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:

• 

  Suspension, Manual Transmission - 2007 Saturn ION
  By OML - December 7 - 11:26 pm

  I bought3 cars, 2 stripped down version and one with Auto Tran. The front suspension started to clunk/rattle while driving over not-so-rough road conditions,all three vehicles affected when they hit the 33K mark approx. The traded 1995 SL2 front end noise started when it reached 165k miles. There is a grinding noise when shifting to 4th or fifth gear. Downshifting becomes impossible sometimes ( will take 2 or 3 attempts until it finally engages). The passenger side air bag light will turn ON (intermittent) when there is no passenger.

• 

  The Vue outperforms - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By george barrantes - December 6 - 1:00 pm

  Take some time to understand how this vehicle works. It is an economical car that can give you a pleasant drive back and forth to work. I take this SUV to work everyday for a 70 mile round trip. Is comfortable and economical. I am the type of driver that doesnt need to show much power when driving, but when in need I press for power, and this one delivers. Hopefully people will start looking at the VUEs as the best value and economy. When now a days the gasoline prizes are higher everyday. The 2.2 liter engine duplicates the capacity of many Japanese trucks in the past. This makes it a good match that proves that you dont need anymore power that the 143 horse-power.

• 

  Good car for the money! - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By Mdewman77 - December 5 - 10:40 pm

  I really enjoyed my 2005 Saturn Vue. I had to give it up though because of the monthly payments, but I would buy another one in a heart beat. I wish the gas mileage was better at 22, but hey its prety good for a SUV. They improved the exterior design alot in 2007 and redid it in 2008, so I cant complain there. We only had the gas cap fail the emissions, other than that we didnt have many problems. I recommend it!

• 

  This Saturn is a winner - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By Dean - December 4 - 12:30 am

  I had gone to the Saturn dealer to check of the VUE Hybrid, but staring at me in the showroom was the Aura. The car has stunning looks both inside and out. After test driving the Aura, I knew I had to own it. The Aura has been a great car. The steering is very responsive and the cars handles great. I only problem I have with the Aura is the steering wheel. First, I wish it would tilt. The Aura steering wheel is telescopic and even goes up and down. This is satisfactory, but a tilt wheel would have been better. The other problem with the steering wheel is that the driver controls are too small. Now that it is winter and I am wearing gloves, it is difficult to press the buttons.

• 

  Transmission problems - 2009 Saturn Aura
  By Karen Hickman - December 3 - 7:03 am

  Buyer Beware of transmission problems. The transmission "slipped" on my brand new 2009 Saturn Aura at 347 miles. I had to have it towed twice. The dealership returned it to me and assured me there was nothing wrong, despite the fact that I pulled out in front of traffic and could not accelerate. I was told to "...pull off to the side of the road, shut off the engine, then restart the car to reset it." After this occurred the third time, I did as instructed, then drove it to the dealership, and left it there. I insisted it was dangerous, and I was now following the GA Lemon Law. They replaced the transmission at approximately 700 miles. I would rate my experience with Saturn a big 0.

• 

  What a great car! - 2003 Saturn ION
  By skelter717 - December 2 - 2:00 am

  I think this car is highly underrated. We had a bad experience with a previous Saturn, but the ION has been a godsend. Very reliable, very sporty, very fun to drive! The battery in the trunk is unique and very convenient for my needs.

• 

  Would Not Recommend - 2003 Saturn ION
  By taergreat - December 1 - 5:16 am

  Overall, I wish I hadnt purchased this vehicle. The ride is decent but not impressed with the gas mileage (all I can get is about 24MPG highway). The car has a very cheapy plastic feel to it. Build is below average and seats stain very easily. My Saturn has been fairly reliable until recently when a problem all-to common to Saturns cropped up. I cant turn the key to the off position in the ignition. It just locks up. This, in turn, drains the all to expensive battery.

• 

  Overall Very Happy - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By dakrtgrl - November 30 - 1:03 am

  I bought this car in April of 08 and I traded in my Buick Redevouz since I wanted something a little smaller but still needed some room for my 2 year old and all of her stuff! I bought the 4cyl because of the better gas mileage. I get 26 mpg on the highway and about 24 in the city. Sometimes I wish I had bought the 6 but I find the 4 has enough pep for me and what I need it for, just everyday running around. I love this VUE and have had no problems with it at all. Very fun to drive and I love the looks! I bought the orange one. Even pretty good in the snow without the AWD because of the traction control. At this point I would definitely purchase again.

• 

  My Second Saturn - 2005 Saturn ION
  By Bob Cary - November 29 - 8:23 pm

  I purchased a Saturn L 1 in the year2000. I was very pleased with all aspects of owning and driving for over76000 miles. I went back to the dealer who sold me my first Saturn to look at the new models. I looked at all models, but the ION caught my eye. Took a test drive and that was it. The sales rep and salesmanager worked up a deal. Drove home in my second Saturn

• 

  Long Term, great car - 2004 Saturn ION
  By 04driver - November 29 - 6:09 pm

  I purchased my 2004 Ion3 almost new at the Saturn dealer, with about 2k miles. Thats been 9 years and just over 100,000 miles ago. Perfect car, for me. Only replaced struts, belts, brakes, filters, oil, etc. Had auto transmission serviced once. Absolutely NO problems with this vehicle. Great trip vehicle for me. Disneyland, Grand Canyon, Salt Lake City, wherever I want to go. 30 plus mpg on freeway. I get better mpg when I go faster than stated limits, hmm.. Anyway, I love it so much, that my extended family have purchased three others. Looks like a Saturn lot when all are here. Others may have had problems, but for us. Great car. Wish they still made them. All 5 still work fine.