.

Edited August 2, 2007 by regfootball

[Aura XR]

I really wish GM would make up their mind on the Aura. First they were revamping Saturn and putting it through a paradigm shift by changing its original purpose of being an import fighter now to a division that competes with the near-luxury European competition. Unfortunately, the tiny plastic import-fighter stigma is still sticking around. Only thing that still concerns me was that I believe Oldsmobile resided in this niche before it was phased out.

As for a four-cylinder in the Aura, I am very disappointed in that move. Sure, the Aura wasn't selling much, but GM expected that. The addition of the 4 cylinder only goes against the original plans for the car. Plus, my XR weighs in around 3600 pounds. Maybe with a 4 cylinder, it will come in around 3350-3400 pounds; that's still a lot of weight to pull around with a 175 HP Ecotec that will need premium fuel (as I understand all 2.4 Eco's require premium).

What I would do if I ran Saturn (no offense Jill L) is drop the 4 cylinder XE and the GL, give the XE-6 the six speed auto. IIRC, I believe the Saab comes with a 5-speed auto and if so, plant that as the base transmission and leave the 6 optional. The car would also need some type of bluetooth integration and navi as an option. Save the hybrid for the Vue, heck even Honda dropped the hybrid for the Accords so you really don't need one for a mid-size car (How many Camry hybrids are sold anyways?).

[smk4565]

Now it is just a Malibu clone as far as powertrains go. If the ecotec was better I wouldn't mind, they need to make it smoother, and Direct injection would help power. I'd rather see the Aura have the hybrid system standard and the 3.6 V6 as an option, and forget the 3500 V6. And use a better grade or metal trim for the dash and better fake wood or even real wood as an option. Then it differentiates from the Malibu a little. Although this would mean prices are $22-27,000, so I see why they want a 4-cylinder model to price at $19,995 so they can chase volume, but the Malibu does that.

[frogger]

It'll be a joke if it requires premium fuel and only gets ~175hp and ~ the same max torque. Thats an embarassment.

[PurdueGuy]

the 2.4L does NOT require premium fuel

...though it is recommended in the Sky, it's not required in the Vue, Ion, or Aura.

[Mule Bakersdozen LS]

DUMB, DUMB, DUMB! Good job on undermining whatever premium status the Aura had! (Which, it had plenty, IMO). Let the Malibu handle the regular Camry, accord, and Fusions, etc. with the 4-cylinders-Saturn should be left V-6 only, IMO. So is the 2010 Regal going to have a standard V-6 the first year and then slip to the 2.4-liter I-4 like G6 and Aura have?

[GMTruckGuy74]

What everybody here is forgeting is that Saturn sold the L-Series from 2001-2004 with a 4cyl model as the base (all 2005's had the V6 standard). There are current Saturn owners that will be wanting to replace their old L-Series, equipped with a 4 cyl, that will want another midsize 4cyl car from Saturn. Plus anyone else out there shopping Camry or Accord 4 cyl's can now cross-shop a 4 cyl AURA.

I will agree it goes against what Saturn has become with their renaissance, but Saturn I'm sure did their research and if the market demands a 4 cyl, then what other choice do they have but to offer one or continue to lose on sales? I for one will not buy a Malibu (I don't like any of the Chevy dealers in the counties I'm in & around, so no more Chevies for me!!!), so if I wanted a 4 cyl midsize car, the AURA would be on my shopping list and not the Malibu.

[Drew Dowdell]

DUMB, DUMB, DUMB! Good job on undermining whatever premium status the Aura had! (Which, it had plenty, IMO). Let the Malibu handle the regular Camry, accord, and Fusions, etc. with the 4-cylinders-Saturn should be left V-6 only, IMO. So is the 2010 Regal going to have a standard V-6 the first year and then slip to the 2.4-liter I-4 like G6 and Aura have?

If it's a nice running DI Turbo 4 cylinder.... why not? By that time $3.50 a gallon will seem like a deal.

[The O.C.]

I think its a bad idea - originally they said they weren't going to and I don't know why they changed their mind. This could take away Malibu sales

"Take away Malibu sales?"

Gee.....it's not like GM has "too many models....too many divisions" <blatant sarcasm>

However, I'm also glad they added the 4cyl model. The 2.4L Ecotec appears to be a decent and very competitive little engine.

[The O.C.]

The Aura's weight is not too heavy

Aura weighs almost 3,700lbs (if I remember the stats in the recent C&D comparo)......it's WAY overweight.

(It was either almost 3,600 or almost 3,700lbs.....either way, way too much bloat.)

Edited August 3, 2007 by The O.C.

[regfootball]

gmtruck guy has it right. saturn customers would expect a 4 cylinder.

80%? of camlees and accords sell with 4 cylinders. it would reason to suggest that an aura as primary competition should have 4 popper too.

3700? funny the aura's frame seemed so flexy when i drove if the car weighs as much as my 500.

