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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  Best Value for the Money - 2009 Saturn VUE
  By 2009 - April 28 - 2:06 pm

  I dont understand expert reviews that say the 2.4 Ecotect motor in the Vue is underpowered. Wards Auto World rates GMs 2.4-liter Ecotec as one of the best engines built in America. While not a dragster or a muscle car it has plenty of power to get on the freeway. It defiantly is not sluggish espesially from a stand still. Its gas mileage is better than expected at 26 miles per gallon city/freeway. We are past owners of CadillacÂ’s. Mama has not had to give up any luxuries. In fact some of its standard features are options on other sub-compact crossovers you have to pay extra for. We really do not feel we could have found a better value for the money. So far we couldnt be happier.

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  Drive it! - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By Rich - April 27 - 5:30 am

  The Aura is an American made German car. If you want German handling, engineering, and styling, you will like this car. Test drive it in the day, and at night. You will be amazed at the interior lighting and how quiet this car is.

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  Great Family Vehicle - 2007 Saturn Outlook
  By txsoldier94 - April 26 - 3:20 am

  The Outlook is a great vehicle for families. 8 Seats is large enough for most families and then some. It does not have as much interior cargo space as some of the other full-size SUVs, but it can still carry quite a bit. All-in-all a favorite in our family.

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  Disappointed In Wyoming - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By Becky - April 25 - 8:23 pm

  Did a lot of research when buying my first new car. Looking for a reliable car to go on road trips. (loved my two used Suburbans I had previously) Poor gas mileage. Get 12 in town averaging 15 mph/19 on the highway 53 mph. Took it in twice- Mechanic says Im getting 16/22. It broke down out of state. Had to have computer replaced at 2000 miles. The passenger seat bottom had to be put back on. Cant get used to the small window in the rear hatch. Cant see distance to back up/park. Frustrating. Now I am anxious about going far from home for fear it will break down again. Defeated the whole purpose of a new car!

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  Could be better - 2006 Saturn Relay
  By Bryan - April 25 - 5:53 am

  Our Relay has been a vehicle that our children have come to love with the built in DVD player. We couldnt go anywhere without it. It is a smooth ride with a few bugs that need to be worked out. The molding has a problem with sticking to the vehicle. Our tires (Continentals) were worn to the wires after 11,000 miles. The automatic sliding passenger door pops when closing. Other than that we really like the vehicle. OnStar is not the best thing if you dont live in the city. Have tried using it when things go wrong with the vehicle and they cannot get the contracted towing companies to come out to give us a tow. The first year service is ok for free but we would not pay for OnStar.

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  Underrated - 2006 Saturn ION
  By GL - April 24 - 11:50 pm

  I bought an ION 3 Automatic and have been very impressed with it. My wife loves the European look to it & are very happy with it so far. The performance is excellent, even as an automatic, noise levels are low & highway driving is calm & quiet. Ive driven 03 IONs & Saturn have made major steps with this model since then. 1 year of free OnStar is also a major bonus...Great peace of mind. This & the 5 star safety rating contribute to low insurance rates. All in all, were very satisfied with the car & the Saturn dealer experience.

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  No more American Cars for me - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Juan Ontiveros - April 24 - 1:06 pm

  I bought this car because my wife thought it will be a good car for us. I bought it with 40000 miles and it has been problem after problem O2 sensors changed both front and back, muffler under warranty was changed now I have to change the thermostat this car only has now 75000 thousand miles and I dont want it anymore and we promised ourselves we will never buy an American car anymore only Toyota or Honda.

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  1st Hybrid, So Far, So Good - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By tex - April 22 - 1:03 am

  We were instantly interested in the Green Line when we first saw it. We moved from a mini-van to the VUE to keep with the good mpg and cargo capacity. We ordered the car the way we wanted it (with all the options) and find it to be comfortable, practical, and economical. Mileage has been as advertised, running 26 mpg on the first tank in the dead of Wisconsin winter, to between 29 and 33 in early summer - mostly rural driving. The options have been worth it, especially the sunroof, heated seats, and XM radio. Drive it like a hybrid (easy does it) and be rewarded with good milage and decent handling - like a sports car (its *not* one) and be disappointed. Looks nice outside, OK inside.

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  Our Redline - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By delrob - April 21 - 8:33 pm

  Nice car with great handling and performance. Good looking car with redline package and owner installed spoilers (front hood, sunroof and tailgate).

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  Great value for your money - 2007 Saturn ION
  By Christine - April 20 - 11:10 pm

  This is my 2nd Saturn my other one is 10 years old with 120,000 miles and still going strong. My new Ion is great I have almost 4,000 miles on it and its fun to drive and I bought a left over 2007 and got a great deal.. Love my ION...