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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  Great Car to Drive - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By trroper - September 25 - 4:26 am

  I love my Vue, however I do notice that when going over a bump in the road the car seems to have a like sound like things are rattling. It handles the road like a pro. Great on gas.

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  Good Choice - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By rush5400 - September 22 - 2:00 am

  Prior SUV rode like a truck. The Saturn has the room and comfort with the ride of a sedan. Looked at small SUVs for a year and decided on the Vue.

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  Great SUV! - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By kevin s - September 22 - 2:00 am

  Wouldnt change a thing, hang on...this baby is loaded with torque!

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  Saturn ion - 2004 Saturn ION
  By dvswift - September 22 - 2:00 am

  The new ion is not only has a cute exterior, but the interior design is very driver friendly. The car performs well and "feels" safe when you are driving. After driving Fords for the past 10 years, this is a very nice change.

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  My Saturn Vue-Wee - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By jus4char - September 20 - 2:00 am

  I love my new Saturn Vue, Ive been in the SUV market for 2 years. For the price Saturn is #1. Just go easy on a windy day.

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  What a great vehicle! - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By Ryan - September 18 - 11:50 am

  I recently traded in my 2004 gas guzzling Chevy Silverado for the much acclaimed Saturn Aura. I kept reading glowing reviews about the Aura and decided to take one for a drive. I was extremely impressed. Visually the car is stunning. For my taste it is much more attractive than the Camry, Accord, or even some luxury models like Volvo.

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  AWSOME - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By klosurdo - September 16 - 2:00 am

  fun to drive.Lots of room for driver and passangers. Lots of storage space.

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  My Vue - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By aupperle11 - September 16 - 2:00 am

  I love this vehicle, it is easy to park, looks great, drives great with plenty of pep when I need it but also reasonable gas mileage around town. I am 59 years old and this is my favorite vehicle of any that I have ever owned. The Saturn policies of customer service also brought me back to them for my second Saturn, the Vue.

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  saturn ion - 2004 Saturn ION
  By simone - September 16 - 2:00 am

  bought it for my daughter, has a a four speed standard trans thats really easy to drive(and fun! )great on gas, handles real well, rear drs swing out opposite front drs,fairly roomy for a small car, and it has an upgraded stereo system. 0% financing for 5 yrs made it a real sweet deal.

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  great car - 2004 Saturn ION
  By jgirl - September 16 - 2:00 am

  The saleswoman was wonderful. I owed a lot more on my trade in than it bluebooked for and she got me four hundred!!! dollars more than any other dealership bacause of the condition and the new tires,etc.