BOTTOM LINE COMMUNICATIONS
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BOTTOM LINE COMMUNICATIONS
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Summary: An automobile is generally the second-largest purchase consumers will ever make. Those who base that decision on advertorials written by the Kansas City Star's "contributing editor" Tom Strongman may not see the entire story. BLC Editorial: KC STAR AUTO REVIEWS CONFUSE READERS "Are the auto reviews in the Kansas City Star editorial or advertising?" That's the question asked by a local college professor to his students each semester. Keep in mind, these are communications majors. The answer is always the same: "Editorial," they shout. And they are always wrong. But we can't help but think somewhere in the Advertising Department at the Star there are folks smiling. If you can fool students majoring in communications, then you certainly can fool the average reader who doesn't notice the entire "Automotive" section is part of the Advertising Dept. Tom Strongman has been writing reviews of cars for years. He's a genuine nice guy. He's religious. And he writes reviews for several publications. And just about everyone of his reviews could be (and often are) posted in dealers' showrooms. He says his reviews are legitimate and that he just naturally writes positive reviews. But, is that fair to readers who use his reviews to make purchases? We don't think so. His glowing review of the new Saturn Aura (8/26) is another example. He hypes every aspect of the car (cost as driven: $26,295) "I don't see how the Aura can help but be a home run for Saturn..." His ONLY counterpoint? "Expect demand to outstrip supply, at least initially." They are smiling at General Motors over this review. Come on!! Is it honest for folks to make a nearly $30,000 buying decision based on his review? Definitely more research is necessary to learn other things--positive and negative--- about the Aura: Business Week: Can GM manufacturing meet the quality goal? The Fairfax plant in Kansas City, Kansas, where Aura is being built, scores high on J.D. Power surveys of quality assembly, topping Toyota’s U.S. plants in that measure. "Why, honey, that looks like the Taurus we rented in Rapid City when we visited mom," said Susan Hicks, 50, the owner of a collection agency in La Crescenta, Calif., to her husband, John. The base Saturn Aura XE starts at $20,595, including a $650 destination charge, while the uplevel XR model starts at $24,595. Expect a fully loaded Aura to top out at around $27,700. In comparison, the '07 Camry starts at $18,850 and the '07 Accord starts at $19,220, while the Ford Fusion and the Hyundai Sonata are both priced from under $18,000. I'm disappointed that you can't get stability
control on the base XE (it's standard on the XR). Or that the base XE comes
equipped with the old-fashioned four-speed automatic transmission; the XR is
outfitted with the more modern six-speed automatic transmission. One of the worst things about the Aura is the back seat, which I made a point of riding in for many miles. Edmunds--Cons----No true manual transmission available in sport-oriented XR, no coupe or wagon variants. The passenger in the middle seat will have to straddle a large hump in the floor, thanks to the location of the exhaust system. There is no headrest for that seat, either, and no rear vents or armrest. New car test drives: 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.
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