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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  Nice Car,bad mileage and glass - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By DR35150 - April 5 - 3:00 pm

  This is my second Saturn. I upgraded from the Ion as it had no traction in the Michigan winter. First off, I love the look and feel of the Aura.I get a lot of compliments. Unfortunately just like my Ion it has substandard glass. Both cars within 4 months of purchase a small pebble caused a instant chip then crack all the way across the windshield. No problems with replacement windshields from outside companies. Biggest complaint is that the sticker said 24/30 mpg. At first the best I got was 24 mpg with 100% highway. And it has gradually gotten worse. Now Im averaging 17 mpg and the dealer only can say:"Scanned ENG No Codes Unable to verify concern" so tough luck. This is my last Saturn.

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  I will not buy another Saturn. - 2006 Saturn ION
  By Charles - April 5 - 12:26 pm

  I bought this car new. I have the key stuck in the ignition problem. The car wouldnt turn off. I could not remove the key. The car is less than three years old. The warranty has passed because of the mileage. The dealer refuses to even look at it unless I agree to pay. The ignition switch does not wear with mileage. This should not break within three years. I have searched the internet and this seems to be a common occurance with this car. This should be a recall but isnt. If you want me to buy a new car from you then stand behind the broken one you already sold me!! I am looking for a new second car. I was going to buy the Vue, but now it wont be a Saturn.

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  Great car, "This is a Saturn?" - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By Alex - April 4 - 2:06 pm

  After 1000 miles Im very happy with my Aura. I compared Camry, Altima, Accord, Milan, and Legacy. The Aura won easily for the best combination of styling, performance, and value. I was very satisfied with the performance of the smaller V6 but wanted to get the dark interior with Moroccan leather which is not available on the XE. Not too crazy about the auto dimming mirrors that keeps me from seeing behind me when I back out of my driveway due to my neighbors porch light. Im not to keen on the automatic climate control, zero fan speed should mean fan off. It still blows lightly meaning you have to play with the temp setting to avoid getting cooked or frozen). I miss manual controls.

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  My Wonderful Mini-Suv! - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By ms_firechief - April 4 - 9:50 am

  Just recently a new member to the Saturn family-I heard alot of good things - but never tried it myself. Thank God I did! I love this vehicle! A wonderful ride and beautiful looks! I would recommend this vehicle to anyone who wants a smaller SUV with style. This is truly the best vehicle Ive ever owned! Tip-Its worth it to get the extras (leather seats, sun roof, etc)!

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  Love my Vue - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By Anne H - April 4 - 3:13 am

  After an 8 month wait for the manufacturer installed sunroof, Ive now had my Vue for 2 months and have put 1500 miles on it with city and highway driving. This is my first SUV and I test drove all the competing small SUVs and did a lot of research (including reading all the consumer reviews on Edmunds) before deciding on the Vue. My sister has the Lexus 300 and said if she closed her eyes, she couldnt tell the difference in the ride. This is a solid, well-built crossover that is really fun to drive. The V6 is very much worth the price as are the upgrades. Fuel economy is improving as the car gets broken in.

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  Nice Car! - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By PerfectReign - April 3 - 11:40 am

  This was bought in January as a replacement for a 98 Maxima, which had been smashed. It is for my 53" wife, who wanted something to load the kids into but not a minivan or SUV. After driving the Murano, Equinox, CRV, Escape and Highlander, we settled on this car. The VUE has a nice set of options and is very fun to drive. Nice power in the V6 and very quiet. I even fit for the most part, though Id prefer a truck. (Im 64".) Stereo sounds nice and it has handled very wel.

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  They missed it on this one... - 2005 Saturn Relay
  By unhappysaturn - April 2 - 7:53 pm

  Ive had a several different brake problems (some very serious), non-stop problems with my sliding doors, Ive had a seatbelt that was bad and when they serviced it they told me there was nothing wrong with it but when I get the service record a year later I find out that they replaced the seatbelt, my driver side air bag was faulty, my radio has been replaced 3 times, my dvd player has been replaced once, the trim on my car has been replaced more times then I can count because it peels off, theres a piece of trim now that has completely deteriorated after being replace about a year ago, I had to have my brakes rewired, Ive had my windshield reset many times and the noise issue stil

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  Fat man little car - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By michael.fought - April 2 - 8:30 am

  I am 290 pounds and six foot tall, however, I love my Astra! I traded in my 2005 GMC Sierra pickup for my Astra and I have made the right desicion. The Astra is American owned and German made! I have plenty of room for me my wife and child. Im getting 28mpg on highway and 24 MPG in city. I really wanted something environmentally friedly, economical, and well built. I think I have made the right desicion.

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  Luxury at economy pricing - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By ianzoe - April 1 - 1:33 pm

  I just had the worst car owning experience with my 2005 Chevy Impala. I was just about to give up on GM when a friend recommended I go to Saturn and check out the Outlook. Well, after an awful experience at my local Toyota dealer, I went to Saturn. The outlook was far too big for me so I climbed into the VUE, and was sold. This car is such a great value for the money I felt like I was stealing it from the dealer. I got the Sunburst Orange (had to wait 5 days to find one) With a few options, roof rails, heated seats, conveince package it stickered for 22,800 after rebates and a supplier discount only paid 18,500. This car is the best deal out there. Too bad more people dont know about it!

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  terrible - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By sbrke13 - March 30 - 7:45 pm

  Nothing bur problem after problem with this Car. Doors wont always open. Locks on rear doors dont work. Nothing but electrical problems. On top of tht ems computer needs to be taken apart every cpl months and add dielectric grease. Car will randomly wont start due to vacuum leak caused by ems computer.it will pulsate and stahl out. Temper gauge freaks out to. and thts just the start of the problems. All in all worst car out there. Extremely cheaply made