Nuts and Bolts
Forget about four-cylinder engines, at least until the Aura Green Line hybrid debuts later this year. The Aura XE and XR get V6 engines, automatic transmissions, big wheels and tires, and capable suspension tuning.
Saturn is not following the Japanese playbook with the new Aura’s powertrain choices. Looking for a standard four-cylinder engine with a manual transmission that gets more than 30 mpg on the highway? You’re not gonna find it here. Instead, the Aura XE comes with a 3.5-liter V6 equipped with variable valve timing (VVT), an engine similar to what main competitors offer as an upgrade. However, this V6 is attached to a four-speed automatic in a world where five- and six-speed slushboxes are becoming the norm. The Saturn Aura XE’s 3.5-liter engine makes 224 horsepower at 5,800 rpm and 220 lb.-ft. torque at 4,000 rpm running on regular unleaded, and the EPA says it will get 20 mpg in the city and 29 mpg on the highway. We’ve experienced this V6 in a number of GM products, and think most people will have no trouble getting 25 mpg in combined driving. Upgrade to the Saturn Aura XR and you’ll get a 3.6-liter, dual overhead cam V6 with VVT and a six-speed automatic with Driver Shift Control paddle shifters. This more sophisticated and stronger powerplant makes 252 horsepower at 6,400 rpm and 251 lb.-ft. torque at 3,200 rpm on regular unleaded, and gets a rating of 20 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway. During our first drive of the Aura XR, we achieved 20.3 mpg on a good mix of roads. When the Saturn Aura Green Line debuts, it will receive the same gas/electric powertrain found in the Saturn Vue Green Line. In the Vue SUV, a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine ponies up 170 horsepower at 6,600 rpm and 162 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,400 rpm, and is attached to a five-kilowatt electric motor working in conjunction with a 36-volt NiMH battery pack. In the Vue, this hybrid powertrain weighs about 130 pounds more than its gas-only counterpart, and returns 27 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway. Certainly, the lighter and more aerodynamic Aura will improve upon those figures. Every Saturn Aura rides on MacPherson front struts and a four-link independent rear suspension with large stabilizer bars front and rear to control body roll. Unlike the Chevrolet Malibu that shares this Saturn’s platform, the Aura is equipped with conventional hydraulic variable-ratio steering, a big improvement in terms of road feel and responsiveness over the Chevy. It helps that the Aura XE rides on standard 17-inch wheels wearing 225/50 tires, and that the Aura XR comes with 18-inch alloys shod with identical sidewall profile and section width measurements. A four-wheel-disc braking system with ABS and dynamic rear proportioning is also standard, but stability control is reserved for the Aura XR trim level.
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