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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  Second time around - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By KeithC - November 30 - 10:26 pm

  This is my second Saturn, the first one was a 1997 SL-1 and I still have it. I bought another Saturn because my first one was an excellent car. I have put almost 6,000 miles on the Aura and it has been smooth sailing all the way. People have asked me if it was a Lexus or Acura. The car rides smooth, handles well and is very quiet. The fake wood on the inside makes it look like a luxury car. The car is Red Jewel Tintcoat and it turns heads. The 4-cylinder has enough power merging onto the freeways as long as you turn off the A/C first. Plenty of power is available for driving around town. Fuel economy is good , 30 MPG on highway. I love this car and would defintely buy it again.

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  The best!!!! - 2003 Saturn ION
  By cazzz - November 29 - 10:00 am

  I had owned a 96 SL2, which I loved. I thought there was no possibility of a better car out there. I was wrong. Unfortunatelty, my SL2 was totalled, which I walked away from absolutely fine after a major incident with a full size SUV, and I was crushed. So I went to my local Saturn dealer (I wouldnt think of going anywhere else) and purchased a new ION 3, since the S- series was no longer being produced. Holy cow, they did it!!! More power, bigger inside, and even nicer riding than my SL2 was! Hats off to the boys down in Saturn-land, you have yourselves a winner!!!!!

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  4th Saturn -- good made better - 2003 Saturn ION
  By Taluga - November 29 - 10:00 am

  Compared to my much-loved 97 SL2, the Ion 3 is taller, roomier, has more cargo area. The electric steering and the center-mounted gauges take a little getting-used-to, but the handling in the dry and the wet is excellent. Gas mileage runs a couple of mpg lower. Power profile means different shift points and a learning curve. Strong buy recommendation.

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  Bad VUE - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By J Perkins - November 29 - 10:00 am

  My brand new $26K VUE broke down at 32 days old.The dealership and Saturn Engineers were unable to determine what happened. This happened 2x. After the third round of breakdowns, and scared to drive the car,The dealership told us to call Saturn Corp Cust Svc & Ill jump to my point: Saturn Corp HAS HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE. All responses were inflexible and never answered my concerns.The point is:beware buying a Saturn- IF YOU HAVE SERIOUS PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR,YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE. I CAN SAY I canÂ’t imagine any manufacturer treating their customer with less value, so BUY ANOTHER BRAND THAN SATURN. Dont risk having my experience!

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  This car is a blast! - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By my first saturn - November 28 - 3:53 pm

  I am a large individual. and i was driving an F-150, but my new job forced me to get a new car because of the mileage. I drive 140 miles roundtrip to and from work. I was looking for something roomy yet good on gas. I almost got a Ford Escape but the driver seat is set too high for the driver view. So I found myself looking at the Saturn VUE, and i must say it is a blast to drive. If you step on it it goes. It helps with that Honda 3.5v6. Very nice. I love it. No regrets.

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  3,5,R wave plate - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By angila_meyer - November 27 - 9:01 pm

  We bought our Aura used with 44k miles on it. We currently have 66k. I really love this car. However recently the wave plate went out in the Transmission while I was on my way to work. So I stopped at this repair shop right across the street. I had them look at the car. (keeping it over night) They informed me that the wave plate was the issue and my car was undrivable. So my Fiance go a hold of GM and let them know the issue. They got back to us saying its a known issue that they fixed with the 2009 version but basically since we were past five years even though we are under the 100k for the warranty we are out of luck. So by admitting fault but are leaving us stuck with a 4k bill.

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  I was sold a Lemon! - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By teresa - November 25 - 11:53 pm

  I bought a Red Line Saturn Sky last May. I ordered my car thinking I was getting a great car with alot of performance, WRONG! I have had this car in the shop 7 times out of 9 months. First it was the fuel pump, then my battery, telephone wont work correctly, and I cant pick and hold radio stations and now its hesitating when I accelerate. I have had nothing but problems with it. When I took it to get fixed, the dealership scratched my car and had to get it repainted. I paid Cash for this car, and if I had financed it-they could have the Lemon back! The company wont stand behind their name or buy this back from me. I have bought 3 brand new cars from Saturn! Not ever again. Teresa

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  just compare and see the diffrence - 2003 Saturn ION
  By ELAINE - November 24 - 10:00 am

  BLAST TO DRIVE, 138O0 OTD PAYMENTS UNDER 230 FOR A ION 2 MANUAL,CD PLAYER PW LOCKS, DIFFRENT FROM THE ORDINARY, 140 HP PERTTY QUICK FOR PRICE,0% INTREST PLUS $1500 IN REBATES.

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  Saturn VUE - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By dlg - November 24 - 10:00 am

  We bought a VUE in March 2003 because we needed the room for carrying items. It drives and rides well. It is high enough of the ground that I do not have to stoop down to get in. That is a back saver. We also like being up high so that we can see over the cars around us. One thing that I do not like. I understand that Saturn put a new auto transmission in this year. At times it has a tendency to slip and a gear change is not really smooth. Other than that - great vehicle.

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  My fun SUV, How does yours feel to you? - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By Todd - November 23 - 11:46 am

  We enjoy our Vue very much. This is our third Saturn. Our first lasted for 215,000 then we traded it was still running strong with no problems. Hurricane Ivan demolished our second Saturn and we bought our Vue to replace it. We just needed more space and wanted an SUV and we setteled on a Vue after test driving all the major motor vehicle manufacturers. The Vue won hands down!