Aura XR

Yes, I am well aware that the Aura is Epsilon and that the Impala is W-body.

The malibu interior is over 99% Aura interior, even the center stack. And look, those "cheap" door armrests made it to the Malibu too

Odd you mention that because I wonder how close the specs are between the Aura and an Impala. There is a lot of similarities between the styling of the two that one could easily assume they are both built on the same platform.

Yeah, that combo looks hot Ted, too bad you can only get in on the XE Wish you were able to get a clearer shot of the steering wheels; I was hoping to see if they changed the icons on the buttons.

Yeah, they also stated that GM is redoing the door panels. I'll believe it when I see it.

Relying on Consumer Reports for car recommendations is like relying on the town drunk to suggest a good wine to go with your dinner.

Yeah, that voice symbol is the audiomute button. I hit it all the time when I am turn the wheel sharply like for parking. And yes, the "+" buttons on the upshift button on the Tapshift. While I haven't confirmed it, I heard that there was a change in the symbols used on the buttons on the steering wheels, like the button on the left, next to the bottom, it now says the word "info" instead of that list icon

I like the instrument cluster and the navigation system, but I think the HVAC/Radio area is too busy for my taste. What the heck is that keypad thing next to the radio? Is that like an onboard cell phone? Oh, and the manual option is nice, but I think the biggest High Feature V6 you can get in the Vectra is a 3.2L. IIRC, the manual is only available with the Ecotec 4.

Bizz, I will let you know about the HID. Someone mentioned that the Chevrolet Vectra in Mexico is identical to the German Opel, so it might be easier to get now. I wish I could find some schematics or something to see without having to spend super $$$ for them and not being able to us them. I mentioned the Astra tail lamps because I do kind of like the idea of an amber taillens, but the Astra does not have the LED stop/marker lamps like the Aura. GMTruckGuy...Ha, I just got back from Bally's and they were talking about your convention while I was there The Midnight blue is a nice color; I think the XR's look better in the darker colors because they make them look more luxurious IMO. My XR is in Onyx Black with the Black cloth interior. It is not too bad at showing dirt.

Sorry for the delay in responding I love my XR, hate the dealer. I'm trying not to let my dealer experience ruin this great car. The 3.6 / 6 speed rocks. The only thing is that the tapshift is still a bit slow to respond, even after having the transmission reprogrammed to correct that. I really don't use it anyways, just leaving it in drive 95% of the time. The body is hot, I still have people thinking it is an Audi/BMW/Lexus. The interior is nice, but I do have a rattle in the passenger door that has to go back for a fix. Not bad considering my last first-year vehicle was a Trailblazer LTZ in 2002 that went back to the dealer 24 times. I understand it was crushed because of the CarFax being so bad, they couldn't sell it. The car does have a bit of torquesteer, but it is not excessive. The handling is phenomenal, I haven't had to call in the Stabilitrack yet, but the TC does intervene (I have a heavy foot). The brakes are awesome, best of any car I owned. The only things I wish it had was memory seats for the power seats and the HID lights that GM used on the Opel Vectra. I am talking with some people to see if I could get them to fit the Aura since it appears the sheetmetal in front of the A-pillars is identical to the Vectra (oh, and BTW, the taillamps seem to be off an Opel Astra GTC). As the mechanic I used said, you got a nice German car with a Saturn price.

Don't forget the lighting of the interior door handles. Those pics don't really do the ambient lighting well. BTW, the seams on my XR are nice and tight and the trim lines up. My car doesn't have the Plood in it.

Makes me wonder how much HP my XR makes? When the car was first being revealed, it was claimed to be 270, now it is down to 252. I wonder if that is an underestimate.