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Saturn Aura Interior: Not Up to Snuff?

More than one reviewer has kibitzed about the Aura’s interior, especially its build quality. Car and Driver said “Several parts weren’t aligned, the trunk release button came loose from the door, plastics ranged from good (dash top) to bad (shiny door panel grab handles with fake stitching) and mold part lines were in evidence. The word flimsy comes to mind” Cars.com reviewers felt that “The Aura’s interior isn’t quite ready for prime time” there were “Minor fit and finish issues” and items like the “Overhead sunglass holder and backseat center armrest were MIA.” Reviewer Christian Wardlaw echoed those comments, saying that it "Seems as though the upgraded materials were applied only to the upper half of the cabin because the lower dash and door panels still have a glossy appearance, and the plastic used to construct the center console sounds thin and hollow when rapped with a knuckle. " Wardlaw took special exception to the one item in particular "The most glaring example of cost cutting inside the Aura, however, is the center armrest between the front seats. It’s got a textured rubbery surface, but is rock hard and looks dramatically out of place. At the very least, it should be covered in padded vinyl."

Could these be early production jitters? One would hope so. An Autoweek review mentioned that production on the Aura had been delayed at the Fairfax plant in Kansas City “Because of a general philosophy this car has to be right from the outset” and the article goes on to say that the Fairfax plant “Scores high on J.D. Power surveys of quality assembly, topping Toyota’s U.S. plants in that measure.” Early production does not excuse the lack of dual zone climate controls and no rear center armrest.

There is much to commend the Aura on and that shouldn’t be lost in this news. The car by all accounts is very quiet, the XR model is sprightly, and the exterior styling is sharp. As I mentioned in my previous article on the Aura, I do have an issue with some of the Aura’s marketing material. In particular I take exception to the way stability control is represented. On certain parts of the website, it’s listed as safety equipment, but on the XE/XR comparison matrix it is listed under the performance category so that it doesn’t appear that they’ve made some safety features only available on the higher end model. Tisk Tisk! They should make stability control standard across the board but at a minimum they should own up to the fact that some safety equipment is only for XR buyers.

Car and Driver made the point that Saturn should have stuck closer to Opel for the interior's design. For reference I've lined up photos of the Vectra and the Aura for you to compare. Enjoy!

Sources: Autoweek Review, Cars.com Review, Christian Wardlaw Review, Car and Driver (October 2006 review not online)