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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  Saturn Ion - 2004 Saturn ION
  By Matt Ryan - February 2 - 2:00 am

  I have only had my Ion 2 for a month or so, but so far Ive had no problems with it. The only thing that Ive noticed is that it idles a little louder than other cars in its class.

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  Red Line Vue the Way to Go! - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By DJ888 - January 28 - 10:00 am

  This car is very peppy. The Red Line styling is very sharp, with its 18" wheels, lower suspension and chrome tailpipe. Its fun to drive, and very roomy for a smaller SUV. Quite sporty for a Saturn.

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  Fun car to drive until 100,000 miles - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Amy - January 22 - 7:23 am

  I bought my Vue brand new 5 years ago. Fun to drive, easy to carry large cargo and to transport adults with limited mobility. Once the car hit 100,000 it fell apart. I have replaced the transmission at 100,000, accelerator sensor, catilytic converter and exhaust valve, coil pack with spark plugs. Within the past year I had to replace the ignition and when the car was under warranty a cylinder head was replaced. After $10,000 in repairs, I would not consider another Saturn.

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  Good for the Money - 2003 Saturn ION
  By dmfreeland - January 17 - 12:56 am

  Overall I think the ION is a decent car, especially considering the price. There were a few downsides to buying a car the first year it was offered. 1)I had to deal with a few recalls 2)The ION back then was more expensive than the newer IONs . 3) OnStar (and I think satellite radio) were not options on 03 models. This is a fun car to drive and overall I really enjoy the ION. However, Saturn parts are more expensive than most other makes, some parts have to be ordered and while I do drive a lot, I have had to put an estimated $5,000 into repairs.

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  Beauty and the Beast - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By Windell - January 14 - 9:46 pm

  When I first heard about this car I said, "Aura Who", until I did my du- diligence on this car. I test drove the XE V6 and it was peppy than drove XR V6 and it was awesome. It amazing how 25 horse power makes a differences in performance. I had a 300zx twin turbo and it was very fast but compared with this sports sedan its almost the same experience. Cornering is tight and 6.5 to 6.8 in the 0-60. With the big 18" wheels this makes the car look aggressive and handsome at the same time.

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  good for me - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By saltyc - January 13 - 9:40 pm

  I have a 03 Vue 5 speed manual and my Vue has been very dependable. It has been from Florida to Kentucky and back twice and all in between. The only problems I have had are the squeaky steering wheel, had the deal greese for $50.00, problem fixed. The entire rear end shakes when applying the brakes. Need to have all 4 done.

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  My Saturn ION 3 - 2003 Saturn ION
  By Aimee Hagerty - January 9 - 10:00 am

  This is my second Saturn. My husband and I traded our 2002 s series for the larger ion because we are expecting our first child. We LOVE this car. But unfortunately, we have developed some problems with this model. We are told that these things can happen with a new model. Although Saturn is doing what they can to fix this. Its still been an upsetting experience. Still, we love the concept of the Saturn car company.

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  Red Ion - 2003 Saturn ION
  By Andy Cooper - January 9 - 10:00 am

  I am very happy with this car. My previous car was a 93 Ford Ranger.

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  Yummy Car for Kids - 2003 Saturn ION
  By Sarah000 - January 9 - 10:00 am

  this car is wonderful for teen drivers, their every dependable and comftorble and stylish...i love it

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  LOVE THAT SATURN - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By PARKY - December 27 - 2:00 am

  Having driven various models from several manufacturers I settled on the SATURN. The bang for the buck is very good. 250 HP a five speed automatic that is really smooth and quiet. I think the seats could be abit larger but the overall comfort and fun to drive factors are very high. Everything worked right out of the box and the sales/service experience is terrific.