silvrsvt Posted September 6, 2006 Share Posted September 6, 2006 I took a day trip down to South Jersey today and I was at the mall off the AC Express way and they happened to have an Aura in there...first impression was this: It seemed to be the same ole boring GM product that we have come to hate from them. The interior was definitely a step up from the Normal GM fare, but the Exterior left me cold....I saw another one in the flesh on the AC Expressway or on the GSP and was left with the same feeling. I'm assuming that both models where not the top end ones that where shown at the Auto show, which looked pretty good IMO. But if there is that big of a difference between the top end and the more plebean models...I don't think they will be that successful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
igor Posted September 6, 2006 Share Posted September 6, 2006 ^^^the appearance changed some from the Autoshows ... but the autoshow model is likely to become the redline, which will be introduced next spring. I am ambivalent to the Aura . it is a good car, but I hte the interior - it looks the same as Tahoe's and Lucerne's for someone's sake ... The ecxterior is fine ... but I am not a midsize sedan fan.. there is not one I really love ... the Fusion and the Aura are jsut fine inside that market though. Igor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted September 7, 2006 Share Posted September 7, 2006 The Aura looks much nicer than the Ion. That's all I got. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted September 7, 2006 Author Share Posted September 7, 2006 Yes the Aura is a hell of a lot better then the Ion, which is going the way of the dodo bird in a couple years The one thing that I really liked about the Aura was the carmel colored Seats..I'd like to see Ford do something similar with the Fusion and 500, maybe offer Red leather seats like the Mustang? :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted September 7, 2006 Share Posted September 7, 2006 Yes and no. From seeing it at the Saturn website, it reminds me of the "rich Corinthian leather" on the Chrysler Cordoba... basically, that color on leather seems very " '70s car interior" to me. But, it would look good in a Lincoln. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebritt Posted September 11, 2006 Share Posted September 11, 2006 Would two of them be Aurii or Aurases? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Reynolds Posted September 11, 2006 Share Posted September 11, 2006 Would two of them be Aurii or Aurases? I like AurASSES better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sixcav Posted September 23, 2006 Share Posted September 23, 2006 :blah: :blah: :blah: To all of the above. Bad news fellas, the Aura is vastly superior to the Fusion. Your "I don't like it" assesments don't jive with the rest of the indsutry boys. Now I've personally been over to Saturn and driven the Aura. This is a car than can easily compete with the likes of Camry and Accord and Fusion. It makes the 500 look like a damn joke. I drove the XR which is to say the upgraded version. Standard options on all XR's include the 252 hp V6, with six speed tranny, 6 disc in the dash, power windows and locks, manumatic controls on the steering wheel, radio controls and cruise on the wheel, front and side air bags (enhanced), 18 inch wheels, four wheel disk brakes, infrared sound system for backseat passenger who may not want to listen to the same music as the front seat passengers, and a ride that is Lexus quiet. You would really have to drive it to appreciate how quiet it is at highway speed. All of that was 23K and some change. With a couple of options like XM and sunroof it can go up but loaded up with leather and all is 27K. The XE features and 224 hp V6 with 4 speed and is of course less, it can be had for the 20 to 21 range. Frankly boys it blows the Fusion right out of the water and the 500 and can easily take on the Honyota crowd. It's a good car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Posted September 23, 2006 Share Posted September 23, 2006 Saw my first one on the road today. Looks better then pictures suggest....also looks bigger then pictures suggest. Nice looking car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchdevil Posted September 24, 2006 Share Posted September 24, 2006 Let's face it. GM is surpassing Ford and Ford is letting them win. GM is bound and determined to reclaim it's status at building domestic cars with quality and attractive designs in more vehicle configurations people want. Truth is for me, all Ford has that I really like now is the Mustang and Lincoln the Zephyr... uh I mean the new stupid name MKZ. I'd take a Cobalt over the Focus, and Impala over the Five Hundred, Saturn Aura over the Fusion. They also have a very attractive Buick Lucerne which compares to nothing Ford offers in any brand. GM also has traditional vehicle choices that Ford doesn't offer. They still have larger than Mustang 2-door coupes like the Monte Carlo (antiquated as it is) and G6, plus a hardtop convertible. This is where Ford needs to consider a four seat Thunderbird again and maybe a Cougar. GM is also coming back with the Camaro to compete with the Mustang and it could end up being better in many ways. GM has the incredible roadsters the Sky and Solstice which makes people drool and people are buying faster than they can