Thought you couldn't afford a hybrid because they cost too much? The $22,695 Saturn Aura Green Line is the cheapest hybrid on the market
The Good: Low price, fuel efficiency
The Bad: No all-wheel drive or wagon version
The Bottom Line: A "mild" hybrid that offers maximum value
Up Front
After driving a new Saturn Aura Green Line Hybrid for 150 miles or so, I got around to looking at the car's sticker price. I was astonished to learn that my test car listed for just $23,070. I was expecting the car to cost $5,000 more than that.
The Aura Hybrid, which starts at just $22,695, is now the cheapest hybrid on the market, especially when you factor in the $1,300 federal tax deduction most buyers qualify for, and cash rebates of $500 or more that General Motors (GM) dealers are offering some buyers. The conventional Aura sedan has been a smash hit with reviewers, and I believe the Aura Hybrid should be too.
Inexpensive as it is, though, the Aura Hybrid is controversial. Toyota's (TM) hybrid business is booming—the Prius' sales have doubled in the first five months of 2007, to 76,747 units—and Detroit automakers want a piece of the action. But critics will say the Aura Hybrid is little more than another sign of how far behind Detroit is. That's because the Aura Green Line is a "mild" hybrid that doesn't have the fuel efficiency of a "full" hybrid such as the Toyota Prius and Camry.
The Aura is rated to get 28 mpg in the city and 35 on the highway; in 230 miles of mainly highway driving, I got 31.3 mpg. That's good, and significantly better than the 20 mpg in the city and 30 mpg at which the conventional, gasoline-powered Aura is rated. But it's nowhere near the 60 mpg in the city and 51 on the highway that the Prius gets. It's also less than the 40 mpg in the city and 38 on the highway you'll get in the comparably-sized Toyota Camry Hybrid.
If you want a more efficient Saturn hybrid, you'll have to wait. The current Saturn Vue Green Line sport utility vehicle, which came out last summer, uses the same hybrid technology as the Aura. Next year, however, the Vue Green Line will be offered with a more efficient, two-mode, hybrid technology. Saturn also has a far more efficient plug-in hybrid technology under development that will have a rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack.
The Aura has lower fuel efficiency than the Toyotas because it has a smaller electric motor that's essentially a more-powerful-than-usual starter motor. In the Aura, the electric motor assists the gasoline engine during acceleration, rather than sometimes powering the car on its own as it does in the Toyotas. As with other hybrids, the Aura's hybrid system also cuts down on gasoline usage by cutting off fuel flow early during deceleration, shutting off the engine at idle, and capturing energy generated by braking.
Combined, the Aura's electric motor and 2.4-liter gasoline inline four-cylinder engine produce 164 horsepower, and 159 foot-pounds of torque at 5,000 revolutions per minute.
Despite its low list price, the Aura Green Line comes fairly well loaded. Standard equipment includes electronic stability control, power steering, front, side, and side-curtain airbags, cruise control; power mirrors, locks, and windows; air conditioning, and one year of free OnStar telematics service.
There are hardly any available options on the Aura Green Line. The main ones are an $800 power sunroof and a $345 preferred package that includes heated and adjustable outside mirrors, an eight-way, power-adjustable seat, and steering-wheel mounted audio controls.
The Aura has a five-star safety rating in both front and side impact crash tests, and a four-star rating when it comes to the risk of rollover.
The Aura Hybrid seems to be adding to Saturn's cachet. Early numbers on the new model from the Power Information Network show that 61.5% of all buyers didn't already own a Saturn—an indication that the Aura is luring brand new customers into Saturn dealerships.
Behind the Wheel
I would definitely consider buying this car, but not because it's fun to drive. The Aura hybrid is a nicely designed but sedate family sedan that gets better-than-average mileage and costs less than its main rivals. But if you're looking for a car with pep, this isn't the model for you.
