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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  Making Great Even Better - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By Liz In Louisiana - May 20 - 2:00 pm

  Discovering this car was a "what is it?" process. I had driven the Mini & a number of other smaller cars; all disappointments. One day the hubster & I saw the Astra and were immediately taken w/its European good looks & sporty flair. The test drive was remarkably fun; this little vehicle handles like a rally car around tight corners. I purchased the 5-speed to up the fun factor even higher & got every option it comes with (everything under the sun + car for $20,300) and Im glad I did. The opera audio system sounds expensive, the 17-alloy wheels really improve the looks and the steering wheel audio controls are nicenicenice. The Astra is an example of GM doing something right!

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  Best in class - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By chrono - May 17 - 8:56 pm

  I did a lot of research before buying my Aura XR. I wanted to replace my boring 2005 Accord with something more fun to drive. The Aura did that and far exceeded my expectations. This car is on the same level as the Acura TL not Accords or Camrys. Its quiet, smooth, powerful and loaded with just about every option youd ever need. This is my first Saturn but I anticipate staying with them for a very long time.

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  Saturn VUE Review - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By kblowers - May 16 - 11:03 am

  Unparelled style and comfort for the money. Safety is the best. Service is great. Low cost to buy and own. Would recommend to anyone.

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  Best Yet - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Winston - May 15 - 2:00 am

  The Saturn VUE is by far the greatest suv I have driven. The handling is superior because of its width of 71.6 amd the electronic power steering. My only complaint is that I live to close to work and therefore I do not get a chance to drive my VUE long enough. The acceleration is also excellent and I have the power to use if I need it.

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  Lots of Room - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By Mike - May 9 - 10:23 pm

  Shopped really hard for crossovers to replace our aging minivan, but had trouble finding anything with as much room, until my wife fell in love with the Buick Enclave. Fortunately, our checkbook steered us to the Outlook! Much more affordable, even with leather seats and DVD. Enclave had softer ride, but lots of pricy "extras" that we really didnt need anyway. Acadia was in-between priced, but maybe even more truck-like. Our FWD Outlook has good MPG 22HWY and 20 mixed without much break-in yet. Still has good performance and power, quiet ride, transmission shifts well (not too picky here).

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  Absolutely Loved my ION! - 2006 Saturn ION
  By VroomVroom - May 9 - 10:33 am

  This is by far the best car I have owned to date. This was the first car I bought right after I turned 18. It had 25,000 miles on it so I got to keep the warranty for a little bit :-) The Ion and I went ALL OVER THIS COUNTRY! and I not once EVER had a problem with it. Just kept up basic maintenance on her. Loved the placement of the gauges. Smooth as butter and the exterior wouldnt dent a bit. I recommend this car despite the surprisingly bad reviews. Maybe I just got lucky?

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  From Lincoln Mercury to Satrun - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By J.Reed - May 8 - 4:43 am

  I am a product of the "Baby Boomers" when hot cars were the craze. I grew up with my brothers and worked on cars and even dragged them. After over 10 years of driving a Grand Marquis I wanted something that I liked more than being practical. My first choice was the Mercedes and I opt out because of the cost of an extended warranty. Next stop was to the Saturn dealership. Love at first sight. Once I opened the door and saw the interior design I knew this was the car for me. The preformance is a plus. I like neat, organization, and luxury, all of which the Saturn XR offers.

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  Would have nothing else - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By Don in Pa - May 5 - 10:40 pm

  My first Saturn was a 1994 SL1 wich I still have with 302,000 miles and have never had a major repair and run like new. Ive had 4 Saturns all together. The VUE is the best car I have ever owned. My wife drives 135 miles a day to work and is a rather fast driver. (80+mph) The ride is unbeleivably comfortable, averages 32mpg. handles great, a little wind noisy, good looking vehicle, great in snow front wheel drive feels like 4wd. Lots of room. Great power with the manual trans. Plan on getting 300k plus miles out of it. We love it

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  2005 ION 1 A - 2005 Saturn ION
  By dzizwheel - May 5 - 1:06 am

  Bought this car with 23 miles on it after having bought a 95 Saturn SL1 5m in May of 04. My brother has a 95 Saturn SL1 5 M and cant kill it. These were so good, I had to check out the ION. Difference is night and day in comfort, quiet, ease of entry,room and height of drivers seat. I adjusted to the center mounted instrument cluster within a block of my first test drive. I like the instruments being up high like this instead of down somewhere behind the steering wheel. Feels like a much larger car, solid like an old Volvo. This ones going to be around a long time.

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  Family VUE - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By LN - May 4 - 5:46 am

  Nice comfortable vehicle with good gas mileage. Great for family outings, shopping trips, or just a nice drive. Nice interior layout, but some items like window buttons take some time to get used to. Looking forward to testing out the AWD on the family ski trips this year.