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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  I love my ION Red Line - 2005 Saturn ION
  By XXAGILEXX - July 10 - 7:20 am

  I have had my Red Line for a lil over a year now. I love it! As a matter of fact my best friend took me to the dealer to buy it and ended up buying the same car. His black, mine red. He didnt believe me about it until he walked in and saw the car, and he asked " What is that, because I like it." So we got the last two on the lot for a steal because the 06s were pushing. He wanted a Mazda6, but forgot all about that when he got in the Red Line. I cant wait till I get back home from Iraq to drive it again. Spc. Ismael Maneiro JR US Army, Bagdad Iraq

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  ion is geat - 2003 Saturn ION
  By berrz - July 6 - 2:00 am

  my new ion is a great car. its fun to drive, quiet, and pretty good mileage.

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  Try it youll like it - 2003 Saturn ION
  By oleytwo - July 6 - 2:00 am

  Drive a lot 40-50K a year. So far best value out there. Its not a Lexus, but for the money its hard to beat. 2500 miles avg. 30MPG, fair amount of room, 0%, good power, rides good, beat it.

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  A lot of car for the money - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By Dick - July 4 - 2:06 am

  I have been driving for 64 years and most of my cars have been manuals. I wanted a manual but the shifters were stiffer and less accurate than my previous manuals cars so I decided on an automatic and I havent been disappointed. Another car that I still drive has a turbo which is very quick but my Astra gives me more than enough pickup for urban traffic.

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  Excellence and Safety - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By Margaret - July 3 - 11:33 pm

  This vehicle is wonderfully styled with lots of room. The leather seats are comfy. The grocery containment bins are wonderful. Dependable. 50,000 miles and only one issue to deal with, the driver side seat heater stopped working. They fixed it within a week with a new part. Always great service with every oil change and routine maintainance.

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  Great truck alternative - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By LA Art Gal - July 1 - 10:00 am

  The Vue is my first non-pickup truck. As an artist, I need lots of cargo space and versatility. The Vue really delivers, especially with the rear and passenger seats down. The rings come in handy too. The 5-speed idle is so quiet, I thought it stalled twice already. (It didnt .) The smooth ride and handling is a nice switch from the truck experience. The added roof racks are great for those oversized canvases.

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  What A Car! - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By Dino F. - June 28 - 1:23 pm

  Picked up this beauty on May 1, 2007, and have put 1100 miles on it to date. If you remove the badges from this car, you would never guess it is a Saturn. I purchased the XR model with the 2 tone Morracon brown leather and the Bronze exterior color. Everything works perfectly and I have found nothing to complain about so far. The 3.6 V6 with paddle shifters is really fun to drive and the power is awesome ! I tested many other brands in this price range before purchasing what I think is the best equipped and highest quality new car for the price. Good job Saturn!

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  GM & Saturn got this one right! - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By JersyGuy - June 28 - 12:43 pm

  Ill admit that the Saturn Vue wasnt on the top of my short list of potential new cars. But after test driving top choices - the RAV4 and CR4 - neither one impressed me - I decided to take a Vue for a spin. The interior fit and finish are much more refined than the RAV4 and CRV. I like the handling and suspension more on the Saturn as well. Price was also lower on the Saturn and had more standard features. So for interior and exterior styling, great XM radio and interior looks, and a better price, I decided on the Saturn. No problems with the car at all! Runs great, looks great, handles well, and is really fun to drive.

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  Exceptional American Made Car - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By C - June 28 - 10:06 am

  I traded in my Infiniti I30 for the Saturn Aura XR. I love this car. Its also nice to have a great performance car that takes regular gas instead of premium.

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  Saturn Vue Delivers - 2009 Saturn VUE
  By Fred Saunders - June 28 - 4:43 am

  The Vue is fun to drive. I recently took it up mountains with three passengers. The V-6 with the manual mode shift made the drive easy work and fun. The car has excellent control to hug the curves and ample power to negotiate the inclines.The features including On-Star Directions and Connections and the satellite radio added to the driving pleasure. The fuel economy is still somewhat disappointing, but the car is not yet broken in. I would not hesitate to recommend either the 4 cylinder or V-6. Fred Saunders