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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  Love My Aura! - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By Love My Aura! - February 18 - 8:46 pm

  I had not even considered Saturn when I started looking for a new car. I saw a great deal in the paper and decided to check it out. I had driven a few other cars, but Saturn really had it all. I also found it to be superior to the similar, newly designed Malibu. It is a surprisingly smooth ride and the heated cloth seats are amazing! With the Aura, I was able to get all the features that I was looking for, at a great price! I would definitely recommend this car if you are searching.

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  Consider my Astra kissed. - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By Jason - February 18 - 8:23 am

  I went from a Cadillac CTS to the Astra. I needed a comfortable commuter car with better fuel economy. So far the Astra has been a great decision. Its not only comfortable, but the interior is nicely designed and feels very premium. Not bad for under 20K. The exterior design is awesome. Ive already gotten a ton of complements. GM did a great job on this compact car.

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  One of Best New Vehicles Ever Owned - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By Milton - February 15 - 6:46 pm

  Its a very fun vehicle to drive. IlLove it! Handles great. The steering seem a little quick, but I can adjust to it.. That may be because I have been driving a Suburban and a large motorhome.

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  Terrible Car - 2006 Saturn ION
  By JC - February 15 - 2:00 am

  The transmission started shifting hard. Took it to a transmission shop and had it looked at, was told every- thing seemed ok. It got worse. Months later, took the car to a different transmission shop, I was told it felt like it was skipping from first to third gear. When taking off, the car stays in first gear and you have to take your foot off the pedal to let it shift into second gear.took it to a Saturn dealer, told the transmission might be going out and it would cost $3,000.00 to fix it. was told to just drive the car until it went completely out instead of spending that kind of money. Now when you put the car in gear, all the interior and exterior lights flicker. fuses are fine. stuck!

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  Cheap and Unreliable - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By Clo - February 13 - 11:46 am

  Fuel gauge problems, replaced brake rotors twice, electrical failure, deffective coolant cap burst on the road, now we have transmission problems. Wish we could replace the car now but we owe almost as much as the trade in value. The day this car comes off warranty is the day we trade it in. We try to buy American, but this car has shaken our confidence in American cars.

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  2002 Saturn VUE - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By Mrs. Calhoun - February 12 - 2:00 am

  An excellent vehicle for the money. Saturn made the buying experience very pleasant, and has given me excellent service.

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  definitely worth a look - 2003 Saturn ION
  By schillidog - February 12 - 2:00 am

  Saturn greatly improves on their small car platform with the new ion line. more power, space and better looks i bought this car in july 03 and have had no problems with it the car gets good gas mileage and has a good performance along with it all backed by saturns reputation for reliability and helpfulness through dealerships

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  great, well-balanced vehicle - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By happy in VA - February 12 - 2:00 am

  Examined many SUVs, went with Saturn. Great price point for a well-built SUV. Carlike, but still w/AWD, cargo room. Got the toys, making a car that turns heads (roof rack, side steps, etc.). 15 K miles with only regular maintenance. LOVE this car. Still has the white on black guages, but the new ones went to the black on white that I dont like as much. Minor detail tho. Consider this car.

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  2007 Ion 3 Quad Coupe Auto w/ 2.4 L - 2007 Saturn ION
  By indie82 - February 10 - 10:50 pm

  Compare this car to other cars in the same class like the Honda Civic. You get a lot more car for less money. Ride is quiet and smooth. The engine screams and it shifts very smooth.

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  This Vue is impressive - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By Rudge - February 9 - 3:16 pm

  The 08 Vue with the 3.6 V-6 is awesome. It is smooth and powerful. A TRD Tundra was no match last week for this barn burner. The interior controls are perfectly laid out and of supreme quality. People really like its looks. Car has over 5000 miles so far with no issues. I glad I bought this over the CRV and the RAV4.