make them. This is where Ford fubbed up the Thunderbird roadster. They have an affordable sports car called the Corvette where Ford only saw fit to built the overexotic, out of reach and now defunct GT. Cadilac has the CTS and XLR. Lincoln has only the Zephyr and it comes up short on performance and sophistication. Lincoln has no luxury roadster and no traditional cars like the Mark series and a worthy Continental. Lincolns answer? Make another ambiguous import copycat design for the MKS and put it on a FWD patform with no V8 option. The best Ford can do is copy an old VW design for the Five Hundred and try to cover up the mistake later with a Fusion grille. The Fusion is a modestly attractive attempt in the mid-sized sedan market but it falls short in offering some content that would attract normally import buyers and has a boring interior. The Crown Vic needs to die with it's geriatric styling from decades gone by. This is where GM is gonna kick as in the next few years with V8 powered RWD sedans.The Focus is an unattractive boring car that excites me none. It's about as exciting as an old Escort. The new VW GTI kicks it's ass and looks better doing it. The Mustang needs refinement in some details. The interior in some areas is horrible like stark rubbermaid forms with no detail, especially the door panels and console. The seat materials on base models is unattractive and does not wear well as evidenced on used examples. Even the leather seats on the used ones look bad after 18,000 miles. They need to get rid of the rear axle howl which is evident upon decelleration. I was put off by that from driving a 2007 white Pony this weekend. It made me feel like I was driving an old clunky Mustang instead of a new one. The new Mustang was also quite cumbersome like I was driving a heavy, slow feeling car... Something that I cannot quite put my finger on... Something the previous generation Mustang never made me feel. My advice to Ford...Making stylish cars that excite. Make some body styles other than four door sedans, crossovers and SUV's. Bring back some lost and neglected nameplates with rich heritage. Offer performance options up front instead of fitting them a couple of years later. Offer a mix of options, features and content you don't currently find in a Ford at any price. Make the interiors inviting and exciting. Pay close attention to fabrics, trim, textures and colors. Find attractive alternatives other than huge expanses of boring beige, gray and charcoal. Surprise and delight... It's that simple. The car that has impressed me the most recently is the VW GTI. My freind bought one. It has great performance and nimble sure footed road manners, a slick tiptronic transmission, unimagnably great interior quality, great seats in an attractive sporty plaid fabric and a lot of surpise and delight features, especially the driver's information center with steering wheel controls AND fingertip paddles to control the tiptronic transmission. That car turns heads everywhere we go. That car is probably the most fun car I ever driven. I hope VW has made strides in quality with the new generation models because the last generation was trash... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sixcav Posted September 24, 2006 Share Posted September 24, 2006 Good points about both the Lucerne and the GTI, both nice cars. Heck even the new Rabbit isn't bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark B. Morrow Posted September 24, 2006 Share Posted September 24, 2006 (edited) Yes the Aura is a hell of a lot better then the Ion, which is going the way of the dodo bird in a couple years The one thing that I really liked about the Aura was the carmel colored Seats..I'd like to see Ford do something similar with the Fusion and 500, maybe offer Red leather seats like the Mustang? :D Ford already does. Thak a look at the Mustang Build on the Ford website. The 2007 has a carmel option that mirrors the red. Edited September 24, 2006 by Mark B. Morrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchdevil Posted September 24, 2006 Share Posted September 24, 2006 Ford already does. Thak a look at the Mustang Build on the Ford website. The 2007 has a carmel option that mirrors the red. It's Chamois... Just like the color Ford used in the 1970's. Now if Ford can get off it's ass and make a blue coordinated interior for the Mustang I would be happy. Good points about both the Lucerne and the GTI, both nice cars. Heck even the new Rabbit isn't bad. I didn't think that I would really like the Lucerne until I saw one up close. Now when i see them on the road they seem to have a presence and a certain balanced style. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim kakouris Posted September 24, 2006 Share Posted September 24, 2006 i think a lesson to be learned here is that noone is sitting still. i too have been really impressed by gm's newest offerings. competition is truly forcing the manufacturers to make better cars. i was surprised by the new buick's. the new pontiac's are cool, hip, and they seemed to have paid a lot of attention to the interiors. hell, i test drove a cobalt ss and besides the boy-racer wing, that thing is killer! gm is being forced to compete, and it is slowly coming around. i'm hoping the same thing happens to ford. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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