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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  A great car and a great price - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By awojcik - November 28 - 10:00 am

  We purchased a new SATURN VUE for 14000, from Saturn of West Broad this Summer. We love the car! Our Gas milage averages between 25-29 miles per gallon, our insurance is cheeper than the Subaru legacy (1996) that we were driving, and the car has little regular maintenance. We looked at many similar vehicles, and we are so happy that we purchased the Saturn VUE.

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  Excellant first car! - 2007 Saturn ION
  By shannabanana1 - November 25 - 12:06 am

  My dad bought this car for me in 2007. It was brand new when I bought it, and Ive driven it rough, to say the least, for the past 5 years. I have never had any serious problems with this car, and have rarely had to do any repairs except for general maintenance. The only real headache Ive had with it is that it has ignition problems. The key is sometimes hard to turn and one time the key actually got stuck in the ignition. I had to drive it to a repair shop and let it run out of gas because I could not get the key out. But all in all it cost about $100 to fix and I havent had problems since. Its built like crap but thats why it made such a good first car.

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  Go test drive this car - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By Mark - November 24 - 1:03 pm

  We absolutely love this car. The drive and comfort level is top notch. Quiet, sleek, stylish, and quick to boot. Gas mileage is superb. The only real complaint is on the rear interior design. Very difficult to see out of, especially when backing up. Extreme caution is recommended. Past that, there is a little cubby hole door, just left of the driver, that already wont close when opened. Just hoping thats not going to be the norm with the interior convenience features. Would absolutely recommend this car. Saturn truly did a great job on performance, ride and comfort.

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  A Car with a VUE - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By John E - November 24 - 2:00 am

  Great ride and all accesories for under $20,000. Feels Good, Looks Good, and light on the pocket book at the pumps. First time Saturn buyer and everyone wants to know what my car is. They love it and so do I.

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  Great Improvement - 2003 Saturn ION
  By Southion - November 24 - 2:00 am

  Ion 1 is a fantastic improvement over SL, especially with peppy 2.2L DOHC engine, finally 5A option, and fun CD player. Love electric power steering, and A/C doesnt drag cars performance down like old SL. Nothing but rave reviews from everyone so far.

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  Nice SUV - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By chuck - November 22 - 6:46 pm

  The VUE is not as fast as the Lincoln Mark VIII and not as comfortable as the Grand Marquis but the gas mileage is a lot better (24 - 26) With the back seat down I moved a lot of things like a weight bench, a desk, dish washer things that I couldnt move before. Easy to get in and out of, and I still sit higher. so far I have 25000 miles on it and I never had a problems with it and I dont baby it.

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  2008 Outlook XR - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By GTR - November 20 - 2:50 pm

  If you want 30 MPG, buy a CIVIC. This is an SUV and a dang awesome one. Ride is quieter than Lexus, interior awesome, rides like a dream. I drove an Acadia, Lexus GX, Toyota Sequoia. This vehicle has it all. Drives just as quiet and smooth if not quieter than the Lexus, styling is light years ahead of recent Saturn/GM models. They finally got it right, cant believe I havent seen more on the road.

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  Be Careful - 2005 Saturn Relay
  By Not Good! - November 19 - 10:30 pm

  I was a first time Saturn buyer and being newly married and now having 4 children I needed something for us all that was also affordable. I chose the 2005 Relay. Very nice looking outside and inside, good sound system and DVD player! A week later it started having acceleration problems. Warning message was Reduced Engine Power. It was replaced. This happened 3 more times over the next few months. I had to threaten legal action but Saturn replaced my Relay. I got a 2006 VUE as the replacement and have been very happy so far. My situation may not be normal; but it happened. Be careful when thinking of buying this vehicle.

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  First 5000 miles - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By Tom - November 19 - 7:40 am

  I went looking at SUVs but on a lark test drove the Astra too. I like it better. I do like the European lines and handling. I find that the interior is a little cramped. I can never find a comfortable place for my left leg. The gas tank is too small, only 10 gallons, and the window washer tank could also hold more. The 1.8 liter could use more "omph" but the mileage has been very good. Surprisingly, there are quite a few interior rattles in the dash and around the sunroof. I like that it came with many features that cost a lot more on other cars. It is fun to drive too.

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  Very nice car but several issues - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By knack - November 19 - 2:33 am

  Im really trying hard to like this car but have had several issues since buying it. Transmission seal leak, steering coupling replaced, power window switch, rotors warp, continuing issue with service traction light going on then off while at high speeds. Passenger window wiper travels too far and stops directly in front of driver view creating rubber mark on windshield. Replaced blades 3 times $60 each time. Stock LS tires are lees than adequate in snow. Tilt steering somewhat poor quality. This is a beautiful car otherwise, heated seats work good, sound system good. It hasnt left me stranded yet! I will say this, up until 28,000 miles the vehicle ran flawless. We will see how it goes.