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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  Not Happy with my 2008 Saturn Vue - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By joyous83 - October 13 - 9:13 pm

  This car has given me nothing but trouble. Ive lost count how many times it has been in the shop. Im lucky that so far everything has been covered under the warranty. The wipers dont work right, have had problems with the AC, seats stain easily and many other problems. Now its in the shop because the computer system needs to be replaced. This is the 1st time I have owned a GM car, not sure if I will purchase another one.

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  Nice vehicle for the money - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By scopus - October 12 - 10:16 pm

  I recently bought this vehicle for my wife. Its just the two of us. Its larger than most "compact" SUVs and has a lot of power (Honda V6). The thing just wants to go. The free year of OnStar is nice, as my wife is famous for locking her keys in the car (once with the car running). The back storage is very versatile (love the grocery organizer). We opted for the tan leather interior, looks really nice with the wood trim. Its still relatively new for us, just a few hundred miles but weve been impressed with it thus far. And the dealer experience has been great, very painless, no pressure. Well definitely go back to Saturn for future purchases.

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  Aura Design/Build Defect ( ??? ) - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By dinoF - October 11 - 11:46 pm

  I am revising my earlier review of a 9.0 overall rating. My XR underdoor rocker panels (plastic) are beginning to pull away from the car body (steel) creating a 1/4 inch gap and exposing the rocker panel fasteners. Dealer had no fix and said it could be a build, vibration, or design problem. Problem began to occur at about 3,000 miles. What will these panels look like at 30,000 miles ? Anyone else have this problem?

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  Think twice about an ION! - 2005 Saturn ION
  By Jamie M. - October 10 - 2:03 pm

  Got my Ion in 05. I would say this car has good performance, only that would be when it wants to. After having the car for 13 months I began to have troubles with getting my keys out of ignition. This would drain my battery. I took it to saturn they said there is no problem. I accepted that and kept the car. Now I find out after replacing the battery multiple times (which they r expensive batteries) that this is a common problem. My car stalls on me and will not restart for about 15-20 minutes--during which time it is draining my battery. I am so disgusted with this car. Prior to this I drove a 2000 Saturn Coupe..Loved it! My opinion of Saturn has changed for the worse with this car!!!

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  Not sure it was a wise choice - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By pnhdad11 - October 10 - 7:03 am

  We like the looks and it is comfortable. But it has been in twice for a leaking sunroof. It also has had a transmission leak, shock absorber leak and bad bushings. This past week it was back in and needs a new starter and power steering pump. It has had work on the transmission and electrical issues, warning that the hood was open and irregular tire pressure readings. The slightest hill causes it to downshift. On the highway, I have gotten up to 25 mpg so that has been good.

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  No-brag gem for the practical driver - 2006 Saturn ION
  By Greenwich CT - October 10 - 3:40 am

  My cars: 80 Audi 5000, 82 Olds Ciera, 89 Bronco, 95 Explorer, 2000 Taurus SE, 2003 BMW 325xi, 2006 Saturn Ion 2. We have Mercedes and Toyota vehicles too. Most reliable: Ion. Cheapest: Ion. Best mileage: Ion. Best in all weather conditions: Ion, Taurus, 325. Best base stereo: Ion. Most practical storage features in a sedan: Ion. Cheapest interior: Ion. Least adjustable everything: Ion. Least curb appeal: Ion. Fastest depreciation: Ion. The Ion is a solid, simple, reliable, comfortable enough, safe, low cost American car if what you mostly need from a car is...a car. A friend has a Maserati. Cool. But worth nine of these? Pfff. Buy this and a Solstice and laugh all the way to the bank.

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  I wish I hadnt purchased this car - 2009 Saturn Aura
  By Janet Werner - October 9 - 9:50 am

  At first I thought perhaps I was being hypersensitive, but the more I drive may Aura (3.6 engine), the more I hate it. I initially considered taking it in to see if something was wrong with it, but I had a 4cyl loaner for a day and it was even worse. I looked on the blog to see what others thought and the very first review I read summed it up - the transmission "hunts" and it is "jerky". It is so jerky that it feels like you are driving a stick shift, but you have not control over it. I am so upset about spending big bucks on something that makes me nauseous to drive - I wish I could return it!

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  First new car, first Saturn, great car - 2003 Saturn ION
  By Eric T - October 8 - 10:00 am

  This is a great car. A lot of car for the price. It is very fun to drive and has great pickup and handling. I see a lot of complaints about the styling but it isnt as weird as people are saying. The center-mounted instrument panel is easier to see since I dont have to look through the steering wheel. The auto headlights and anti-lockout are nice features as are the vents for rear passengers. I didnt get the top of the line stereo but it still sounds great with the bass turned up. The engine is remarkably quiet although the 16" tires are not. Fuel economy is already great even though its not at optimum levels yet.

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  From VUE to ION - 2006 Saturn ION
  By JAMES - October 6 - 7:26 pm

  This 2006 Saturn ION is my third Saturn and I feel it is the best yet. The ride is so much nicer than the 2003 VUE I had, but it is no better on gas than the VUE was. The guages were not hard to get used to and I like them. The black paint is something I would change if I could. The black interior is sweet.

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  HEADACHE - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By emilyjooooo - October 5 - 6:13 pm

  Ive had my Aura for about a year now. I bought it used at a dealership with about 73k miles on it. It seemed like a great car. I was loving it, until things start going wrong. FIRST the dealership never gave me my key fob, forcing me to use the auto locks, which both have stopped working. Then someone hit me, having me replace the strut, costing over $300. And after that I have had never ending problems. A clicking noise under the hood and a bumping noise on wheel still, both have been said nothing is wrong. AND my steering is jerky and it also eats up oil. AND I only get about 16 mpg city, which is what I mostly drive. Every time I try to get it fixed, they say there is nothing wrong!