Overview & Reviews

The Saturn brand, which was part of General Motors, has been discontinued as of the 2009 model year. Though popular in its early years, Saturn suffered from poor sales and was shuttered as part of GM's bankruptcy reorganization.

Despite its sad end, Saturn started with a bright future. After losing market share to Japanese imports during the '80s, General Motors launched Saturn, a new division that began selling small, low-priced cars in 1990. The division promoted itself as "different," with Saturn dealers offering no-haggle pricing and friendly customer service.

Saturn made its debut with the S Series line of vehicles. Available in sedan, coupe and wagon configurations, these Saturns differentiated themselves from other GM products with all-new platforms and flexible plastic panels meant to resist denting. Additionally, the brand was granted its own plant, with all Saturns being built at a dedicated facility in Spring Hill, Tennessee. These first Saturns weren't exactly built to burn rubber; they were powered by engines that offered from 85-124 horsepower. The payoff, though, was that these were among the most fuel-efficient vehicles of their day, offering up to 40 miles per gallon (when equipped with a manual transmission).

Just after the brand's conception, GM boasted that Saturn vehicles would benefit from rapid evolution, but in the early years, this wasn't the case. The brand's vehicles saw only one redesign in their first decade of existence. The revamp took place in the mid-'90s, and for the most part, it was only skin deep. Exteriors were spruced up and interior room saw a slight increase.

The Saturn brand enjoyed some success in its earliest years, fueled by buyers who were in love with its unique approach to customer relations that included "no-haggle" pricing. By the turn of the century, though, the novelty had worn off. With dated platforms and a limited range of products, the marque was neglected by GM, and disappointing sales figures showed that buyers had taken note and chosen to spend their dollars elsewhere.

GM responded by ramping up its commitment to the Saturn brand. In 2000, it rolled out the L Series; sharing a platform and an engine with the Opel Vectra (one of GM's European products) the sedan was the opening salvo in GM's ultimately futile fight to resuscitate the struggling brand. An SUV, the Vue, was unveiled, as was a minivan, the Relay. The S Series was replaced by the lamentable Ion, which was available as a sedan and a coupe. GM also added a hybrid to the lineup, with the introduction of the Saturn Vue Green Line.

Later, Saturn included the sporty Sky roadster, the midsize Aura sedan, the compact second-generation Vue crossover and the full-size Outlook crossover. For a brief period, there was also the European-sourced Astra compact hatchback.

Despite the increase in product quality, however, the Saturn brand effectively collapsed in 2009. As part of GM's bankruptcy proceedings, Saturn was offered up for sale. Initially, it was believed that the Penske Corporation would take over Saturn. But the deal fell through at the last minute, thereby spelling the final end for GM's import-fighting experiment.

User Reviews:

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  A great all-around car - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By hiker - April 17 - 12:56 pm

  Great handling, great mpg (30-32 in everyday driving). Good enough go, but get the manual transmission. Perfect for 2 people, 3 dogs, a week of luggage, and 2 bikes (hitch mount). The only cars that I considered in the same class were the Audi A3 and the VW GTI. The Astra (with the sport suspension) has it all except for the horsepower - all else is perfect, and at a great price! A good compromise of performance, fun, functionality, and economy.

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  WOW - 2003 Saturn ION
  By jsnezat - April 16 - 10:00 am

  Wow, the Ion is a really fun car to drive. The gas mileage is great. The interior and exterior styling is wonderful. This is the best car I have ever owned.

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  Sure Do Love My VUE! - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Toni C. - April 16 - 10:00 am

  I looked at SUVS for two years before I settled on the VUE. I rented SUVs for a week at a time, took 24 hour test drives, etc., all with disappointing results, because of the top-heavy feel of most SUVs. The VUE is on a car chasis, not a truck chasis, which gives the driver a sense of having "all fours" firmly down. The V6 performs, too. Love it, love it, love it!

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  New Vue - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By kurtcaid - April 16 - 10:00 am

  The most enjoyable buying experience I have ever encountered. No hassle - no haggle. It was wonderful.

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  Great SUV plus its safer to drive - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By chelser - April 16 - 10:00 am

  The V-6 with the better suspension & tires makes this SUV a "one of a kind"

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  Best of the Rest - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Sidney Bush - April 16 - 10:00 am

  One fantastic automobile. Functional, reliable and fun!

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  Sky High In My Saturn Redline - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By BOOOST - April 14 - 8:03 pm

  Great car for the money! My 2007 Saturn Sky (black) Redline is quick and handles great. Out-of-the-box or with easy to add on performance extras, this car is a fun one to zip around the city in or easily manhandle country curves. Be prepared to be gawked at. One young 20 something hip male even went so far as to say "Its the coolest car I have ever seen!" Women call it "really cute," "beautiful" and "hot." Like the rest, my wife calls it "really cute," so thats a good thing. For me though, its a great change of pace after driving a big SUV (which I still have, had to keep it, Sky cant haul anything except two people) for the last 9 years. And yes, its a Saturn.

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  Way to go Saturn - 2005 Saturn Relay
  By OHalloran - April 13 - 9:33 pm

  This is the second Saturn that we have owned. We have had good luck with both vehicles. The Saturn Relay 3 is a great car for our family. We have 4 kids and like to travel together in comfort. We have owned other mini-vans in the past and they do not compare to the Saturn Relay 3.

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  Sky 4 Me - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By Pam - April 13 - 5:20 am

  Seeing a Sky in the showroom and then owning one are two different things. I love the way the car handles and looks. However, I do have some complaints about the interior design. There is a cup holder on the right side of the console that constantly opens whenever I have a passenger in the car. Also, the buttons for the windows are in a very awkward area and hard to reach with your left hand. Its also hard to reach the seatbelts. The gas gauge is very small and hard to read. Also, not very "sound proof" when the top and windows are up. Gas tank takes up all the room in small trunk. Its not a car for taking a trip in for two. But I love my Sky! Ive waited a long time for it.

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  Engineering Defect - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By texas1512 - April 10 - 2:00 am

  I purchase this vehicle on 9-26-03 and it will be repurchase by the manufactureer this week. The vehicle has an engineering defect in the front suspension. It is not "life threatening" so they will not recall the vehicle. I have owned it less than 3 months and it has been in the shop 21 days. There is not a fix at this time for the problem.