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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  No Problemo - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By Smitty - August 2 - 11:23 pm

  I own a Honda, Jaguar, and a Saturn. I find myself driving the Saturn Sky Redline for enjoyment. It is pure fun. Of the line it is a terror! In my life I owned to many cars to list. These include a 442, 340 Dodge swinger, Turbo Buick, etc. Now at 60 years old I can compare more easily than when I was 30years old. You will not regret a Sky Redline , if you can buy one. It has features that compare to 40-50 thousand dollar cars.I bought my Redline Sky new,the dealer added a Fugita F5 Competition Cold Air Intake System, warranted for one year. I added a Borla Exhaust. This combination only skyrockets your enjoyment. I was looking at specs for other cars but keep coming back to the Red.

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  Its been a great car - 2003 Saturn ION
  By George - August 2 - 7:46 pm

  The Ion has been a great car. The only mechanical failure, other than routine stuff like tires and brakes was a front wheel hub. The engine and transmission was redesigned for this model year and can really move for a 4 cylinder.

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  Vue - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By hartzie72 - July 31 - 10:00 am

  Excellent SUV. Lots of power. Nice fit & finish.

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  LOVE MY VUE!! - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By John - July 30 - 3:20 am

  I have had my 2008 Saturn VUE XR Front wheel drive since June 2008, and LOVE it! I have a little over 10,000 miles on it. My Mom just purchased a 2009 VUE XR FWD, replacing a 1996 Ford Taurus wagon. I hope that the Saturn brand keeps going. By the way, this is my 2nd Saturn...I had a 1994 Saturn SL2.

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  Love it - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Dan - July 27 - 6:20 pm

  I have been well pleased with my VUE. It does everything I wanted it to do. It tows my camper with no problems. Plenty of power. It is comfortable to drive and to ride in (and Ive done both). I have had no troubles with it at all (none, nada, zilch). After three years, I still get compliments on the looks and ride. Just today I had four men as passengers and they all fit easily.

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  Owning my Saturn ION - 2007 Saturn ION
  By Amy Jordan - July 27 - 1:13 pm

  Ive had no problems owning this car. It has been a wonderful car since day one. I love the way it hugs corners, and the seats really support my body. I love the center dash because I dont really have to take my eyes off of the road to monitor my speed and other things, whereas you would to look between the steering wheel in a typical mounted dash. This economy sedan really puts the fun back into driving. The car is very responsive, but not too responsive like some cars. It seems to get pretty good gas mileage. This car performs very similar to a 6 cylinder car although it is a 4-cylinder. So I get good gas mileage in a car with plenty of power to get out of the way.

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  Im in Awe of my Aura - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By John Russell - July 27 - 5:00 am

  I have back problems after two painful surguries and the Aura was the only car that was really comfortable for me to drive in. The heated front seats are a major blessing for anyone disabled like me. The comfort of the ride is awesome. No side to side movement, and my back lets me know that this existed in all the other cars that we tested. The 3.6 litre engine with 6 speed transmission makes gear changes so smooth. This car is more like a limo in feel and ride. As much fun as a Porsche with its standard option of manual shifting with steering wheel mounted touch paddles to up and down shift. If you dont want that fun, you just use the great automatic transmission with the smooth ride.

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  awsome - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By hwiseman - July 25 - 10:00 am

  I wouldnt trade it for anything else it is the best vehicle i have ever driven

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  watch the sun - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By curls58 - July 25 - 10:00 am

  I love my VUE. Cant think of any major complaints. We did have a little problem with the turn signals which kept failing, but that was repaired. The sun visors are a concern to me. They really dont provide much protection from the sun. To get any use you have to tilt or cock your head at a strange angle.....Other then that, the VUE is my favorite car ever

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  The best SUV in the segment, hands down - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By Engineer007 - July 24 - 4:23 pm

  The Vue V6, in RedLine (mine) or standard dress, is the fastest, safest and most fuel efficient SUV (without going hybrid) in the <$30k market today. RedLine looks cool, has huge 18" rims and tires, handles on rails, and puts almost every other SUV to shame in performance, except maybe the Porsche Cayenne. $50k Sequoias cant keep up and get 1/2 of the gas mileage. I have an 05 BMW, the Vue Redline, and motorcycles. I enjoy the Vue the most.