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:

• 

  Great Car - 2009 Saturn Aura
  By Michael - February 27 - 10:00 am

  I have had my Saturn for over 2 years and its been great. The ride is smooth and it gets good gas mileage for a v 6 @25 a gallon. Love the bluetooth and XM as well as the onstar directions so much car for such a great price to bad Saturn is no more another bad move by GM.

• 

  best in class - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By mhines - February 23 - 2:00 am

  great- fun to drive

• 

  Well My Ion2 is... - 2004 Saturn ION
  By ion2saturn2 - February 23 - 2:00 am

  I Love my ion2 its sleek, reliable, a speed demon when i want it to and it, and it makes me look so totally cool

• 

  Best vehicle by Saturn yet! - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By Phil - February 23 - 12:36 am

  Before this car I had a 2000 Saturn LS1, that I had bought new. I was very happy with that car overall. It was very dependable, so when it came time to get a new car I felt I needed to check the new Saturns. I test drove the Aura and it felt nothing like my LS. Everything was different, from the power to the anti glare mirrors. The Aura has much roomier back seat which is great for my 10 year old daughter and her friends. It is extremely quiet on the highway.

• 

  Best you can get - 2006 Saturn ION
  By Yeah4Stomper - February 21 - 1:43 pm

  I have had a VW Jetta, Nissan Sentra, Toyota Corolla and now the Saturn ION. Help my mother-in-law buy two cars. And speaking from service at the dealership, it has been the easiest car I have ever bought. Saturn dealership does not try to sell you something you do not want, nor did I have to hassle over the price. Car saleperson works on a salary, not volume or commission. Only took an hour and I was out the door - great service. And the car, it is a gem. The car has OnStar, drives well - completely quit. And the power is more than my Nissan Sentra SE-R. I am thinking of trading my wifes car in for another Saturn Ion. She cannot wait.

• 

  A Luxury Saturn! - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By glvstnboi - February 20 - 4:50 am

  The looks got me to the dealership on this car but it was the handling on the windy roads that sold me. I feel more like Im in a European version of a Caddie than a Saturn. The gas mileage is proving to be as predicted. Im not certain on the power yet but I suspect that the vehicle and I havent finished adjusting to each other.

• 

  QUICK REPLACEMENT VEHICLE - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By COMMA - February 18 - 10:00 am

  On August 29, 2003, my daughters car was hit head-on and had to be written off. We had to figure out a replacement car for her. My wife owned a 2002 S-1 Saturn. We gave my daughter the 2oo2 and brought the SATURN VUE for my wife. She has stated that she will never own another vehicle. The VUE, with V-6 and AWD, is all the power anyone needs. GREAT SUV TO DRIVE.

• 

  Saturn VUE, a top quality SUV - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By David Knight - February 18 - 10:00 am

  My new Saturn Vue combines comfort, build quality and economy (yes, the interior is not fancy yet the materials are of excellent quality and the appointments are well thought out.) In a recent trip from Virginia to Massachusetts we achieved nearly 30 mpg. Its not a Maseratti on the get aways but power with the manual 5-speed is totally adequate. Apparently steering on the 04 has been improved. Mine is very precise.

• 

  Fun. No complaints. - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By doubleeeee - February 18 - 10:00 am

  17000 miles and happier now than when I first brought it home. No real issues. The Vue handles nice, is comfortable, reasonably priced, plenty of cargo room and very reliable so far. In summary.. I have NO complaints.

• 

  Blue Sky - 2008 Saturn Sky
  By Jimmy - February 15 - 2:00 pm

  Beautiful little car that our kids have used more than we. Absolutely no problems and the few recalls were addressed. To date we have been extremely lucky/happy with both of our 2008 Saturns, one SKY and one Aura.