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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  Ions Rock - 2003 Saturn ION
  By TSCBoy - September 26 - 10:00 am

  Lives up to Saturns standard of providing the best value for your automobile purchase dollar. It is cute, zippy and practical.

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  Love it - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Jacki - September 26 - 10:00 am

  Perfect size, fun to drive.

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  Love the truck - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By fire3712 - September 26 - 10:00 am

  I bought this truck and it was one of the first they had. It has been great. I have had no problems. I got the four cylinder with a 5-speed. It has great pick-up and the brakes are good. I take this truck everywhere. I down-sized from a Yukon and couldnt be happier. I would tell anybody to give this truck a chance. You will like it.

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  Dont believe Editors Ratings - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Brenda - September 26 - 10:00 am

  While the interior may be bland, and the plastic knobs cheap to some...I bought the car for reliablity....I LOVE IT !

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  The Sky is the limit - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By Lou Gonzales - September 23 - 9:03 am

  When I first saw the Sky at the LA Auto show I fell in love. I went to the dealer and gave a deposit. I said that I would have to drive it first to make sure I really would be satisfied with my purchase. When my car arrived the dealership called me and set up a time for me to view and test drive the new 07 Saturn Sky. After about 1 mile I realized that I had made the right decision. The car handles better than my 04 Z4 BMW and looks way better. I never thought I would be driving a Saturn but this car is hot. I love this car.

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  Almost 3 years - 2003 Saturn ION
  By GaryM - September 23 - 1:20 am

  The car has yet to let me down. I have had several trips to the dealer, and almost always got the car back while I waited. The free rental with my service contract made any overnight problems bearable. The tires seem to be about gone. This is a little better than I expected for OEM tires. The 16" low profile tires gave the car the best handling I have has with a small car. The transmission shifts good most of the time, but occasionaly hunts when the acceleration drops off near its shift point. The front seats have a tremendous amount of leg room. However, the rear seat passenger can loose all of their leg room to the front seat. The car is comfortable on long trips.

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  Thanks for the reviews! - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By Larry_Va - September 22 - 6:50 am

  I love my new Astra 3dr XR. I drive a delivery route and this is the perfect car for it. I am getting about 27 MPG. I do a lot of stop and go driving. This car has the pep to get me into traffic with no problems. Plenty of room for my deliveries. I like the fact that I have only seen 1 other on the road in my area. Everyone loves its style and I love the performance. This car handles like its on rails. I took advantage of the GM employee pricing and am happy with the price I paid for this very well equiped car. My father works for a chevrolet dealership and had nothing to offer me in comparison. My Astra has the very stylish 18" wheels and the up-graded radio. Plus I tinted the windows.

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  Saturn Outlook - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By Kim - September 21 - 12:43 am

  I wanted to write and warn anyone who is considering the Saturn Outlook that this vehicle has been a nightmare for me and my family. We have had it for 5 months and it has been in the shop for repairs 6 times in the last 6 weeks. We have had water leaking, engine light on, engine running when the keys are out of the ignition, radio coming on when we are not in the vehicle, and finally the complete lack to start. Saturn has been very difficult to deal with and we are in the process of a lemon law claim. Our vehicle has been repaired several times with after market materials and its always returned to us in filthy condition. I strongly suggest not purchasing a Saturn Outlook.

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  Not so sure - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By christyd - September 20 - 11:03 am

  I absolutely loved this car at first, but since owning if for one year now, I am starting to change my mind. There are some issues (such as my power steering making a funky noise and jerking when I turn the wheel) that need worked on with the cars. Take those issues away and it is a very cute car with features that a lot of much pricier cars dont have. Also, it gets a lot of looks and compliments!

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  Love my ION - 2004 Saturn ION
  By Scott Sophos - September 20 - 2:00 am

  I am shocked that I do not see the Saturn ION on more "best lists". It is wonderful to drive, inexpensive, reliable, and my quad coupe ALWAYS receives comments on the streets for its design and looks.