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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  It is about time - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Cook911411 - November 22 - 10:00 am

  I have always been a domestic car buyer. Why? I could have spent less in repairs if I bought a Camry or Accord 5-10 years ago. Then I hear Saturn is using Honda 3.5L motors and trannys. It is about time. Obviously U.S. autos lack the refinement and reliability (GM still puts a pushrod V6 in everything.) Remember Pontiac? Cavalier, Sunfire? Why is it so loud and creaky in American cars after a few years? As an unsatisfied owner of a 96 Impala SS (the pinnacle of American rear wheel drive cars) with 85K miles on it and $6K in non-maintenance repair bills, I vowed to never buy American again. Now I am an owner of a Saturn. My mom has had a few SL1s w/ 120

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  BEST OF THE BEST - 2004 Saturn ION
  By BEANIEMAN - November 22 - 10:00 am

  SATURN IS THE BEST FOR DRIVING EXPERIENCE...FOR GAS, (MPG) AND AUTO INSURANCE..ITS RATED AS ONE OF THE LOWEST TO INSURE BECAUSE OF SAFETLY AND POLAMER PANELS THROUGHOUT

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  Owner since 1991 - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By neal - November 21 - 5:06 pm

  Have owned Saturns since 1991. This is no. 5. Each with over 100,000. They just keep getting better and better. Especially like the tap/shift in icy conditions. Like having all the accessories added in the origional vehicle build.

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  Aura: nice mix of GMs best stuff - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By Steve Hedke - November 21 - 11:53 am

  Our Aura XR is our fourth Saturn, and shares garage space with an XK-E, TR3, and a 29 Ford hotrod. This car combines great performance, style, and reliability with super dealership support. The XR is a fine daily driver, but great for motoring trips. Quiet, really quick when using the Allison 6 speed paddle shifter in manual mode, and sticks to the road like no sedan weve ever owned. Directly compares to the Lexus ES but the Aura handles better. The Caddy 3.6 with VVT is silky smooth and hard to tell when its running: the tach is necessary. If this car is indictative of the new models Saturn has in store, with their excellent dealerships the marque will be more popular than ever.

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  Very Happy Vue Owner - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By dwweiss - November 21 - 8:30 am

  Drove from Little Rock to Virginia the day that I bought the vehicle. The first trip was a total of 1950 miles at a average MPG of 25.5. A steady delight on the highway. Since then have mainly had commute and round town experience. Just as pleased with local driving. Now have around 3000 miles on the odo. V6 is peppy, smooth, quiet. Smooth shifting 5speed automatic. In town mileage has been between 15 and 18 MPG. Recently had snow/ice - was able to go where others slid. I am very pleased with this purchase.

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  Economy - 2007 Saturn ION
  By ed - November 19 - 10:30 pm

  I researched compadible vechicles, and either the price for what I needed and the fit for size and comfort was not met by these other options. This vehicles runs great, handles nicely and even though it is not a stick, the 2.2l engine still gave me 34.6 miles per gallon for highway driving on its first road trip. This is impressive considering it is larger than the Saturn SL2 that I could squeeze as much as 40 miles to the gallon under certain conditions, but was to small for taller passangers. I will keep an eye on it to see what overall performance will be in the future, having owned a Saturn in the past, I believe it will be impressive.

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  Saturn Sky rocks! - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By dsduca - November 18 - 9:53 am

  The Sky is an amazing car despite the claims of some national reviewers. This is a car meant for pure fun bordering on hedonistic, not a sensible car. Who would want sensible when you can be this sexy for under 30 grand. The top is not difficult to put up or down whoever said it was must be used to having everthing done for them. I absolutley love this car.

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  Glad I bought it! - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By new owner - November 17 - 5:30 am

  I was shocked at this SUVs handling but even more shocked when I saw the low sticker price. This car is comparable to other SUVs in its class but at $8,000- 14,000 less.

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  2005 ION3 Sedan - Auto - 2005 Saturn ION
  By Stan Thompson - November 14 - 4:50 am

  The car has taut handling, is tight and rattle-free, and I like the clear line- of-sight to the center instrument console. The car is great in traffic and very responsive when accelerating. I took it into the mountains and it handled a 4000 climb with ease. It was a great buying experience and because leather was retro-fitted by the dealer I was allowed to choose from swatches giving me a two-tone interior with perforated leather in the center section with foam 1/4" thicker than standard. I like the revised grille for 2005. Im getting 27+ mpg.

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  Best Choice Ive ever made - 2005 Saturn ION
  By kittybugboo - November 12 - 5:50 pm

  I have owned my Saturn for 3 weeks now and I love it! Its very stylish, and fun to drive. I have 2 children and they fit in the back seat very well. The interior is roomy and comfortable. I get great gas mileage and would recommend this car to anyone. The buying experience was painless and great! This is one company who know how to please the consumer.