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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  Grossly Underrated SUV - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By GNickles - September 26 - 6:23 am

  This is the first Saturn that my wife and I have owned. The experience has been beyond our expectation. I dont know about any other years or models, but the 2006 V-6 FWD has a Honda engine in it. It has more raw horsepower than most sports cars that I have driven. It is rated in the low-mid 200 HP. Driving this thing is like an SUV on steroids. The traction control coupled with the engine performance makes this SUV a must-own. If anyone is looking for a mid-size SUV with performance, this is it! We have had it for two years and have put over 82,000 miles on it. Love it!

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  My 2008 Saturn VUE - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By John - September 26 - 2:33 am

  I have had my VUE since June 7, 2008. I love it! I had an incident with my AC button that was fixed by my dealership. I also was involved with the recent recall. It was also fixed and had my oil changed at the same time. I really do love my VUE, highly recommend it, and have been stopped numerous times in parking lots to answer questions about it. I have no regrets, especially since I got in on the zero down and 0% interest Im really only paying cash for this car. I also love the OnStar and XM radio that came with it. Did I mention that I love my VUE?

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  MY IONU - 2003 Saturn ION
  By MY IONU - September 24 - 10:00 am

  We loved the ION 3 so much we bought a second ION 1. We have had no problems with these cars and we love the style and handling. The center instrument cluster is a Godsend since we have a lot of deer on the island where we live. We can watch the road and the sides of the road as well as watch our speedometer all at once. We were also treated with so much respect by the people at the dealers we felt like royalty!

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  Best Car Ive Owned - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By Indy or Bust - September 21 - 9:23 pm

  This is easily the best car Ive owned. This vehicle handles great, is very comfortable and feels like a luxury car. We went with the Cocoa w/ black leather. Everyday we comments on this car. We cant get over how much room there is. It really does seat 8 comfortably.

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  Almost Perfect - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By Chris1112 - September 20 - 8:46 am

  This car is amazing and really turns heads. It handles amazingly well, even if it is slightly underpowered for a sportscar enthusiast. The Redline version has more horsepower and better fuel economy, so theres little reason not to get one instead. There are minor convenience issues to note, like the hard to read gauges and limited cargo room. If thats nothing you cant handle, then I highly recommend grabbing one. Of the several dozen Sky owners I have contact with, not one regrets their purchase.

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  What we thought it would be....and more - 2005 Saturn ION
  By Damian - September 20 - 12:00 am

  We first saw the ION at the Auto Show in Houston in early February. The value and sharp looks attracted my wife and I to it right away. She was already driving a Saturn and loved it so we looked into getting her the ION. Its been just over a month and we absolutely love it. Handles extremely well and is very fun to drive. Guage cluster in the middle of the dash is different , but nice. Without a doubt, one of the best decisions weve ever made.

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  Great Vehicle - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By Joe - September 15 - 4:03 am

  I really like my 2007 Aura. The car is fun to drive and honestly, it feels like i am sitting in a much more expensive car. It performs great and has more than enough pick-up and despite many negative reviews, i like how the vehicle brakes. The car is very quiet, so much so that with out the radio on and doing 70 on the highway, i heard virtually nothing.

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  My new 2003 Ion - 2004 Saturn ION
  By Ed M - September 6 - 2:00 am

  This is my 2nd Saturn from this dealer. I also have a 1998 Saturn SL2 and the 2003 is a big improvment.I like the center console.Im short and I now sit higher in the car.I get around 30 mpg. Its a good reliable car my old 1998 Saturn has 139,000 on it and still runs great.The people at the dealership are great and the service is great also.Ill buy my next car at this dealer.

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  2004 White Vue - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By CarGal - September 1 - 10:00 am

  The Vue is fun to drive, it handles great. The front seats are comfortable and there is lots of room inside. It could have a little less plastic inside but it is laid out good. Would also like to see a strap to pull down the rear door with. I would buy the vue again based on this experience.

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  Fast fuel efficient SUV - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By dogtruck - September 1 - 10:00 am

  Reliability and performance from the Acura/MDX sourced 3.5 liter engine. Space for 5 and a dog in the rear. Somewhat sparse and functional interior and less than supportive seats. Cargo hatch has no key lock and can only be opened with the remote. Cargo hatch has no separate partition/opening for glass section of hatch door. Novel Saturn dealership experience with serenading salesman welcoming the couple in front of us to the Saturn fold with a company song. Saturnfans forum (Saturn ownerÂ’s forum) might be a good resource to see what if any official and unofficial rebates are available.