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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  Awesome Car - 2007 Saturn ION
  By Darolds Ion - October 5 - 1:16 am

  My ION has been awesome from day one. Never a bit of trouble and it has been a delight to drive and own. I was rearended in Sep 07 by a SUV, and was hit hard and the ION took it well and thank God it was fixed. I drove a Mazda 6 as a rental and it was fun but I was jonesing for my ION the whole time. Will go with another Saturn again!

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  Brand new to Saturn and very happy - 2007 Saturn Outlook
  By MikeNSteph - October 4 - 6:13 pm

  So far this vehicle has been impressive to me. Id buy another Saturn just based upon this one, and I always thought they were budget vehicles. Youd never guess it was a Saturn. I looked at both the Buick and the GMC, the Saturns prices are better, the cars are all exactly the same to us, with some aesthetic differences but not enough to justify the huge price gap.

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  My Saturn Rocket! - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By JD - October 3 - 7:00 pm

  I purchased my Aura XR (black with tan leather) back in Aug. and have almost 5K miles and zero problems. It is a car with a smooth ride, smooth engine (very little vibration when idling), and I am amazed at how it keeps gliding after you let up on the accelerator. It just does not slow down. Speaking of not slowing down, the car is fast! The paddle shifters are a nice feature to add to the performance fun. I really love the amount of car I got for the money. I still cannot believe is is a Saturn. Even some of my co- workers were surprised. My gas mileage has been improving as well. My average is up around 24 mpg with mostly highway driving.

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  Bad transmission!! - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Lara - October 2 - 11:50 pm

  I bought this car used in 2007 for $8,000CAN with 110,000km on it (68,000 miles). Shortly after that it needed a drive chain, which was about $1,000. Everything was fine after that until last week! Although I love the look of this suv, I am disgusted that my transmission just blew at 143,00km (89,000 miles)! My mechanic said the transmissions in them are weak and prone to fail. They cost more to rebuild than to replace, and the cost of to replace the transmission is about $5000 all said and done. Unbelievable! It is not worth spending that kind of money so Im left with a vehicle worth about $800 and have to purchase something else. Very disappointing that this was not a RECALL.

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  Stunning Aura from Saturn? - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By Mark In Chicago - October 2 - 2:06 pm

  I have not purchased an American car in years. I am stunned by the fact that this Bronzed Pewter Saturn Aura XR is such a great car. I traded in a very fast 2004 Peal White Nissan Altima V6 SE which in my estimation is one hell of a car. The Aura in Bronze looks like a full sized Audi, goes like a scalded cat, has 18" wheels, and GM leased it to me with a residual value of 55%. Thats Honda resale territory, and if I were you I would run, do not walk, to your local Saturn dealer. Kudos GM.

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  2004 VUE Tow Car - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Aug/Bev - October 1 - 2:00 am

  I pruchased the 2004 VUE as a Tow car for my Motorhome. It is easy to handle and light enough to tow 4 on the floor. As a around the town vehicle, it is fun to drive. I would suggest it to all my friends to buy, especially to those who travel by motorhome.

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  What a Vehicle - 2007 Saturn Outlook
  By malabarbob - September 29 - 5:33 pm

  I get stopped all the time at a light when people roll down their window to ask me what kind of car it is. Gets almost 30 mpg at 55 mph and about 24 at 75 mph. Around town it gets a good 17 mpg. We got it loaded except for DVD and GPS. The diamond white tricoat really makes it and it stays a lot cooler in Florida. The remote start and electroni tailgate are awesome. Long rides are a pleasure and set ups for two drivers in seat placement and mirrors make it easy to adjust. Full airbags all around - front to back are well worth the price and I love my OnStar. Bought extra minutes just in case we loose phones during a hurricane. Polished aluminum wheels and exhaust chrome tips a plus.

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  So far, Sooo good! - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By LuckyDay - September 29 - 10:00 am

  All the way around, this is a solid vehicle. Overall quality, performance, appearance and comfort have all been as good as (or better than) I hoped. There dont seem to have been a lot of these sold in myarea; Ive been stopped 3 times in the past 2 days by people wanting to know what it was, and where they could get one!

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  Nice AWD - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By Dave - September 27 - 10:13 pm

  I have now owned this V6 AWD for 20 months, and it has been very reliable. I have 34,000 miles on it and have recently had the front strut mounts replaced. I was hearing a squeeky noice on bumps at slower speeds. Covered under warranty.I really like the V6 power train/transmission. Fuel economy has been good for V6/AWD small SUV.

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  My Saturn - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By debra merryman - September 27 - 9:46 pm

  I love my Saturn. It drives very nice and I can get in any spot. It is very big inside and I use it to pick up supplies for work all the time. This SUV was made for shopping.