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:

• 

  Saturn Transmission Problems - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By BobP - February 1 - 3:00 am

  Traded in a 2006 SL2 that had severe transmission problems. Got the Outlook, have 4K miles on it now. Transmission problems on the new vehicle!!! Hard shifting and the vehicle jerks every time it shifts. Have been in and out of the dealership 4 times in the past 3 months. They finally agreed to replace the transmission. Very poor mileage. Too much wind noise

• 

  Caution in buying this car - 2003 Saturn ION
  By Toots - January 31 - 2:00 am

  I owned this car for 2 weeks, and returned it. Beware, the dashboard is designed as a multi-piece, multi- colored, multi-textured dash, which reflects up into the front window, right into the drivers primary view of the road. Every other car I have ever seen has a one piece, one texture dash, that does not reflect like this. The side mirrors reflect the interior side dash peices, such as the vents. It was too hazardous to keep this car, despite other positive features. Also, the vents do not close off, so all passengers must agree on the vent setting. If you try to close one off, it whistles horribly. There is too much play in the steering wheel.

• 

  piece of JUNK! - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By saturnowner - January 29 - 9:23 pm

  This car has less than 43,000 miles. It seems every time I turn around something has to be fixed. A/C went out twice, "small leak" in emission control 4 times, power windows stopped working, valve job, sway bars and struts had to be replaced, master cylinder and slave cylinder on clutch had to be replaced. Ive spent more on repairs than the car is worth. Pass the word - Saturn is very unreliable. If you have deep pockets and enjoy spending a lot of time with the service department (and being without a car for days at a time for repairs)this might be the car for you. Ill never buy another American car! Not surprised theyre going out of business.

• 

  4cyl 5-speed Sport Review - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By hagenlarry - January 28 - 1:20 pm

  Seems like everyone worries about the big HP cars. We were looking specifically for a 4cyl. Concerned about an economy suv, my wife insisted on the power package (16" aluminum rims, 5-speed manual trans, & sunroof). Turns out, if you can live without awd (as folks did all up until recently), the performance of the ecotec 2.2 is impressive. Even better is the maintenance (oil change can be done in 5-minutes without spilling a drop), dent resistant doors (which were tested by a shopping cart the day we took it home), & roomy back seat (at 6- 2, I rode in the back with no problems).Overall, for middle class folks, after 15,000K we have yet to question our choice! 30 mpg hwy didnt hurt either

• 

  Great car for the money! - 2006 Saturn ION
  By Austin Ozburn - January 28 - 7:08 am

  I love this car and I loved my 97 4 door Saturn just as much as this one. The car drives and handles great, but it doesnt ride like a Cadillac. Theres plenty of room inside the car and in the trunk. Maintenance is cheap and easy if you know how to use U-Tube. I would definitely highly recommended this car to someone be it in good working condition.

• 

  Not fancy, but a great all around vehicle - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By keith plant - January 26 - 10:50 am

  I love my Saturn VUE. I driven it on soft sand at the beach to the mountains of Big Bend national park. I have yet to have any problem with this vehicle. It is a great buy and very affordable to insure.

• 

  Excellent Vehicle For The Family - 2005 Saturn Relay
  By Douglas - January 25 - 11:03 pm

  We really like our 2005 Saturn Relay. It has plenty of room and standard features that wont break your pocketbook. The OnStar feature is helpful, and the drive is exceptional. Get the convienance package as it will help out with long trips and entry/exit for the vehicle. Also, if you want more room, get a FWD 2 instead of a FWD 3. The captains chairs on the second row take up a lot of room. If you get the bucket seats for the second row, you will have plenty of room to spare, and it is very comfortable to sit in; even for an adult. The drive is nice and the ammeneties are all that we need. Very nice vehicle.

• 

  Better than Mazda - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By Junit - January 21 - 10:03 pm

  Its about time that Saturn got a little edgier. I almost purchased the Pontiac Solstice but I opted to wait. After the test drive I was sold. It has great handling, good mpg., and looks like no other.

• 

  Happy owner - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By h hetrick - January 19 - 1:33 pm

  We have owned this greenline for almost a year. It has had two recalls, both of which were very pleasent waits. Great tow vehicle behind our motorhome. Vue carries two med sized dogs and my wife along with three weeks worth of supplies and clothing to our campsites. Fully load and crusing above CA speed limits we still ave. 28 to 32 MPG. Ride is great and steering is dependable in rain and sun. A pleasure to drive on freeways as well as mountain roads. We had a QX4 for 5 tears and the VUE outdoes the QX4 on all accounts excepy offroad. But we knew we were not purchasing a 4 wheel drive. Combining 4WD in the VUE would be a motorhome owners dream car. LOVE this little car. Buy one!

• 

  Last Gasp - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By UlaMle - January 18 - 10:00 am

  For its price this car is unbeatble. And Ive owned some really great cars: a grandsport corvette, a 72 T-Bird, a Datsun 280-Z... to name a few. Best mpg is 33 highway 22 average. Corners like its on tracks. Extremely reliable and easy to own. My original tires are just now wearing out at 63,000+ miles. My opinion, just before a brand "breathes its last breath" the manufacturer produces something fantastic. Others in this catefory: Studebaker Avanti, AMC 390cid, Oldsmobile Aurora multiple year INDY winner. Too bad the manufacturers dont have better vision