Front seats offer reasonable support for most people, though we would like to see better lumbar support. We found the fabric upholstery to be of high quality. The quality of the optional leather on both the XE and XR seemed marginal, however, with the only exception being XR models equipped with the cool-looking Moroccan Brown interior featuring uniquely grained, embossed leather seating inserts. The available eight-way power adjustments for the driver made it easier to get comfortable than in the six-way manual seats. The steering wheel tilts and telescopes, though it feels one size too large for this car. At least with leather-equipped cars, the steering wheel feels good in the hand thanks to soft leather wrapping, which is far preferable to the grainy urethane texture of the wheel of cloth-equipped Auras.

Ergonomics are quite good. The front-seat elbow rest cleverly extends into the B-pillar for an additional four centimeters of elbow room, to accommodate taller drivers who slide the seat rearward. The cover for the center console slides fore and aft for comfortable elbow resting on the inboard side. Outward vision through the windshield and side windows is good. The rear shelf, however, is quite high, blocking a fair amount of vision through the rearview mirror and increasing the size of the blind spots, especially for shorter drivers.

The deep-set, electroluminescent speedometer and tachometer are lovely, illuminated in a modern-looking amber shade. A trip computer/vehicle information display is nestled in the speedometer. However, the display is too small to show more than 16 characters at the same time. Therefore, only one aspect of the trip information (the trip odometer, standard odometer, fuel economy, the gear indicator for the manual mode for the XR's six-speed automatic, and so on) can be viewed at any given time. There has to be a way they could have gotten more information displayed at the same time.

Interior trim is mixed in quality but pleasingly designed, with padded materials covering the curvaceous dash top and door panels, but less impressive hard plastic most everywhere else. There are other materials as well, including generous swaths of silvery metallic or wood-grained plastic trim, made more attractive by chrome details in many well-placed locations. We would like to say that these materials are up to snuff compared with Toyota, Honda and even Hyundai, but in truth, they're not quite there. At least the panel fit is tight and among the best we've seen on an American product.

All controls, buttons and knobs feel upscale feel in their operation. Controls for the standard, six-speaker, AM/FM/CD/MP3 stereo as well as the optional, 240-watt eight-speaker sound system with six-disc changer include presets that are not band-specific; in other words, AM, FM and optional XM stations can exist in the same bank of buttons; no need to change bands. This makes a big difference when jumping around to your favorite stations in everyday use; most systems require pushing two buttons to do this rather than one. Also on the premium audio system are separate rear-seat audio controls with two infrared headphones. Best of all, all Aura stereos come with auxiliary input jacks for iPods and other MP3 players.

The Aura does not offer an optional navigation system, but it does come with a year of OnStar services, which now offer clever turn-by-turn directions. This navigational feature, offered on any vehicle with OnStar 7.0 and later, delivers the guidance benefits of a conventional, map-based navigation system with voice commands, but instead of requiring the driver to input the destination information, the driver calls the OnStar center, and the live advisor can assist in finding and then inputting the destination information, then uploads the route information to the car which then gives turn-by-turn instructions based on vehicle location. Directions also appear on the radio faceplate display. Downsides are the lack of a visual map, and the requirement that the vehicle be in range of cell phone service to input destinations, since a live advisor is required to input the destination information. Advantages include the reduction in component complexity, the convenience and safety of hands-free operation, and cost: map-based systems cost up to $2,000.

The climate controls that come standard as well as the optional automatic climate controls are single-zone only. Also, there are no rear-seat air conditioning ducts, a glaring omission in this class of car. At least the XR's standard remote engine starter can help get a head start on heating or cooling the vehicle before occupants get inside.

Rear-seat occupants enjoy generous accommodations, provided there are no more than two of them. Three-across is a squeeze due to the relative narrowness of the cabin. Rear-seat comfort for two is good, however. Outboard headrests are height-adjustable into the tall, nicely contoured seatback. Legroom is increased by scalloped front seat backs. There's no fold-down armrest for back-seat passengers, however.

Interior storage space is unremarkable. The glove box is modest and the door pockets are too shallow to be truly useful, but the two-tiered center console can hold several CDs and other items. One 12-volt power point is mounted alongside the fold-out ashtray, with another one located in the center console. In front of that are two cupholders, a change holder and a cell phone cubby, all of which can be shrouded by a roll-top cover.

Trunk space is generous at 15.7 cubic feet and the cargo floor is wide and flat. Indeed, the Aura has more trunk capacity than what's offered by the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord or Mazda 6. Liftover height is high, however. The accessory trunk mat is reversible, carpeted on one side but covered in a rubbery material on the other side to use for muddy items. We only wish there was an assist grip somewhere inside the decklid lining to allow one to close the trunk without touching dirty sheetmetal.

All told, the Aura's interior is comfortable in spite of its occasionally sub-par materials and missing features like a rear armrest and rear-seat air registers. And while it doesn't quite match the refinement of, say, the Toyota Camry or Honda Accord, it is a huge accomplishment for Saturn and one that should more than satisfy its owners.