saturn aura hybrid review
The 2009 Saturn Aura Hybrid (the previous "Green Line" tag has been dropped) now offers Bluetooth connectivity as part of the optional Preferred Package.
The 2009 Saturn Aura Hybrid frankly leaves us scratching our heads. Its fuel economy numbers -- 26 mpg city/34 highway and 29 combined -- are respectable independent of the competition, but pale in comparison to numbers from its principal rivals, the Nissan Altima Hybrid and the Toyota Camry Hybrid. The Aura Hybrid looks sharp enough, but that's pretty much the only compliment we can come up with for this undercooked hybrid.
The Aura Hybrid's main problem is that's not a true "two-mode" hybrid, meaning that the electric motor basically isn't powerful enough to run the car on its own. In real-world driving, the Aura Hybrid's paltry four-kilowatt electric motor is employed simply to restart the engine from a stop when the accelerator is depressed. Conversely, the Camry and Altima Hybrids, which share Toyota's hybrid technology, feature a 30-kilowatt electric motor that can run on its own in light-throttle applications up to almost 30 mph. This bumps up their city fuel economy drastically -- to 35 mpg in the Altima's case, 33 for the Camry -- while the Aura Hybrid's city rating is only on par with gas-powered economy cars.
If buying a hybrid on the cheap is a priority, a flimsy case could be made for the 2009 Saturn Aura Hybrid based on its slightly lower base price. The 2009 Saturn Aura Hybrid midsize family sedan is available in a single trim level. The Aura Hybrid features a small electric motor that starts the 2.4-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine and adds a modicum of power under heavy throttle application. Interestingly, the far cheaper four-cylinder Aura XE returns 22 mpg city/33 highway with its new-for-2009 six-speed automatic transmission.
Safety
Standard safety features for the 2009 Saturn Aura Hybrid include antilock disc brakes, stability control and the OnStar emergency communications system. Trunk capacity measures 13.1 cubic feet, a few cubes larger than the Altima Hybrid and Camry Hybrid, which are saddled with intrusive rear-mounted battery packs.
Driving Impressions
Happily, the Aura Hybrid's cabin remains hushed at speed, and its ride is pleasingly compliant.
The 2009 Saturn Aura Hybrid carries a slightly lower base price than some other hybrids, but is otherwise not competitive with rival hybrid-electric cars. General Motors has cancelled the Aura Hybrid, so the cars currently on dealership lots are the last.
The Aura Hybrid has what GM calls "extremely limited availability." Other hybrids based on conventional cars, like the Toyota Camry Hybrid and Nissan Altima Hybrid, offer significantly better fuel economy and come close to matching the performance of their gasoline-powered counterparts.
For 2009, the Aura Hybrid comes in only one, well-equipped trim level. Saturn has dropped the name "green line" from its hybrids, but used that term in this car's name until 2009.
