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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  Surprisingly a great vehicle! - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By Andy F - February 6 - 7:13 am

  We bought this car because my wife loved it and the mileage was far better than our 99 Isuzu Rodeo. Frankly, I wasnt sold until we took it on an 800+ mile trip to Myrtle Beach. Folks, this is THE most comfortable vehicle I have even driven for 15 hours! And, you wanna talk acceleration and mileage? I set the cruise and 250 HP let us blow right by other cars even climbing hills in PA. Oh and did I mention we got almost 30 miles per gallon? If you are in the market for a crossover SUV, do yourself a favor and make sure you check out the VUE!

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  new experiences - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By denme - January 30 - 10:00 am

  first off, the ease of getting in and out of the vehicle, a great help on the back. Seat comfort was a surprise, and the adjustements to the drivers side were real easy. insturments were easy to read and to locate within a few minutes. The cargo bin, with the dividers, makes it a lot safer, it keep s things from sliding all over the place. All in all, it is a pleasure to drive, with fairly good gas mileage.

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  One Great Ride - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By LuvIt - January 24 - 11:33 am

  Owning this car has been a great experience. Overall handling is absolutely great. The Interior could use some added features (Storage compartments around the stick) which I noticed they did on the newer models but for the most part it has lots of room (Love the pop-up grocery carrier). Great mpgs for this car although it could be improved. Im sure they have done this with the newer models as well. As an owner I love this car. No problems with it so far.

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  Raving about ION - 2005 Saturn ION
  By Radu - January 23 - 4:20 pm

  My third Saturn, it has the same great reliability, and low cost of operation, but the 05 is vastly improved. Use of QuietSteel and powertrain mods makes the ride luxury-car quiet. Electronic throttle control (new for 05) provides excelent throttle response at any speed. Once one turns the ignition key the cranking sequence continues automatically until engine starts. How many economy cars have this feature? New for 05 suspension is much improved, small bumps dissapeared from roads the day I started driving it (Jan. 8, 2005). Very precise newly recalibrated steering, with excellent feel compared to the 2003 ION 3 I traded in. Distinct sense of refinement is felt right away, with great newly redesigned seats for 05. It has etter braking and grip performance than Accord V6, quieter than Mazda 3, 34 mpg in mixed freeway/city traffic.

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  Love at First Sight! - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By nasaman - January 23 - 12:23 am

  I decided to test drive the 2008 VUE based on the rave reports Id seen from European automotive writers (GM introduced the car there as the Opel Antara in 2006). I instantly fell in love & bought one although I plan to trade it for the 2010 Plug-in VUE with an EV range almost equal to that of the 2010 Chevy Volt. Im not an impulse buyer, so I did extensive research after my test drive. Bottom line: IMO the 08 Vue is the best suv on the world market for the money. Only BMWs X5 (nearly the same size/shape) is equal at 2-3X the price!

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  Saturn Ion 1 - 2005 Saturn ION
  By JLee3 - January 20 - 5:56 am

  I was looking for a good solid vechicle and fuel economy. So far I have not been let down. Had owned another saturn and never had 1 problem. Avg. 31 miles per gallon so far. Interior is basic but functional. Center gauge cluster took a little getting used to but love it now, not having to move hands to see. More powerful engine then others I test drove and still get good fuel milage. Like redesigned front end and steering wheel. Huge trunk. They need to add more seat bolstering to front seats. Ride is as good as larger cars I have owned.Very happy so far.

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  Lovin my ION! - 2005 Saturn ION
  By Bubbles1104 - January 19 - 7:20 am

  Have been driving a Saturn since 1992 and have always been satisfied with the performance, so when I wanted a new car I went back and test drove the ION2. I loved it and decided on the spot. The dash layout takes a little getting used, to but the style of it is great. The lines are sleek and sporty considering its a four door sedan, not a sedate looking car at all. Its very fun to drive and has a good factory sound system, no need to upgrade to something more exciting. After all, you can only listen to one song at a time! The color I chose was Storm Gray, which looks fabulous in the sunlight and is fairly easy to keep clean, but shows every little speck. I worry about scratches now

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  A Luxury Sports Sedan for Less - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By DaveZ - January 19 - 5:06 am

  I purchased the vehicle in January of 2007 based on its styling and fuel economy. I could not believe the features offered in the XR at the price offered. Its a Lexus or a Beemer, even looks like one but for much less. Also, the smoothness of the ride and the quietness as the car rolls along is unbelievable. GM, if you could make the XR a full hybrid, bye-bye Toyota.

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  Saturn V6 has get up and go - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By bweste - January 19 - 2:10 am

  The Saturn V6 has plenty of power and stil gets decent gas mileage. The interior is classy and the OnStar is great. Nice to have hands free phone use while driving. Only complaint, upgrade seats. They could be a little more comfortable, and need to wrap around you more like a bucket seat.

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  2nd Saturn - 2003 Saturn ION
  By Chip&Karen - January 16 - 10:00 am

  We bought an Ion to replace our 1993 SL1 that had 156K miles. We test drove the Ion and immediately fell in love. It was the only car we test drove.