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 vying well after 90,000 miles - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By rollo - October 11 - 10:00 am

  This car rides like a lumber wagon on streets that arent in great shape. It has to stiff of a suspension and I have over a 100,000 miles on it isnt holding up like a car made in Japan would. The brakes are to small for comfortable stopping, I have vibration and shaking in my rotors. Looks great but for the long haul I wouldnt recommend.

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  Absolutely satisfied with ION! - 2005 Saturn ION
  By Dora - October 10 - 4:36 pm

  It is my first new vehicle purchase and I have to say that getting a Saturn ION 3 has been the best choice. From the moment I walked into the dealership I felt extremely comfortable, the sales people where genuinely interested in my best interest rather than the sale of a car. I also did my research prior to buying and I am satisfied with the performance of the ION. Its truly a fun car to drive. I have had my ION for about a month now and so far I have no complaints on the car or the dealership. It is nice to know that I had a great experience on the purchase of my first car. The ION is a reliable car for the price.

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  Power Steering went out - 2006 Saturn ION
  By Cruces2009 - October 8 - 6:10 pm

  I got my car in Oct. 2005 and really had no problems and was planning on trading in for a Vue or Outlook with in the next year or so and then Yesterday my Power Steering went out, it was hard to turn and scary driving over a mountain with my two daughters alone. As soon as I turned off engine it was fine again. I went to dealership and its going to cost $1,000 to replace and to top it off I found out lots of people are having the same problem, this really stinks, I plan on calling customer service tommorrow, really wish there was a recall. :(

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  Great car - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By lacey - October 8 - 5:16 pm

  Very nice car. Good ride. Owned a BMW but is pleased with the accommodations. Regret the co. not makes this car.

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  Dont ever buy a Saturn Hybrid - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By pdberry - October 7 - 6:26 pm

  We bought this car a year ago. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Hybrid, fuel efficient, American made too. We made a huge mistake. This has to be one of the worst cars ever made. The handling, ride, power, finish are all lousy. Plus, the bottom line is, our year old car is broken, and Saturn do not know how to fix it, nor do they care. Run in the other direction from this vehicle, and from Saturn in general. Never, ever, ever again will we buy a Saturn.

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  Lots of plastic - 2004 Saturn ION
  By ElectricBlue - October 7 - 9:26 am

  This is our third Saturn, and weve loved all of them. The ION QC3 is Electric Blue, and the exterior definately has a much more thought-out exterior than the sedan. I also love the interior design; its so nice to see something different, even if its molded in rock-hard plastic. The main reason for this is because the polymer panels are so expensive, they have to cut back somewhere. This car is very fun to drive, and the rear access doors have been known to cause a crowd to gather. The CVT provides a quick boost of power when needed, btu it starts to whine at higher RPMs. Quite literally. The seats dont offer much lateral support under hard cornering, but are comfortable otherwise.

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  first saturn - 2004 Saturn ION
  By d day - October 7 - 2:00 am

  i was originally ready to buy a used 2001 saturn sl1. but with the rebates and financing for a few dollares more a month i could get a new ion. i was looking for a car in this subcompact class anyway. i need a car with trunk space and for the price i cant beat it.

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  What a great SUV!! - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By CEpley - October 6 - 10:00 am

  This is my 3rd Saturn but my 1st SUV. Great handling, good design, solid feel on the road, great visibility, good gas mileage. Solid construction and no cheesy parts. Were very happy. Ive put 1000 miles on it in 3 weeks :)

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  Glad To Drive a Standard! - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By ifmullins891 - October 5 - 10:55 am

  My Saturn (which we purchased used) has been great...until recently. We put a lot of miles on the poor thing and use it for all that its worth and it still starts up! If youre looking for a car to get you from point A to point B with no particular thrills or any real "excitement," then I would absolutely recommend only this model. However, I highly recommend you DONT tow anything heavy with this car...it just cant handle it! However, I have no real complaints (didnt replace the clutch until recently and have only started to see some problems with the car). She has almost 168,000 miles and shes still going (fairly) strong. Go VUE!

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  Great Car for the Price! - 2004 Saturn ION
  By Sarah - October 5 - 7:10 am

  I recently bought my first Saturn, an ION 1. Overall, I am very pleased with the car. It has nice pickup and the turning radius is amazing! The body style is very nice and looks much more expensive than many other economy cars (though it is very inexpensive). I love the alloy wheels (it was a special order) and nice roomy interior. The headlights are not very bright. Overall, a great car for the money!