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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  Very happy owner! - 2003 Saturn ION
  By ebeaudoin - December 31 - 11:46 am

  Bought this car in March 2013 with 132,000 miles, now has 145,000 and I am very happy with it! Does great in the snow with All-Seasons. I commute 44 miles round trip a day, 5 days a week and this car just keeps on going and serving me well. Sure, I could find issues with it, but I think any issues are mostly due to its two previous owners and the fact that its 11 years old with 145,000 miles. By the way, super glad I found one with a manual. So much fun!

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  Great Value for the Money - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By DugoutNut - December 24 - 5:40 pm

  This vehicle has it all for a low price. With current promotion of 5.9% interest or $4000 in cash back, how can you go wrong? We have a fully loaded model. AC, sunroof, electric everything, OnStar, integrated hands free phone (Verizon) or you can buy minutes to use as a pay as you go phone, tinted windows, 17 inch wheels and lots more. Impact resistant side panels are a nice touch. The V6 Honda power plant is what sold me on this vehicle. 100,000 mile power train warranty helped. This is the last year before a major body style change (that we did like).

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  Lacks - 2006 Saturn ION
  By Terie - December 14 - 3:40 pm

  This is our 5th Saturn. Weve had mostly SC2s and a SL. This car just doesnt feel as solid. It feels cheap, like a Kia or a Neon. When I drive my bright yellow 2001 SC2, theres just more there. The doors feel tighter, the interior is better appointed.The seats arent as comfy and front visability is a problem for a shorter person like me in the ION. Those big columns on either side of the windshield are a hazard. Paint has always been an issue with our Saturns, and it still is. My car is black, so you see every little thing.The yellow car always had paint issues to I dont think Saturn is the car it once was. Dont think a 6th Saturn is in our future.

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  Bought in 2004, still love & own it! - 2004 Saturn ION
  By toms04ion - December 11 - 5:38 pm

  I bought this Ion new on 10/28/03 and have enjoyed the last 143k miles. Sure, in the beginning there were some bugs to work out, wiring harness, computer glich, shifter block and a few other small bulletin items that the Saturn dealer dilligently fixed. Other than general maintenance, the only thing replaced was the ignition switch. Each set of tires has gotten 55k, and the oem battery got over 5 years of use. The car has been extremely reliable. Since 25k, the car runs on Mobile 1 and a K&N filter, this has made a difference on mpg. Sometimes I think of selling to get a new car, cant justify it, do a comp with a Cruze, size, power,features, vertually same car! Not sexy, but delivers!

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  An afforfable car for a single lady - 2007 Saturn ION
  By sugababy - December 10 - 1:36 pm

  I purchased a Saturn because I could not afford a Toyota Corolla. However, my driving experience has been great. I drove this car from Alabama to Texas and back. It did not give me any problems. After I purchased my Saturn, one of my friends decided to purchase one. If you are in the market for an affordable and reliable car, I would strongly advise you to consider purchasing this vehicle. The monthly payments are extremely affordable too. If you are looking for luxury, honey you are looking in the wrong place. Remember that the cars main objective is to get you from point A to Point B. Thats it!

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  VUE Redline FWD 6 Cyl - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By flybigrc - December 8 - 4:50 pm

  Just bought the Redline VUE 6 cyl. Fun to drive best power of the crossover SUVs. The Redline apparance package is great, it really dresses up the look af the VUE. Makes it stand out in a crowd of SUV clones. the 18" wheels and sport suspension provide great feel on the road. My other car is a 2004 vette so I wanted something with some power and better handling then the spongy SUVs that were out there. This is not an off road SUV but I dont do any off roading so doesnt matter to me. Great feature is the ability to fit two bikes inside of vehicle with bike rack.

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  Love my VUE RedLine - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By convoyman - December 7 - 10:03 pm

  My wife and I bought the Vue Redline after we had a baby. We couldnt be happier with it! She loves the reliability and easy access for the baby, I love the styling and features it offers. The basic Vue doesnt appeal to me at all, but the Redline package really adds a lot! The bumper kits and side skirts look great, giving it a lower look. Plus the black on black color looks great. The interior is very confortable- the suede inserts on the leather seats make having leather seats not such a pain. We hit a deer while driving at night at 55 mph- the only damage was a 3" scuff on the fender- incredible!

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  ION 3, 2003 4 door sedan. - 2004 Saturn ION
  By JRSJR - December 3 - 2:00 am

  Fine as a tow vehicle behind my motorhome. MPG city= 28, MPG highway at 70mph= 33.

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  Too bad for me! - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By tq1221 - November 29 - 8:28 am

  I bought this car new in 2003, and was very happy with it for the first six or seven years. I am now holding my breath because I have the infamous CVT tranny. I have less than 65,000 miles on it, but wont drive it out of town for fear that the tranny will fail. I am amazed at the number of people who have bought this car in the last year or two. Any amount of research would have revealed the issue and the 2007 class-action suit filed against Saturn. The judgement was against them, and they were told to cover 100% of repair/replacement costs. Since GM filed bankruptcy, they have weaseled out of that and will only cover half. Half of over $7500 is waaay too much!

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  Great roadster with pzazz - 2009 Saturn Sky
  By M LeVan - November 27 - 9:00 pm

  Yes - Its an Orphan now!.. Too bad GM wasnt able to keep Saturn viable - So now The Sky is a collector car, and an exciting one at that. Sure, the interior and dash are plasticy, and theres hardly a place for sunglasses or 2 cups of Starbucks, but my God what a looker!..I knew the the top action was a little Rube Goldberg and the trunk is almost non-existent. But, after I drove one and checked it out, Wow! Plenty of grunt, nice quick steering, firm, sporting suspension- exhaust note a little timid, but sounds nice when you can hear it. And that styling..This is balls out the greatest. I owned a bunch of notable and not so notable cars. Raced some of them at Watkins Glen and Lime Rock.