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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  So far... - 2007 Saturn ION
  By M Dunn - July 20 - 7:26 pm

  Fun little car. Suits the wife and I fine. Over 40 but wanted something different and fun and this little quad cab gives it. Dont want speeding tickets, but it is fun to jump off the line. Go old man go.

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  First year model - 2005 Saturn Relay
  By dougp26364 - July 18 - 9:50 pm

  The Saturn view really doesnt look like a minivan which I consider a plus. There are lots of nice features on our Relay 3 which make driving it a joy. It sits up high for good view with other high profile vehicles. The biggest complaint I have after driving it 1,000 miles is the overhead rack system. Its supposed to be convenient storage but the DVD player rattles unmercifully. If its cold outside its almost unbearable. Either Saturn is going to have to do something to correct this oversight or theyre going to have a lot of them in the shop with unhappy customers. I know ours will be in the shop until they make it stop. Otherwise its a great vehicle.

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  Two thumbs up - Best of the Best! - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By Virago9677 - July 15 - 10:10 pm

  Well folks I was thinking if I could just get my wife to try another bland midsize car she would give in and let me get the Jeep. So off to the Saturn dealership we go and pick out an XR for road test. My wife drives and after a couple of miles I see a smile..she says your turn to drive. We switch and I quickly realize just how great this car really is. I can tell you with complete honesty that the XR is without a doubt the complete package. If youre looking for a no compromise sedan this is it.

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  Saturn Lover - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By Guillermo j. rivera - July 14 - 9:00 am

  Although an amazing ride, the steering is somewhat rough at times. Fuel economy is among the best I have seen. It is indeed an extremely comfortable ride for a car in its class. I would definitely recommend this car to anyone interested in purchasing a safe, fuel efficient SUV.

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  No frills, A to B car - 2007 Saturn ION
  By danielmchick - July 14 - 3:19 am

  My father and I cooperatively own an 07 Ion 2; it currently has 72,000 on it and runs as well as youd expect it to. My main complaint with it? Its cheaply made, and horribly so. The road noise is unbearable, making you turn up the radio loudly enough to distract you on long highway trips (I travel 3+ hours for trips home & back for college). The interior is lacklustre: the seats are unconforming; the dash is made of cheap, low grade plastic, and the gear selector feels like youre going to break it when you depress the button to pull it out of park. I dont recommend this car for long trips, or in-city driving; short highway trips only. The gas mileage is sub-par for a car this size.

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  Saturn VUE: Low price, great value - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By Ken - July 14 - 3:00 am

  I paid just $16,700 for my VUE. And for that very low price I got a reliable, fun to drive, comfortable and safe small SUV with plenty of extras. Like included electric sunroof, power windows and locks, keyless entry, cruise, tach, temp guage, AC, rear defrost, power mirrors, compass and outside temp, premium sound with CD and MP3, full fold-down seats, rear wiper and washer, 17" alloys wheels with BR Goodrich tires, no rust and no dent side panels and lots more I cant even remember. I get 30 mpg or more on the highway! You cant beat the combination in this car. If you want cheap, stylish, fun, good and safe look at a VUE.

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  Be vey careful - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By A7 - July 13 - 7:40 pm

  Be aware when buying one of these. We had nothing but problems with ours. Stupid things such as washer fluid pump never worked, thermostat, check engine light was on the entire time that we owned it(2 years). Also head gasket and lower intake gaskets were starting to fail.Only 70,000 miles. Make sure that when they change your oil that the filter is changed, not a conventional oil filter. I would not recommend any of the VUE models, not a good design. If you must get a Saturn stick with a SC series small car.

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  Pure Delight - 2003 Saturn ION
  By Kiwicort - July 12 - 10:00 am

  I have found that America can build a car that is reliable, fun to drive and a blast to drive. This car is tight and corners much better than my 2001 Civic ever did.

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  Its a good one! - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By kajungrl - July 12 - 10:00 am

  Ive never had a saturn before and heard they were good cars. I bought my vue several months ago and have had only two problems with it. There is a grinding sound when i turn the steering wheel left or right. And the gas mileage is not at all what they said it was. Overall, its not a fancy car but it does its job. Im thoroughly enjoying the smooth ride and being able to sit up higher than a car!

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  ION review - 2006 Saturn ION
  By hotrodd - July 8 - 9:10 pm

  The front seats are very comfortable and have lots of leg room. The overall design is pretty good. Rear visability is kinda poor but you work around it. At first I didnt like the gauges in the middle but now it has grown on me. You can actually see them better then on the left side. I heard Saturn might get rid of the plastic panels next year because of the gap that is needed because it expands. I personally like the dent free sides. i wasnt looking to buy a new car any time soon but decided I wanted something good on gas and this is my choice. Coming from Jeeps and pickups I am very pleased so far.