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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  A Great Car - 2004 Saturn ION
  By KimmieLynne - May 18 - 2:00 am

  I bought the Bright Blue 2004 quad coupe 2 after extensive shopping and the fact of the matter is that after test driving the Corolla, Neon SXT and about a million other cars, this is the one that stood out. Its fun to drive, sporty looking, safe, gets a lot of attention out on the road and best of all didnt cost an arm and a leg to get one that is well equipt. The buying experience was great too, no pressure or arguing and straight forward sales people.

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  Turbo"nized" Toenail Trimming - 2009 Saturn Sky
  By DocB - May 17 - 7:16 pm

  We reviewed several kinds of two seat roadsters before deciding on the slick looking, turbo charged Saturn Redline Sky. SHARP! Coupled with a new IPod and some appropriate ZOOM ZOOM music, we have thoroughly enjoyed evening cruises. With GREAT gas milage too! While not our main source of enjoyment - you cant help but notice (and HEAR) the repeated ongoing attentions of others - some mistake it for a Corvette due to front end styling - but for 20,000 grand less? Why not? Its a great, fun car.

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  Satisfied - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By phrank - May 15 - 5:00 am

  The V6 suits me to to a tee. Lots of power when you need it and yet maintains a decent mileage figure. The AWD is great in unpredictable New England road surfaces.

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  Large SUV that we really needed - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By Vigla - May 14 - 4:40 am

  I have to say I was upset that GM gave up on minivans. Their latest batch were pathetically ugly and I was looking forward to them replacing them. Then we were told no more minivans from GM. They were being replaced by the Outlook, Acadia, and Enclave. Not only that, but the price on these goes up 5K over the price of a minivan! Reluctantly, I went to check out the Outlook and Acadia and I was plesantly surprised by the quality and design. My wife liked them very much too. Since we have 3 kids under 4 years old we needed the room, so I bit the bullet and bought the Outlook XE. I dont regret my decision at all.

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  Dreammaker - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By SKYZIG - May 13 - 12:03 pm

  I have always dreamed of owning a real sports car. Ive looked at them all. I picked the Saturn Sky based on appearance, standard equipment, performance and Saturns reputation for quality, not to mention the affordable price. I have not been disappointed in any aspect. I can only apologize for those accidents that may have happened by other drivers attention being drawn away from their driving. I have never been approached by so many strangers in my life. My wife and I take turns driving it and we both not only feel but act younger than our years now. Driving in the Rocky Mountains has taken on a whole new experience. I first drove the 2.4 liter. I bought the Red Line. Indescribable!

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  Failure of saturn corp - 2009 Saturn Aura
  By Ron Lamarque - May 13 - 6:30 am

  I purchased a new saturn aura xe on April 30th. On Aug 6 vehicle had to be towed as to transmission problem. Vehicle returned as "repaired" on Aug 7 and had to towed again on the 7th. Saturn Corp over the next 32 days literally lied about what the problem was and when the repair would be completed. First they said the part was coming from Germany. Then they couldnt locate the part. After numerous calls, we learned that the Dealership that was to make the repairs had given up their Saturn line and switched to Mazda and couldnt repair our vehicle even if they received the "part". Saturn Corp lied from the start. Doing the right thing from day one, Ha Ha Ha

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  A different point of VUE - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Lori K - May 11 - 10:00 am

  We have had our VUE for about 6 months and we are very pleased with it. The engine has a lot of power for its size and is very responsive. We drive a lot of hours and the seats are very comfortable. Gas mileage is great too, we dont see a big difference between or VUE and the Civic that we used to drive. Plus, its just so darn cute! However, this is not an off-road vehicle;if you need off road capabilities, look elsewhere.

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  Not A Satisfied Vue Owner - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Tawanda - May 8 - 10:00 am

  Interior quality stinks. Rattles all over the place,most of which cant be fixed according to the shop. Drivers seat (leather, heated) is the most uncomfortable thing I have ever sat on. My back hurts all the time. This will definitely be my first and only Saturn product. Once I left the showroom with my car the only thing the salesman worried about was that I give him a good rating. Havent heard from him since and he knows I am having major problems.

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  Complications - 2006 Saturn ION
  By Jane - May 7 - 10:16 pm

  Good car at first, then some problems started to arise. Check engine light sporadically comes on and off. Window went off track. Leaking from sunroof into the interior light fixture, but that stopped after a week or two on its own. On one occasion (about five months after purchase) the car didnt start up.

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  Skys the Limit - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By George Smith - May 7 - 10:00 am

  This car is just plain fun to drive. The double takes that I get are fun too. The other day I came up along side a beautiful red Ferrari. The driver looked over at me, and did a double take, then smiled and nodded. Quite satisfying.