Optional brown Morocco leather seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and chrome-ringed analog instruments furnish the Aura’s interior with the air of a private library (a library that seems to be located very far away from the austere, plastic-lined mud room that characterized previous Saturn interiors).

Another example of Saturn’s lightning-quick response to customers: In addition to the handsome black and brown leather interiors, a tan color is available to drivers in the Sun Belt who didn’t want such dark colors.

GM has other nice benefits on offer, such as remote start (a pleasant luxury during cold weather) and the OnStar telematics service — a worthwhile safety net thanks to the automatic crash notification service, which you get even if you don’t subscribe to the more expensive concierge services.

In addition to XM Satellite radio, the Aura’s stereo plays music through a six-disc CD changer, although this feature is rapidly becoming obsolete. There’s also an audio input jack to hook up a MP3 player and the rear seat has its own audio controls for an included pair of wireless headphones, sparing the front and rear seats from each others’ musical tastes.

There’s plenty to admire inside the Aura, but it could use some attention in some areas. There’s a lack of overhead grab handles for passengers, a staple among the imports in this segment, and in the cabin some softer materials could have been used where there are now hard surfaces — primarily the dashboard, but also places like door panels and the console.

But these are just details. GM’s Lajdziak has hinted at a more significant change in the offing — GM’s excellent Stabilitrak electronic stability control system may soon become available in the affordable Aura XE. The government has said it will soon require this important safety feature to be installed in all cars, but Saturn, and the rest of the industry, would do well to make it available as an option at all trim levels before then.

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