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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  Euro feel from Kansas City - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By MT - November 11 - 6:43 pm

  Saturn has successfully brought over the German essence of this car. The exterior is very striking - Ive recently had a Passast, Audi A4 and Audit allroad. This compares well. The interior is close to these cars but a bit below - see first suggestion below. Fit and finish is so much better than any previous Saturn. Driving on both highway and back roads is a pleasure - good feel,quiet (except standard tires are not so quiet or good and theres maybe 2 aftermarket alternatives). Vision Ok but A pillar is obtrusive. The engine is very strong and works well with tranny. It is definitely a lot of car for the money and if you find the right combo of incentives/rebates it is a steal.

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  What A Difference from 2003 - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Skullbash - November 4 - 10:00 am

  I traded in my 2003 VUE for the new 2004, and am amazed at the changes made in a single model year. Its like a whole new vehicle. The car really likes to go! The ride is quieter with better road feel, though the car seems a tiny bit more reluctant to turn (tighter steering).

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  Never Again - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Used to love saturn - November 1 - 5:13 pm

  I bought at about 30,000 miles in 2006. Since then, have had to replace 2 wheel bearings- soon to be 3, the whole front axel, sensors, the ac sensor and $1500 in other parts, etc. Total of costs I have had to put into it are half of what I paid for car! Now I understand why Saturn cars are no longer being made!!! PS. I had problems with areas of car that were on warranty. I had car into dealer 3 times before warranty up cause I had problems...they waited unti warranty up to actually figure out what was wrong and wouldnt cover under warranty..Said it wasnt there warranty to make the choice.

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  Disappointment in Fuel Economy - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By Dan - October 30 - 2:46 am

  I recently purchased my Outlook in. I thought I was ahead of the game by purchasing an Outlook instead of the Toyota Sienna. My number one reason for purchasing the Outlook was the advertised fuel economy. I thought it was too good to be true and I was right. I have exactly 2,596 miles on the vehicle. I use the cruise control religously on the freeway with just myself in the vehicle going at the speed of 65mph and I can never get better than 20mpg. I also had the time to test the outlook driving in the city until I had to get gas with just myself in the vehicle at all times and the best mileage I got was 13 mpg. I am so unhappy. Next time I will rent a car before I purchase.

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  Mid-life crises on a budget - 2005 Saturn ION
  By engofct - October 25 - 8:43 am

  What a surprise to be able to find $20,000 car with more expensive sports car performance. The acceleration with the supercharger is incredible. You can feel the supercharger kick in and it throws you in the back of the Recaro seat. The handling is excellent, crisp and with minimal swaying. The 45ZR/17 tires are sticky. The styling is sporty, but not too flashy. The back seats are perfect for my two little girls. They call it a roller-coaster ride with daddy. Perfect car for 40 somethings without breaking the bank.

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  Good for Big, Old Boys - 2003 Saturn ION
  By crow1938 - October 21 - 2:00 am

  Im 62", over 200 lbs and 64 years old. I can get in and out of the ION easily and just completed a 2000-mile trip with one 9-hour-days journey. I was never uncomfortable or saddle- sore. The ION had all the power I needed on the turnpikes and on the hills with 32 mpg. I got my first speeding ticket in 20 years. Dang! My other cars a Miata.

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  Vehicle would not shut off, key stuck - 2006 Saturn ION
  By 2006 Ion 2.4,level 3 - October 18 - 10:56 pm

  Today I could not get the key out of the ignition with the vehicle running. I called Onstar, they connected me to a tow truck service. I called Saturn of Warren, Michigan. Mike at the Service Department did not seem surprised at all of the problem with the vehicle. He stated to me as the key is used in the ingintion, metal shavings come off the key and block up the ingintion center. I have owned the vehicle since 12 05, I also had the driver side window fall off the hinges on "the Freeway", I had to pull off at rush hour and push the window back in the door. Thankfully, I paid for the exented warrenty to 7 yrs or 75k miles, I wish now I paid for the 10, 100k warrenty.

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  Best coupe (and service) for the money! - 2003 Saturn ION
  By pupdaddy123 - October 9 - 10:00 am

  This car is fun, afforadable, and practical.

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  Excellent - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By nmlobo - October 3 - 6:10 pm

  Nearly two years and I still love this SUV. It averages 20MPG in all city driving and 25-27MPG highway. During one recent trip it delivered an amazing 32MPG on one leg

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  Not a Bad SUV - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By clarkerik - October 3 - 3:16 pm

  Like the car, looked at CR-V, RAV4 and settled on this for powerplant and body panels. Bridgestone tires are horrible in snow and even rain. Loud wind noise on opposite windows in any type of crosswind. Rear seats recline "almost" as much as coach airline seats. AWD is very slow to engage when front wheels spin. <20mpg in city driving. No problems in 15K miles other than to replace tires with all season.