|  The Aura design is clearly Opel-inspired, and it rides on the Epsilon midsize platform, which it shares with the Pontiac G6 and Chevrolet Malibu. GM's 3.6-liter, 250-hp V6 will power the uplevel XR models, mated to the new six-speed automatic transmission seen in the Outlook. XE models will have the 3.5-liter, 224-hp V6 and a four-speed automatic transmission. In spring 2007 Saturn will offer the Aura Green Line, a 2.4-liter Ecotec-based hybrid using a powertrain similar to the Vue Green Line.
Additional design details include a radio antenna integrated in the rear window, for a sleeker overall appearance, and a chrome appearance for the door handles on XR models. Standard 17-inch wheels and tires fill the wheel houses, enhancing the vehicle’s sporty, firmly planted stance. XR models come with 18-inch polished, 14-spoke cast aluminum wheels and performance tires. The Saturn Aura looks larger and more mature than its platform-sharing sister sedans. It bears the new Saturn styling direction first seen in the Sky roadster, and it looks good here. Upscale touches include LED taillights and body-colored door handles as standard equipment on the Aura XE. The XR trim level has chrome door handles, front fog lights and twin tailpipes, and it replaces the XE's 17-inch steel wheels with 18-inch, 14-spoke aluminum rims. The auto show prototype wore Goodyear Eagle LS2 all-season tires. Saturn Aura is keeping up with the Joneses with two-tone interiors and improved materials quality. While the effort is admirable, something about the XR show car's Morocco Brown leather didn't jibe with the gray plastic, no matter how much the plastic may have improved. Leather of any color is an option on both trim levels.
A driver's seat with a power height adjustment is standard. An eight-way power seat is optional on the XE and standard on the XR, as are heated front seats. There's also an optional power passenger seat.
Like the models that share this platform, the XR includes remote engine start. An option that's familiar from the G6, the panoramic moonroof uses several glass sections rather than one piece. When the moonroof is opened, these planks sit stacked above the roof
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