Well, just got back from the Saturn Aura ride and drive. I am now pretty impressed with this little car after actually getting hands on and driving it. The little 1.8L is quite capable especially at lower RPMS and the manual loves to be revved. Very touchy brakes (more than I or my passengers cared for) and eager throttle. The handling was awesome and gave a very confident feel even in the most tight of turns. Fit and finish is light years of anything Spring Hill or Detroit could have even dreamt of. Doors and frames are solid with little or no visible seams at all and pieces are , well they just fit perfectly. The interior is a nice quality, comes in ebony and grey with metallic accents. The radio is a nightmare, very confusing to navigate the settings and no ipod or XM options (except 3rd party options of course). I know salesppl will spend alot of time demonstrating and re-explaining the radio functions. It is a better quality radio than the ION though and similar to what Caddy uses. The 1.8L may seem underpowered, but seems to have as much power and more punch than the old 1.9L of S-series. Very sharp lines in and out, with the now traditional Opel inspired almond headlights and jeweled taillights. Reading is one thing, in person is another. I also got to compare the new Malibu to our Aura which we parked side by side. The chevy-Aura-wannabe does an excellent job of mimicking guess what? the Aura? maybe inside where it is identical to the Aura, no, the Camry. The Malibu took the clean euro-inspired lines of the Aura and gave it the typical boring jellybean front end (with a faux Avalanche grille) and crappy looking flat-butt with round taillights of an overfed Cobalt. Blech... All in all, the Astra is a nice change for Saturn and something that if the turbo'ed VXR is ever offered will be a huge hit.