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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  bad paint job - 2004 Saturn ION
  By cindy vogel - March 8 - 2:00 am

  my paint job is not to good has some scratches on it saturn says due to ice storm insurance adjuster said bad paint job

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  VUE THIS ONE - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By ROOM 4 A VUE - March 4 - 10:00 am

  BEST SERVICE DEPARTMENT GREAT SUV GREAT ON GAS COMFORT DONT EVER GET ANOTHER DING HAD 2 YEARS NEVER GOT A SCRATCH YET GREAT PAINT QUALITY

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  new 2008 for 2010 - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By reignpua - March 1 - 7:23 pm

  I just bought an 08 2dr auto new 74 miles on it two weeks ago. I have drive 700 miles thus far and love it . i did notice some wind noise from the windows on the freeway like they dont seal well. The car is very impresive overall. Handelling is better than my celica! weird!?

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  Buyer Beware!! GM knows about problems - 2007 Saturn Outlook
  By anglins4 - February 28 - 7:06 pm

  There are not enough characters allowed to convey all the problems you will have if you purchase this car. We bought ours new in 07 and loved the space in the car and how it drove. Within the first year we started having problems with leaking from the sunroof, windows, airbags, under the glove box. We had to pay $600 for repairs when hundreds of others had complained to GM about the same problem. GM has a recall/bulletin on the exterior lights but say our VIN number is not included so even thought we have the exact problem they wont even listen to us b/c of the VIN number. Crazy! Do Yourself A Favor....Stay away from this car!

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  uncomfortable - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By George - February 27 - 7:53 am

  The drivers cockit is tight and the seats are extremely uncomfortable. The gas milage is far less than advertised. The car pulls hard to the right on fast acceleration due to front wheel drive system not being able to manage horsepower of the Honda engine.

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  Great Car - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By tuco - February 26 - 10:00 am

  Excellent UTE! Great price and lots of room. Love the 5 speed, sports package and no dings. Outstanding value and reliability. Saturn takes care of their customers and treats everyone with respect. Lots of return buyers.

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  Happy to be rid of it - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By finally free - February 25 - 10:46 am

  At 32K the transmission went. Are you kidding me? I was initally worried about the strenght of the 4cyl as I do a lot of on and off highway driving. I was assured that I wouldnt notice the difference from the V6. I was wrong. More often than not the car would stop as I was pulling out on the hw....not very safe. Very disappointing for the amount you pay and the fact that this car depreciates at an unreasonable rate.

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  5 Saturns & the best is the new Vue - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By Steve - February 24 - 9:26 pm

  Since 1996, I have owned 3 S series, an L300 and the 2008 Vue. I have experienced the Saturn evolution firsthand and, overall, am very satisfied with the brand. The new Vue is my first SUV and, so far, I have nothing but praise for the experience. I have been driving it for a week and the ride is very comfortable and the styling, both interior and exterior, is the finest Saturn has offered. I bought the 4 cylinder model for economy and drive 60 on the freeway and have averaged 22- 27 combo. Coupling this engine with a 6-speed transmission would improve the driving performance, though. The increased storage and bigger/better glove box are definite pluses.

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  First SUV, second Saturn - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By SecondSaturn - February 20 - 2:00 am

  I narrowed my choices to the 2008 Vue and Rav4 months before they hit the lots, test-driving them both the same day. Id also narrowed my choices between Toyota & Saturn 10 yrs earlier when I bought a Saturn SC2, and for pretty much the same reasons the Vue was an easy choice. Saturn makes good-looking vehicles w/superior color choices, that come well-equipped with lots of luxuries that make them especially fun to drive. I was impressed with its nimble handling, tight steering and solid stability at cornering. The 4000-pound 6cyl can haul 3500 lbs. Between OnStar and standard alarm, its safer from theft. I upgraded to the premium package, and now own one stellar car.

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  Whats an Astra? - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By mikeski - February 19 - 5:36 am

  Needing to replace my sons 94 Bonnie with 190 K and two bad cylinders, the choices seemed overwhelming. I suggested a Mailbu or an Elantra, and we drove both, but my son did his research and wanted a Saturn Astra? Never heard of it! Since he couldnt drive a stick, I did the test drives and was blown away. The handling is superb, shifting easy, seating comfortable, brakes excellent, fit and finish excellent and it made me feel like I was 25 again. No wonder its the best selling car in Europe. Why is GM keeping this car a secret here? You owe it to yourself to test drive this car. It blew away the Elantra. Thanks to those who posted reviews, you helped in our decision process.