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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  My First Car! - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By KRamos - January 26 - 6:10 am

  this was the first car that i got to buy by myself...i have driven many, many miles - long highway trips between texas, utah, colorado, and idaho, and have never had a problem. I had over 100,000 miles on it and had owned it for 5 years before the air conditioning went out and needed to be fixed...absolutely nothing else has gone wrong with the car! i have had no engine problems...i have kept it maintained and took it in for all its "check-ups"...the only reason i even traded it in was because i now have four children, and my whole family no longer fits in!!

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  Great Value - Heated Leather Seats!!! - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By Sweeps - January 26 - 4:06 am

  As an engineer, I travel for my work, and I have been in many rental cars. The Astra is a notch above. A great value, quality build, fun driver, and attracts lots of inquiries. Given my wife has a SUV, I sold my 1/2 ton 4X4 pick-up (15 MPG), purchased the Astra (great mileage) and a trailer for hauling. When gas is $4.00 a gallon - Ill be ready this time. The Saturn dealer was great to work with. And the heated leather seats are great!!. I have been to Germany and they know smaller, fuel efficient, and fun to drive cars. Recommend you get one before GM does something stupid and no longer supplies them via Saturn.

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  Replacing with Same - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By luvsaturns - January 25 - 7:02 am

  I loved my VUE until it was totaled in a side impact accident two weeks ago. Despite the 180 degree spin and a roll over onto the driver side - I was left in good shape. No broken bones or cuts. And the safety glass and airbags did their thing. This was my 2nd Saturn - have a 95 SL2 that I also loved - and I cant replace it with anything but another VUE. Weve had it camping, to the beach, and on many road trips. Have compared it to many other SUVs Ive rented for business over the years and nothing has ever measured up for ease of use, simple ergonomics, and just plain fun. Ill really miss that truck - but look forward to the new one.

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  2007 Aura XR - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By George - January 24 - 6:53 pm

  I looked at the Camry, Accord and Ford Fusion. For the price the Aura cannot be beat in my opinion. Sure the interior is plastic, but you have to cut cost somewhere and it doesnt look that bad. In fact it works well for an everyday driver with kids.The car has power and handles well. Lots of rear head a leg room.The XM stereo is great. The car looks good and sporty for a family car. My friends and neighbors all like the car, but not all knew it was a Saturn. Most thought the car was $35k. For this car segment this car cannot be beat. The 3.6 sounds good on acceleration with plenty of power. 6 speed tranny works fine.

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  02 Saturn Vue - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By dqpryor - January 23 - 2:16 pm

  Certainly had some first year bugs (windshield not set correctly, computer had glitches, etc.) but its been a very functional vehicle. We got a lot of utility out of it.

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  My Saturn Outlook - 2007 Saturn Outlook
  By Kay - January 22 - 10:56 pm

  I bought my Outlook in April because we were getting ready to have another baby and needed more room. I had a Nissan Altima. We test drove all of the competition and this was the one we wanted. Loved the advertised gas milage but that didnt quite happen we got about 21. But we did get a K&N filter on ebay and now we get a lot closer to the advertised gas around 25. Love the style and drive after getting the update on the transmission it shifts great. It is a great first year model. The 3rd row could be a little easier to get into but is very nice when needed and love the space of folding down for a huge back space for cargo. All in all we really love our Outlook.

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  Jones1 - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By Jones1 - January 19 - 5:23 pm

  The Saturn Sky is a fun car to drive! It gets excellent gas mileage. Sound system is good. This is my first convertible, and I love it.

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  Buy the VUE - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By GoodDriving - January 19 - 3:46 am

  The 6 cyl has exceptional pick up for passing. The dashboard controls are all easily accessible for the driver. The no-dent no-rust side panels and doors should add to the resale value

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  Saturn ion base model - 2005 Saturn ION
  By Cat - January 18 - 7:50 pm

  This is first car I bought to get credit rating. I love this car! Manual transmission. 40/gal. Never got less no matter what I carry! Son got 35/gal. Aggressive driver! Love this car! I also like where the dash is. Lights are good there. Dont bother night vision.

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  Worst vehicle we have ever owned - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By sbzg - January 18 - 5:02 pm

  This has been by far the worst car we have ever owned. The transmission was completely replaced under 50k miles (shuttered all the time). The lift gate struts broke. It over heated with thermostat problems at 25k miles. The AC randomly speeds up and slows down. The front headlamp assembly melted causing the headlights to go out ($700 if not under warranty). The dash computer went out causing the dash to go out. The remote start has never worked... dealer has never been able to figure that one out. And the kicker... the sunroof drains into the floor on the passenger side. Sometimes when its raining and I hit the breaks, water flies from the headliner onto the dash. I will never buy a GM.