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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  Enjoying the Ion 2 - 2005 Saturn ION
  By miss_nicole - December 14 - 2:45 am

  I recently bought my 2005 Saturn Ion 2 in Febuary 2011 with 38k miles. and the only problem ive had with my car so far was the Coolant Sensor which i had to replace last month. Other than that i have had no other issues. It gets good gas mileage and drives smooth.

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  Worth buying for multi-use and travel - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By sipapu - December 13 - 10:00 am

  Purchased on 5/08/04 after having driven Saturn L300 for 30 months and finding to be in need of 4 or all wheel drive. Made a trip to San Antonio, Texas driving almosts 2,000 enjoyable miles. Vehicle has plenty of power, handles well in both city and on highway. The XM sattelite radio is a superb addition. On Star is great; although found the instructions to be sparse. Its use as a telephone is helpful but found several spots wher coverage was not good. Saturn needs to improve interior appearance and to get rid of manual controls of heating and cooling system. Dealing with Saturn is a pleasure. One price nation wide is great concept. Easy to work out trade.

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  Thanks Saturn - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By Aaron - December 12 - 5:16 pm

  Watch out imports, this tops any other car I have driven in my life, General Motors got this one correct. Platform is excellent; styling is what eludes people to the car. Only downfall is that people do not realize that it is a Saturn.

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  Great Choice - 2005 Saturn Relay
  By Irvin & Jill - December 12 - 7:30 am

  This is our 4th Saturn & 1st Minivan (although this is labeled a crossover). Again, Saturn has proven - they know what they are doing. We were skeptical in purchasing a minivan, but the SUV look & Minivan comfort did it for us. Affordable, dependable and we get tons of compliments. Get the Automatic door & DVD Player - it is worth it for the little ones. Great use of space front to back; comfortable seats all around. For those anti-minivan folks - this is a good choice. Adults & kids alike have a great ride whether 15 mins or 5 hours. We are really pleased with our RELAY.

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  Great car overall, powerful, sleek, fun - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By Airborne CHP - December 11 - 7:40 pm

  Puchased used last spring after months of research to save $. drives great, very powerful V6 with plenty of acceleration (0-60 < 6 secs). Highway miles above 27 at 70+MPH. combined driveing could be better I get avg. 20 when I go easy on the gas. handles great through curvy mountain highways. No problems thus far. my only complaint is the door lock sticks out right where my arm sit when I roll with the windows down. Sound system is excellent. Heated seats are great but could go all the way up the back rather than just lower lumbar. Exterior design is great, always turning heads. Looking forward to many years with this great car. So glad I went back to Saturn after an Intrepid for 4 years.

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  The SUV That can....... - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By chuck stephan - December 9 - 4:26 am

  I have put 6k on this suv now and it handles very well (I traded my 2001 Z3 BMW for this SUV so I know vehicles that handle). Yeah, the interior is on the cheap side, but it seems to be strong with no rattles. I drove this through some serious storms in NY (ice and snow) and was so impressed. I slid less than my buddys 04 Dodge Hemi 4x4. The leather heated seats are nice and seem to be a good size.

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  Switched from Toyota Sienna - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By Jackie - December 6 - 3:26 am

  I was ready to get out of the minivan but wanted to keep my seating config...2nd row capt.chairs and fold down split bench in the 3rd row. This is exactly what I wanted. My Outlook has just about everything except the Nav system and the dvd but this is why I opted not to get those...since I have OnStar I figured I would use that if I needed help with directions. Why pay for OnStar if you arent going to use it? Also, I didnt really like having a screen come down in my sight line from the ceiling so I opted for a portable dvd with wireless headphones which turned out to be a good decision as I can bring it on airplanes too. The only dislike is the low city mpg 15.6 (hwy mpg is fine, 23+)

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  Second time around - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By KeithC - November 30 - 10:26 pm

  This is my second Saturn, the first one was a 1997 SL-1 and I still have it. I bought another Saturn because my first one was an excellent car. I have put almost 6,000 miles on the Aura and it has been smooth sailing all the way. People have asked me if it was a Lexus or Acura. The car rides smooth, handles well and is very quiet. The fake wood on the inside makes it look like a luxury car. The car is Red Jewel Tintcoat and it turns heads. The 4-cylinder has enough power merging onto the freeways as long as you turn off the A/C first. Plenty of power is available for driving around town. Fuel economy is good , 30 MPG on highway. I love this car and would defintely buy it again.

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  The best!!!! - 2003 Saturn ION
  By cazzz - November 29 - 10:00 am

  I had owned a 96 SL2, which I loved. I thought there was no possibility of a better car out there. I was wrong. Unfortunatelty, my SL2 was totalled, which I walked away from absolutely fine after a major incident with a full size SUV, and I was crushed. So I went to my local Saturn dealer (I wouldnt think of going anywhere else) and purchased a new ION 3, since the S- series was no longer being produced. Holy cow, they did it!!! More power, bigger inside, and even nicer riding than my SL2 was! Hats off to the boys down in Saturn-land, you have yourselves a winner!!!!!

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  This car is a blast! - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By my first saturn - November 28 - 3:53 pm

  I am a large individual. and i was driving an F-150, but my new job forced me to get a new car because of the mileage. I drive 140 miles roundtrip to and from work. I was looking for something roomy yet good on gas. I almost got a Ford Escape but the driver seat is set too high for the driver view. So I found myself looking at the Saturn VUE, and i must say it is a blast to drive. If you step on it it goes. It helps with that Honda 3.5v6. Very nice. I love it. No regrets.