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:

• 

  07 Ion is a great car & fun to drive - 2007 Saturn ION
  By I Love my saturn - February 9 - 1:26 am

  I am currently looking into a 2nd car for my hubby. We both love it and we are seriously considering getting the exact same car, same year: used of course as it has been a year and a 1/2 since we bought it. We bought a demo so it had a few hundred miles on it when we got it & it came with a good warranty. We really feel it is a wonderful car. I like the idea that the car isnt going to ding up & that the car in a few years will still look as nice as it does now. There are some minor issues which I see from other reviews that has bothered other drivers too. More on those later in my review. I do like the center instrument panel & the stereo especially. everything is really easy to use.

• 

  Nice Car - 2006 Saturn ION
  By p. Jackson - February 8 - 2:13 am

  Handles good, good performance, love the 2.4 litre engine and the performance package, onstar,etc. the list goes on. I have had my ION 3 for a month and have no compalints. I dont understand why the car critics arent more fovorible towards the Saturn.

• 

  New Ion owners - 2005 Saturn ION
  By stevegcar - February 5 - 1:13 pm

  We loved the look of the Saturn Ion and the price was great. When we went to purchase a car we were not hassled by a salesman. They were very approachable and not pressuring. The sales team did not try to suffocate us or tell us we could not afford a car and take us to the used car section like many other dealerships. The whole experience was a positive one. We went in with a trade- in and walked out with a new car. The car is great it rides and handles well. Its a 4-cylinder car but amazingly it has the power and pick-up of a 6. We love almost everything about this car.

• 

  Pleasantly suprised. - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By Bakerman23 - February 1 - 1:43 am

  From the moment I test drove this car till now I have loved every single moment. The acceleration is peppy for a 4 cylinder. The suspension is great, and the car feels really solid. Im glad I spent the extra money for this car over the Astra.

• 

  Nice Astra! - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By B-Dog - January 22 - 12:50 am

  In one weeek, Ive put over 1,500 miles on my Astra XR 3-Door, and Ive enjoyed every single one of them. I traded in a 2005 Saab 9-3 Sedan, and I like this car even better (and I loved my Saab). My car had 3,500 miles on it when I purchased, and though not perfect, its very close. Its very solid, handles beautifully, feels quicker than the numbers say, and looks hot (esp. in Salsa Red)! The manual transmission and clutch work very well, the steering wheel controls are very useful and not THAT hard to figure out (they give you a book for em - read it!!), the seats are terrific on long trips, and the brakes are great! My 30 MPG combined average doesnt hurt either.

• 

  Great Ride - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By puggy0902 - January 21 - 10:00 am

  The V6 AWD is a great running vehicle. Im very impressed with its nimble handling and smooth ride. The V6 has plenty of get up and go. The interior is spacious and has plenty of cool storage opportunities

• 

  Saturn Vue 250 - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By francis s - January 17 - 10:00 am

  I really like this vehicle. 250 horse engine is powerful and smooth. The rids is very nice. I was going to drive it however my wife takes it to work first. I like the styling and the size. I first was considering a Vibe, however like the size of the VUE better. I should have gotten the 17 inch wheels, but there are none available in the midwest with front wheel drive.

• 

  i love my car - 2004 Saturn ION
  By meliss - January 17 - 10:00 am

  i love this car it is so much fun, gets awesome gas milage and looks really nice.

• 

  WHAT a value! - 2004 Saturn ION
  By quantumman - January 17 - 10:00 am

  My parner and I are auditors. We travel from 500 to 1000 miles/week. Saturns are our car of choice. We had a 2001 SL, we put 125,000 miles on it in 2.5 years. NO problems, at all. It was recently retired and replaced with a 2004 ION 1, 5 speed automatic. What a fantastic little car. The electric steering is a blast. Effortless. omfortable. Period-on that subject. Im 61, my partner is 64-the legroom and headroom is more than ample-its better than the Chevy Impala we recently rented while on vacation. Its much quiter than its predecessor, and delivers a remarkable ride for a small car. You just cant go wrong at this price!

• 

  Best Car Ever - 2004 Saturn ION
  By AE2001 - January 17 - 10:00 am

  Besides the Ion being an excellent car, the Saturn dealerships have excellent staff that go out of the way to make sure the customer is happy! No hassel!