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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  safe experience - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By psbybg - June 27 - 6:03 am

  I finally have a vehicle that I feel safe in.Not worried about people banging into my doors. Steel cage around me,steel bars in doors. First-time owner of an SUV and feel confident driving in the rain and hitting bumps,looking forward to driving in the Snow

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  Awesome - 2004 Saturn ION
  By davolley21 - June 26 - 10:00 am

  I love my ion quad coupe! Its been the best car Ive ever driven. I had three or four problems with the car but they were fixed free of charge and the car has been perfect since those problems.

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  Transmission number TWO! - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By darkjade1978 - June 24 - 9:40 am

  I would like to say please rethink buying a Saturn Vue, the VTi transmission in this car is prone to premature failure. Something I wished I had known prior to making my purchase in 2003. The transmission on my 2003 Vue had to be replaced at only 43,434 mile, which was replaced in April 2008. I had not only bought the 4year/48,000 mile Service maintenance package I also purchased an extra warranty for the Mechanical Failure Service Contract for 6 year/72,000 miles. Wish this did save me, because the first one was covered under the warranty. However! Now almost 2 years and only 72,818 miles later, the transmission is failing again after Saturn repaired/replaced it. Per Saturn, they only

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  Not great - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By FredGil - June 23 - 11:50 am

  This car, an Aura XR, is provided by my company so this is an unbiased review. The car is "nice" but devoid of personality. On the highway, a lot of road noise finds it way into the cabin, and around town a lot of engine noise and vibration can be heard and felt. Handling is ok, but no better then a lot of cheaper subcompacts and most mid sized sedans. After playing with the seat, steering and pedal position controls I have found that it is not possible to find a comfortable driving position. I cannot drive the car more then 30 minutes without my entire body aching. Fuel economy is nowhere near what I expect, I have a 2006 Vue which has more power and gets 2-4 more mpg.

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  Redline - 2004 Saturn ION
  By mestal - June 23 - 12:40 am

  Car is a fun car. I have the 1st year edition of the vehicle and they have worked a lot of the problems out. I am sure that the 05 and 06 are awesome. The 04 is awesome too. There are just a lot of issues with the vehicle.

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  2003 ION needs work - 2003 Saturn ION
  By kurt w - June 19 - 10:00 am

  My experience with two 2003 Ions suggested Saturn put GMs new Delta chassis too early. A solid body and good handling were appreciated. Freeway cruising was quiet but nervous. Build quality was awful - both cars had tons of squeaks, rattles, ill fitting parts, and transmission and engine glitches two service centers could not repair. 24 mpg was the rule but acceleration not so great (5 speed helped on hills but often shifted harshly). The buying experience was pleasant, but the service was awful. Hopefully the 2004 and 2005 versions will be better.

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  great vue - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By andea - June 19 - 10:00 am

  this truck is fun to drive,good loking,safe, and all while being affordable

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  My saturn - 2004 Saturn ION
  By saturnlover - June 19 - 10:00 am

  I love my saturn, dent resistent materaial and all.

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  Good Buy and Fun Car - 2004 Saturn ION
  By Raider-Alan - June 19 - 10:00 am

  I traded in my PT Cruiser for my Saturn Ion 3 with a 5-speed manual. Few cars can rival a PT in design innovation, but this comes close and in some ways it eclipses the PT. I love the center mounted instrument panel. I also like the design of the dash and seats. The shifting is smooth and crisp, and the ride is solid. Road noise is no louder than the PT Cruiser. I love the overall design of the car.

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  Big Mistake - 2007 Saturn ION
  By Christina3110 - June 17 - 3:36 am

  LEMON! This car is nothing but problems. First a head gasket replacement at 24000 miles then the power steering went at 32000 miles and now the front wheel drive is all jacked up. overall a terrible running car with way too many problems for the mileage and year purchased and I only drive to and from work, no hard driving. Very cheap feel to it and not reliable at all. I would love to have my Civic back!!!