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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  Good solid transportation - 2005 Saturn ION
  By Stephen Plott - November 23 - 12:30 pm

  This is my second review now that my ION 2 has 17,000 miles. It is 5 speed manual and Im now getting 37 mpg by upshifting at 2000 rpm and keeping top speed to 70 mph. Really enjoy the smooth ride, relatively quiet engine since 05 have better insulation and great sound system with the extra speakers & amp. Safety is good since we got the side air bags and it already rates high for front impact protection. Only beef was problem with cruise control that did not want to work. They diagnosed (took too long) and is working fine for past year. Front seats are reasonably comfortable for long trips. All in all a very good value.

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  2002 Saturn (after 10 months) - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By DWoodmanJr - November 23 - 2:00 am

  Purchasing this SUV has been one of the best decisions Ive made in a while. You cant beat the value, and I get compliments all the time on the looks. The only option I didnt get was the side window airbags, and I still spent under $26,000. The V6 has plenty of power, and you barely notice the shifting of the Automatic Transmission.

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  The Vue from here - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By FRB - November 21 - 10:00 am

  Overall I think its a good value. The interior is no big deal but I guess thats why it under 25K. I find the steering a bit treacherous in emergency handling. I dread the winter because of this. Perhaps the AWD model would have been a better choice. I do however love the way it looks. Simple and very clean lines.

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  Sorry Saturn - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By SARASOTA Saturn - November 20 - 6:06 am

  Can not judge a book by its cover. Sad to say the dealership was equally glad to see that I traded the car so they would not have to have it in their shop all the time. One month after I purchased the car I had ongoing problems with the vehicle. Nothing major just things like dead battery, passenger seat belt light remained on, vapor leak in rear light, remote start quit, keyless entry needed pads replaced, and rotors warped and still needed repair. The service is great but the senseless problems were beyond the norm for a new car.

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  Check this one out! - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By dee - November 18 - 11:26 am

  I cant say enough about this car. I just traded a 2002 Maxima, which I thought I loved, and havent missed it a bit. Dont buy anything until you test this car. I have been slowly discovering hidden treasures in this vehicle, especially the interior lighting. The Aura is giving me an extremely tight, quiet ride that can stand straight on the turns.

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  From Aztek to Outlook - 2007 Saturn Outlook
  By gunneytim - November 15 - 10:56 am

  Love my Outlook so far. Great for family trips and didnt cost a fortune to build to my specs.

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  I love my Outlook - 2007 Saturn Outlook
  By jkwood - November 15 - 4:06 am

  I was on my 2nd Suburban, which I loved, but not the gas mileage. Or the cost to fill it up. I was looking for something with a lot of room and comfort inside with better gas mileage. This is the car. We debated between this and the Acadia. We drove both, but in the end we liked the Saturn better. The ride in this car is its best feature. It also has adjustable middle captains chairs which helps when you have someone tall riding in the middle seats. The back seat is comfortable for kids or short people but no less room than the suburbans 3rd seat. Overall I would say they did a great job combining comfort, room for 7, with economy.

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  Bad Experience - 2003 Saturn ION
  By memcv - November 11 - 10:00 am

  2 repairs for "factory errors" in 28 days! Glad for the 30 day money back guarantee-but took 12 days before they processed my refund. Saturn?s fabled "customer service" gets pretty spotty when there are this many problems! An apology ?on behalf of the Saturn corporation? doesn?t help when I have to get towed and have now spent nearly 2 weeks with neither a car nor my refund. My first new car ? and a total disappointment.

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  Nice - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Bob1234 - November 11 - 10:00 am

  Very comfortable and a smooth ride. Fit and finish seem to be good. Cant comment on milage yet, as it is not broken in yet. No noises or rattles, and handling is quite good and responsive

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  Best car ever - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By Chris - November 10 - 12:20 pm

  Ill start with the buying experience, it was lets just say amazing. From the moment I saw my 5 door Astra I was absoluetly impressed. I mean this is one beautiful vehicle. And the drive is some of the best Ive ever driven. This vehicle not only exceeds the price tag, it demolishes it and the competition.