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 - 2003 Saturn ION
  By CharlieBuerger - March 9 - 10:00 am

  So far the car has turned out to be a good buy. It has plenty of power for its size and hasnt given me any problems whatsoever. Dont know what the other people on here are crying about, LOL.

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  Black Magic - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By SportyRedDevil - March 9 - 10:00 am

  Ive only had my VUE since June 30 and I absolutely LOVE it! I couldnt ask for a better car. I compared it to Hondas CR-V and the VUE has sooo much more room. I am extremely happy with my new VUE.

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  IT - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By biggmann - March 9 - 10:00 am

  Its the Best vehicle Ive Ever owned

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  Nice car - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By Smoomac - March 6 - 11:26 pm

  I like the drive and the look of the car, it is fun to drive. I have however found some concerns with the vehicle. The door locks open all at once and there is no way to make it so just the drivers door opens and the other stay locked. There is no panic button on the fob.

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  Awful Car! - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By thatguy82 - March 6 - 4:46 am

  I traded in an 05 Ion for a brand new Vue in the Spring of 07. Initially I was happy with the purchase. It looked good and had a lot of cool features for the money (The convenience package included power heated seats, moonroof and steering wheel mounted controls). Well this happiness didnt last. The ignition was bad, the keys would get stuck and it became impossible to start on several occasions, in fact the service guys at the GM dealership could not get it started when it was brought in for oil changes. the heated seats stopped working, the power windows slip down and rattle, the ball bearings and brakes went bad and the rear lift gate began to rust and bubble under the chrome emblem.

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  Whats good and whats not - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By New Owner - March 5 - 8:00 am

  My wife and I considered just about every SUV and crossover on the market. We were both surprised to find ourselves in a Saturn dealer. Rightly or wrongly, we still considered Saturn to be a car company for first-time car owners, and especially not for high-end cars. We were very pleasantly surprised. Weve only had the Outlook for a few days but are very happy with it so far.

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  My loaded Astra 2dr with 18" wheels - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By Suns_PSD - March 5 - 6:40 am

  Fantastic car. Compared to the other competitors in this range this car whoops the others. Employee pricing put mine only 2K higher than a Scion XD but its 2x the car. My first tank has me over 30 mpg with lots of in town driving and that is w/ the 18" rims. (18s get less mpg than smaller rims in my experience) The only downside is that this is not a fat persons car. At 6, 180# I am 100% comfortable but if I was any larger it could be a problem. It has 138hp which is more than many some competitors but if it had 160hp it would be a full on sports car. The tranny ratios are weird. They work very well at 70-80 mph on the highway but really its geared to tall for its hp.

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  expensive to keep on the road - 2006 Saturn ION
  By mark - March 3 - 11:00 pm

  Like other reviews here, lots of mechanical problems. At 80,000 I am on my second engine, third ignition switch third set of shifting cables. replaced wheel bearings, stabilizers, and several other front end parts. Would love to trade it, but owe more than its worth. Looks decent, drives decent when its not in the shop. Unfortunately just a cheaply built car. I know people with older saturns that had decent experiences, but my feeling is this is a good car to stay away from

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  I LOVE MY 1st CAR - 2004 Saturn ION
  By libertyTN - March 3 - 10:00 am

  This car is wonderful! My dad bought it for me. It was a great price and a wonderful car. I have a black ion 2 4 cyl turbo. It is awsome. At first i wasnt sure about the speedometer in the middle but i love it there. It is so easy to look at. Even though my car cost 1/2 of what a BMW costs it looks just like one. The only problem I have found with my car is that the fabric stains very easily, so I keep carpet cleaner hand and it removes the spots. Great car, Great investment, Wonderful!!!!!!!

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  Surprise! - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By Peter - March 3 - 7:56 am

  On the way to buying an Audi, I was waylaid by the Aura and I love it. I have always bought Euro cars and I did again. The Aura is a German car made in our own USA. It has distinctive and classy looks. The performance of the XR is both very sporty and luxurious. It is very comfortable and the build and design quality are world class. It was also priced very very competively. This is a very compelling offer from GM that undoubtedly will capture new owners.