Even assuming that most people shopping for a budget hybrid sedan aren't lead-foots, this car is quite slow. My best times in accelerating from 0 to 60 were a little under 11 seconds (far slower than the 7.8 to 8 seconds I got in a Toyota Camry Hybrid). There's a noticeable lag when you punch the gas in the Aura Hybrid, and the car then takes its own sweet time about winding out to highway speed.
That said, the Aura is based on GM's European-made Opel Vectra and the Aura Hybrid's steering and suspension have a tight, European feel to them.
GM has done a nice job with the Aura's interior, even though the materials used are inexpensive. The cloth seats and metallic trim in my test were attractive and the dark and light gray color scheme was tasteful and appealing. There's nothing fancy about the Aura's interior, but it's clean-looking, roomy, and functional. For me, the only discordant note is the ugly orange numerals on instrument readouts.
As in most sedans these days, the Aura's rear seats fold down in a 60/40 pattern. There's a good-sized pass-through to the Aura's 13.1 cubic-feet truck. The Aura's doors are unusually wide, making getting in and out of the vehicle relatively easy.
The Aura Green Line's automatic transmission has a practical feature. It has a "D" setting for normal driving, but also an "I" setting (intermediate) for use on hilly and winding roads that reduces vehicle speed without extra shifting. There's also a low setting for use in very hilly or muddy conditions, deep snow, etc.
You also have the option of sacrificing passenger comfort to save fuel. With the air conditioning set on "normal, or the defrost running, the engine doesn't shut down at complete stops as it normally would. However, there's a "hybrid air conditioning" mode that uses less fuel, but "at the expense of cabin cooling performance," as the owner's manual puts it.
The Aura doesn't have the elaborate graphics other hybrids have to help you monitor fuel consumption. However there is a little gauge to show when you're charging the batteries or getting an assist from the gas engine.
Buy It Or Bag It?
If your priority is maximum fuel efficiency, the Aura Green Line isn't the car for you. The Prius, though smaller, does much better. So does the Honda (HMC) Civic hybrid, which is rated to get 49 mpg in the city and 51 on the highway. In fact, I got slightly higher mileage in the conventional, gasoline-powered versions of both the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic.
However, if you're hoping to buy a midsize hybrid sedan, the Aura offers excellent value, especially if you're on a tight budget. The Aura's main competitors (now that Honda is phasing out the Accord hybrid) are the Camry and the new Nissan (NSANY) Altima hybrid, both of which are substantially more expensive than the Aura.
The Power Information Network only has preliminary data on the Aura Hybrid because it's so new to the market. But PIN figures the Aura Hybrid has been selling so far for an average of $22,793, taking into account an average rebate of $1,344. By comparison, the Camry hybrid sells for an average of $28,359 and the Altima for $26,872. (The compact Honda Civic hybrid costs an average of $22,848, almost exactly the same as the Aura.)
Depending on your tax situation, you also have to factor in the federal tax credit, as well as state, local, and employer credits that may apply (see BusinessWeek.com, 6/8/06, "Harnessing Hybrid tax Credits"). Buying an Altima Hybrid will earn you a $2,350 federal credit ($1,050 more than the credit on the Aura). The Camry Hybrid only carries a $650 U.S. tax credit through September, after which the federal tax credit on all Toyota hybrids is scheduled to be phased out. (If you qualify for the alternative minimum tax, these numbers may be irrelevant—you probably won't get any federal tax benefit from buying a hybrid).
The bottom line is that the average Aura costs at least $3,000 less than its two main rivals, but isn't as fuel efficient or as speedy. To figure out your likely cost over the life of the vehicle, go to hybridcenter.org, a Web site operated by the Union of Concerned Scientists, and plug information on your driving habits, how long you expect to keep the car, and so forth, into the site's buyer's guide.
For many shoppers, the Aura will turn out to be the cheapest option. It's also made in Kansas City by union workers, and has 86% U.S. and Canadian content. So for Buy American types, the Aura is the hybrid family sedan of choice.
