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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  Happy - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By brad - December 4 - 3:43 am

  I just purchased my VUE and so far so good. I am nervous though since this is my second Saturn in a row that has squeeky seats and I hope that isnt a sign of things to come. Moderately quiet car, some wind noise but not too bad.

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  GREAT CAR!! - 2004 Saturn ION
  By daisy111 - December 3 - 10:00 am

  I LOVE MY CAR!

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  Saturn is a solid car - 2004 Saturn ION
  By joew44 - December 3 - 10:00 am

  This is my first manual transmission in a while. I like having the control over the engine so I can take it easy for great gas mileage or power when needed. The 2.2 has a flat torque curve with plenty of power in the low RPMs for easy shifting. Car very smooth on road. Special features like the electric steering and center mounted speedometer get more natural and easier to use as I drive the car. Definitely if youre thinking of a Saturn take advantage of the 24 hour test drive.

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  Great Crossover Vehicle - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By sbridgen - December 2 - 2:23 pm

  Our VUE fits all of our needs. We went from two cars to one, and we couldnt be happier with the utility this provides. The interior looks kind of cheap, but thats OK. I dont mind hauling 2X4s, mulch, etc. in it since I dont have to worry about destroying a beautiful interior. We carry our road bikes, camping gear and ski gear in it. Weve never gotten stuck in the snow. We also drive it to work in the city every day. Dent proof doors and tight turning radius are invaluable there. Weve also taken many road trips, and it is very comfortable. Road and wind noise are awful, though.

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  The best sedan - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By Jimmy Flitts - December 1 - 4:53 am

  I really love the Saturn Aura. it drives like a car that cost thousands more.The interior is sleek and stylish, as well as the outside. I have recieved many compliments on this car.

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  Has been a reliable car - 2006 Saturn ION
  By Karen - November 30 - 8:20 am

  I bought by car used and have driven it everyday for work and on trips and have never had any mechanical problems. I had some leakage in the sun roof but removed the wind deflector & problem gone. The security alarm sensor is malfunctioning & will cost $100 to fix but I just dont turn on the alarm and it doesnt go off randomly. Sometimes the engine sounds like it is struggling when accelerating. Everything else is good. I have the extended warranty up to 75K and now I have 70K, so I will probably trade in for a diff. brand b/c Saturn is now out of business. I need a reliable car for my job & this one has been a good one for the last 3 yrs.

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  Great Car - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By mt - November 30 - 2:00 am

  Bought the VUE in November and so far am very happy. Variable Transmission is loud when accelerating hard but nice during regular driving. Very good good car overall

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  Good - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By bombaybistro - November 30 - 2:00 am

  Good for the price

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  Happy and Sad - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By HappyAndSad - November 29 - 7:53 am

  I picked up my 08 Vue at the end of the 08 redtag event. It was a demo, so it had a couple thousand miles on it, but that also helped make the car extremely affordable. I love the look and the feel of the car. I traded in a VW Rabbit for the car, so this has 100 more HP and the AWD makes the winter weather conditions almost nonexistent. Despite everything I love about the car, it broke down on me within 500 miles of purchase. The dealership said that the computer logged nearly 900 codes, but that once they were cleared they could not identify the specific problem and chalked it up as symphony of glitches at occurred at the same time. Needless to say, my fingers are crossed.

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  My Fun Lil Redline - 2005 Saturn ION
  By Justin Dodson - November 28 - 4:46 pm

  I bought another Saturn because I couldnt kill my last one, even by drowning it. I love their sales people. They are still car salesmen, but at a Saturn dealership you can pretend they are real people.