[ToniCipriani]

I think its a bad idea - originally they said they weren't going to and I don't know why they changed their mind. This could take away Malibu sales and why would anyone want to buy an Aura HYBRID that gets just 2 more MPG than the four cylinder? I think GM's midsize cars should go like this:

Chevy Malibu - Value for the money, fuel efficiency, 4 cylinder and 6 cylinder

Saturn Aura - attractive european styling, decent power/fuel efficiency, 2 V6s

Pontiac G6 - bold & aggresive styling, powerful and exciting, V6 and a V8!

There could potentially be a V8 Malibu SS but I'm against it, midsize Saab sedan should also have V6s standard

V8 will NOT fit in the Epsilon. Edited August 4, 2007 by ToniCipriani

[thegriffon]

So far only the Malibu will be equipped with the GM Daewoo GF6/Hydramatic 6T40 in the North American market. SGM will build the the 6T40 for for the Chinese-market LaCrosse, which also uses the 2.4 L VVT engine, while Daewoo will also use the 6T40, plus a higher-torque 6T45 in the 2008 Tosca/Epica, probably with the 2.5 L I6. There will also be an awd version of the 6T45, no known application so far but the Vue/Antara and Captiva seem likely.

Oh, and the Malibu will have the 3.5 L V6 as well.

[Mule Bakersdozen LS]

Malibu's getting the 3500 V-6 back? I thought it was only having the 3.6? So what would the point of the 3500 be? I just think its dumb because it recreates overlap GM was supposedly trying to avoid (which to date, has not worked). And how about we not mention the L-Series again, huh? Most of us have already forgotten that car, whose only advantages over the equally mediocre (period) Malibu were a slightly bigger trunk and a station wagon body style.

[pow]

So far only the Malibu will be equipped with the GM Daewoo GF6/Hydramatic 6T40 in the North American market. SGM will build the the 6T40 for for the Chinese-market LaCrosse, which also uses the 2.4 L VVT engine, while Daewoo will also use the 6T40, plus a higher-torque 6T45 in the 2008 Tosca/Epica, probably with the 2.5 L I6. There will also be an awd version of the 6T45, no known application so far but the Vue/Antara and Captiva seem likely.

Oh, and the Malibu will have the 3.5 L V6 as well.

Yeah, I noticed that on fueleconomy.gov and that seemed odd. It does get better fuel economy than the 3.6/six-speed (18/29 vs 17/26), which makes it more competitve (MPG-wise) with Camry V-6 and the like.

[pow]

V8 will NOT fit in the Epsilon.

Huh??? I didn't say anything about a V-8..

[pow]

So far only the Malibu will be equipped with the GM Daewoo GF6/Hydramatic 6T40 in the North American market. SGM will build the the 6T40 for for the Chinese-market LaCrosse, which also uses the 2.4 L VVT engine, while Daewoo will also use the 6T40, plus a higher-torque 6T45 in the 2008 Tosca/Epica, probably with the 2.5 L I6. There will also be an awd version of the 6T45, no known application so far but the Vue/Antara and Captiva seem likely.

Oh, and the Malibu will have the 3.5 L V6 as well.

BTW, don't the AWD V6 VUEs (both the 3.5 and 3.6) have six-speed autos already? Are they not 6T45?

[thegriffon]

No, 6T70s, the same as the Equinox, Torrent, Aura, Malibu and G6 (the fullsize crossovers get the 6T75). I would expect the 2.4 L Vue to get the 6T45 for the 2009 MY.

[ToniCipriani]

Huh??? I didn't say anything about a V-8..

Oh wait, wrong quote, sorry. I was talking about vrazzhledazzle

I think its a bad idea - originally they said they weren't going to and I don't know why they changed their mind. This could take away Malibu sales and why would anyone want to buy an Aura HYBRID that gets just 2 more MPG than the four cylinder? I think GM's midsize cars should go like this:

Chevy Malibu - Value for the money, fuel efficiency, 4 cylinder and 6 cylinder

Saturn Aura - attractive european styling, decent power/fuel efficiency, 2 V6s

Pontiac G6 - bold & aggresive styling, powerful and exciting, V6 and a V8!

There could potentially be a V8 Malibu SS but I'm against it, midsize Saab sedan should also have V6s standard

[Brougham-Holiday]

Keep the V6 only Saturn the way it is, it gives Saturn a more upscale position then Pontiac/Chevy with the standard 4. If they want to improve sales they should try more marketing, I haven't seen much for the Saturn line up around here.

[pow]

"Upscale" doesn't have to be defined in terms of engine size, but also equipment level, styling, performance, comfort, and build quality. If the AURA were truly a more "premium" vehicle than its mainstream Epsilon mates, a four-cylinder wouldn't be a problem.

[Lamar]

if it were a Turbo-4, I wouldn't be upset.

Like maybe the Solstice GXP/Sky Red Line engine? I'd have to agree.