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:

• 

  I love IT - 2004 Saturn ION
  By Iittlebugs246 - April 9 - 10:00 am

  The buying process was great. Love the car, the 6cd MP3 player. Its nice and fun to drive.

• 

  Bang for your Buck! - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By Angela - April 6 - 5:13 pm

  This has been a great starter family vehicle for my family. It has a spacious interior and a comfortable ride. Simple styling, not over done. With a 5-star crash test rating to boot, this is an all around great vehicle.

• 

  ONE YEAR LATER - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By LIBBY - April 6 - 2:16 pm

  I wasnt planning to buy a Saturn, but after test driving the competition (Honda CRV, Toyota RAV 4) I was more impressed with better ride and handling of the Vue. It has a bigger feel to it. I got the Sport package that gave me alot more for the price than the other vehicles. The gas mileage is great, and I have plenty of room to haul stuff around. Customer service is tops. I put on a lot of freeway miles, so the handling issue and safety rating was a key selling point. I traded in a little Sentra. What a difference for $7 more a month in car payment which includes the Car Care service.

• 

  Not all its cracked up to be - 2004 Saturn ION
  By Ny - April 3 - 1:43 am

  Ive had my ION 2 for 21 months, and Im not happy with it. The engine rumbles more than a new car should. The side windows fog up so bad that I cant see out of them at all, so I have to drive with the windows cracked open an inch in winter. The brakes have squealed from the beginning and they "hitch" when I first use them in the morning. The bottom of the instrument panel cover gets caught on my shoe and pulls off all the time, its very difficult to put back on. I realize you get what you pay for and this is a low-price car, but I was expecting a "bargain," not a "cheap" car. I had a KIA Spectra for the same price before and it was much better! I wanted to by American, and I regret it.

• 

  OK car - 2006 Saturn ION
  By Rita - April 2 - 6:13 pm

  I bought my 2006 Saturn ion new in April, 2006. For the first three years, it was perfect. However, in 2009 the power window on the drivers side quit working and it cost $300 to fix. The next thing was some sort of crazy quirk that froze the key in the ignition. After spending towing fees and replace the ignition, I found out that it might have been caused by parking it too long with the wheels turned hard left. (I know, I know - sounds goofy, but now I always make sure the wheels are perfectly in line when I park.) anyway, it does get good gas mileage (I have a long commute), it is ok comfort wise for a car of its class. However, if it does anything else, I am going to trade it.

• 

  I love my VUE - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By cxc7936 - April 2 - 10:00 am

  My VUE is my second Saturn. I chose the V6 for its additional power without giving up fuel economy- 20 city 26 highway. I wanted a larger vehicle because I now have a bad back, and the seat on the VUE adjusts to the perfect height to minimize the strain on my lower back. Also it is the perfect size for me and not too huge, like a Suburban or something. It handles very well for an SUV and I love it. Way to go Saturn and thank you for my VUE!

• 

  5000 miles - GREAT BUY !! - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By ACruz - March 30 - 6:50 am

  Just bought a great piece of art ! Astra XR Cpe. Well put together interior, fit and finish with high quality materials, very solid and firm ride & handling, on the exterior, I love the headlamps along with the chrome pieces on the upper and lower grilles and needless to say rear quarter & dlid outstanding style, plus 32 mpg...

• 

  New Vue Owner - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By Rick - March 29 - 4:30 pm

  Recommend over the Equinox. V6 has much better performance and fuel economy versus the V6 in the Equinox. Very quiet car. Transmission shifts very smoothly. Seat arm rests need a bit more length. Foglamp performance is terrible.

• 

  Going to be my last Saturn...sad - 2004 Saturn ION
  By Aaron - March 29 - 1:16 pm

  My wife and I bought a new ION (9th Saturn for my family since 94) and before it reached 10000 miles we had to take it to the dealership 3 times for suspension issues (suspension arm/brushings replaced). It also lunges forward between 2nd and 3rd gear when accelerating slowy and it downshifts and jerks backwards when coasting down hills. When I roll my windows up and down it sounds like a jack-in-the-box before it pops open. My 94 Saturn was great. It had 180,000 on it before we traded it in and got a 2008 Civic. I really dont think the ION will make it that long.

• 

  offroadvue - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By offroadvue - March 28 - 10:00 am

  the vue drives very quiet and smooth almost like its eletric it shifts so nice and easy you cant hardly feel it accels pretty nice also I rearly drive it but my wife loves it plus it has massive safty features thats what i love about the Saturn VUE good job you all! THUMBS UP!