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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  Roomy and comfortable - 2007 Saturn Outlook
  By Mr NewM - August 22 - 9:53 pm

  We were looking for a family vehicle with 3-rows and narrowed it down to the Mazda CX-9 and Saturn. My wife won out and we got the Saturn and have loved it. Space was a major factor. We briefly had a CX-9 as a loaner recently and it seemed tiny in comparison. The mileage has been decent.

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  Unknown gem - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By astracan - August 19 - 10:00 am

  I was looking for an affordable well designed, well made, sophisticated, fun-to-drive SMALL car that got over 30mpg and didnt feel like a Fisher Price toy inside. Amazing how rare that was a couple of years ago. It has mostly fulfilled that expectation. (too bad Saturn went out of business 2 months after I bought it). Every drive feels like an event. This is as much about the overall quality of the interior (design, precise assembly & materials: I have leather), well weighted controls, beautifully damped ride and refinement of response than outright power. Actually the car has plenty of power, it just lacks torque below 1500 rpm, so it feels a bit dead until you learn to drive around that.

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  great car, but ... - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By michael perillo - August 18 - 1:46 pm

  Owned for over two years. No problems. Love the two tone interior, ride, handling, acceleration. My only complaint is with the city gas mileage. On the highway I can get 33 mpg. In the city where I do most of my driving I get at most 13 mpg, and I use every known method to increase efficiency. People who claim to get 18-22 in the city cannot possibly be right. I check my mileage at every fill-up and have never gotten better than 13 mpg. Other than this, the car is great.

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  Good - 2005 Saturn Relay
  By Francisco - August 15 - 10:40 am

  Do not like engine performance. Interiors, they are not bad but can get better. Overall good.

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  Saturn wins Clunker Lottery - 2009 Saturn VUE
  By New Saturn Owner - August 15 - 2:03 am

  Forced to trade in my 99 Durango Cash4Clunkers after getting rear-ended and getting more damage than Ol Reliable was worth. After shopping ALL crossovers except for the Mazdas (ran out of time and the dealers were running out of inventory), I settled on V6 Saturn Vue FWD. 2000 miles into it, Ive found: 1) It is very attractive on outside; 2) Very attractive on inside 3) Plenty of power in a small ride 3) Plenty of cargo and room for 5. 4) Transmission timing seems rought in 2nd gear 5) Gas mileage is not that great. Around 20-22 MPG, mix town/hiway. 6) Remain convinced that I got the best deal on wheels at the time. All in for about $22,600 after clunker and dealer cash.

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  Conditional Love - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By KCAT - August 10 - 9:03 pm

  Fun car to drive and mostly comfortable. Cat loves riding on the heated seats. Have had some maintenance problems...hood release cable became twisted and snapped, power steering fluid leak, On-Star battery died, and now emission system light is going on...probably the gas tank cover needs replacing. Saturn dealership very good about fixing items covered by warranty. GM messed up in dropping Saturn. This vehicle model has real potential to outsell all other Crossovers if they would improve on its parts quality. Its just the right size, with excellent pick up and a lot of fun to drive. Someone should buy Saturn just to improve this model and keep it in production.

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  Happy with the VUE - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Tall Paul - August 8 - 10:00 am

  Ive had my VUE for a little over a month now and Im very happy with it. The ride on the highway took some getting used to with the electric motor power steering but its now second nature. A very solid feel at slow and fast speeds. A commanding sense of comfort and safety.

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  what sloppy stearing. - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By rendog - July 30 - 10:00 am

  I,m not sure who was complaining about the sloppy stearing, but they must be use to driving a 1970 Ford truck without power strearing. So far my wife and I are extremely pleased.

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  Last Saturn I buy - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By J Huff - July 27 - 10:50 pm

  I love and still have my 1993 Saturn SL, so when I was in the market for a new car, Saturn was my choice. Sadly I made a mistake, since our purchase, we have had a recall for the rear suspension, had to put in a new transmission and put up with "shoddy" workmanship. My 1993 SL1 drives much quiter and better. No wonder GM is in trouble.

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  Great, Modern Car - 2003 Saturn ION
  By AdmTom - July 27 - 2:00 am

  The ION is an excellent example of a modern ecomomy car. It has lots of power for a four-banger, the interior is surprisingly roomy, there are plenty of nice options, and everything seems to be of good quality. When driving it, youd think you were driving a small V6, not a four. With the DOHC engine and 16-valves, along with more than enough horsepower, my ION gets off stoplights quicker than most of my friends V6 equipped cars. With the independent suspension, it rides and corners nice. Overall rating-9.