The car you want to put at the top of your "Must See" list is Saturn's Aura.

Here's a beautiful, well-built sedan priced between $19,985 and $23,945 that has just about everything you're looking for: style, comfort, lots of standard equipment and a high safety rating.

The problem? Sales have not been up to General Motors' expectation, and the belief is that the cause is the relatively lean marketing campaign that the company has used up until now. GM says that will change.

	The 2007 Saturn Aura. Click image for larger version.

In the meantime, Aura -- named the North American Car of the Year by a group of auto writers -- is out there waiting for people to take notice.

It promises to make people sit up and take notice, especially when they find out that the projected residual value of the car after three years sits at 51 percent, only an insignificant three points away from Toyota's Camry.

The Aura XE is one of the few cars I've driven in which the base model almost renders the upscale one unnecessary. With premium interior materials, tasteful aluminum and wood trim, the base model doesn't look anything like a bargain-basement version. It's substantial, comforting and with quality control that rivals Camry at prices that start at $19,985 for the XE and $23,945 for the XR.

The new Aura gets GM's first six-speed automatic transmission, which will be teamed with the 3.6 liter, 252 horsepower V-6, rated at 18 mpg city and 29 on the highway. Lower-level Auras get a 224 horsepower, 3.5 liter V-6 rated at 20 city/30 highway. The Aura will be available in two model levels: the base XE and the up-scale XR.

Each Aura will have standard automatic climate control; driver information center; universal home remote; power steering, windows, brakes; and side head curtain air bags.

Another one you won't want to miss is the Saturn Outlook, a cool-looking crossover with huge amounts of room, three rows of seats, plenty of standard equipment and a rating by most journalists that puts it at the head of the class.

Driving it, the Outlook feels substantial and heavy, but once you're underway it actually feels much lighter than it actually is. The steering is perfectly balanced, the inside details quite nice and the whole package comes off as better than just about anything GM has done in years.

The Outlook is pretty new to the lineup, so you still don't see a lot of advertising on it. But trust me. Head to your dealership and take a look.

What's Coming up in 2008

This fall, it's Saturn Vue's turn with an all-new version that is light years away from the current model. Based on a GM built Opel design, the car has European styling and flair, and drives very much like a sports car, I'm told. The standard engine is a 215 horsepower 3.5 liter V-8, and I expect prices to be around $20,000 to start.