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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  it can happen - 2003 Saturn ION
  By rodknee - January 13 - 8:56 am

  ready for this,, 285000 miles on mine saturn. yes,,now here;s the deal. problems,, interior,, well cheap,my power windows worked when they want to ,, fixed that, just move the wire in the door heading into compartment engine power locks stink.. pain sometimes, horn not so good., have a couples .brakes pads rotors, doesnt like the cold weather either,, have to warm up before the car will turn over, but in general this car been pretty good,,simple wear and tear. inside looks kinda crappy outside still looks good.

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  My First Car - 2006 Saturn ION
  By hot4coldplay18 - January 11 - 11:00 pm

  My Saturn ION 2006 was bought for me, so I didnt have a say. Although it is only my first car, I love it! It is fun to drive, has a great stereo system with tons of presets, and is a gorgeous color (laser blue) which was taken out of the lineup after my saturn was purchased. After reading other reviews, I have had no problems with my Saturns engine. That being said, my two complaints are regarding the fuel efficiency and the dent resistant plastic body. I do not get the 30 mpg that were promised, and after backing into a parked car, the other car looked untouched while the back bumper of mine was not only dented, it was literally cracked. Overall, this is a great, cheap car for anyone.

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  Get groovin - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By 2007 Saturn Sky - January 3 - 5:46 pm

  Its quite the looker with plenty of pep for the pound. I bought this car for my wife after thirty years of marriage. This is the only automobile ever that she has ever seriously asked to own. She without a doubt is in love with this vehicle. I do get to drive it to the dealer, gas station, places of the like. However she lets me ride in it along with her when we just want to get some air and excitement when spectators take that second look at one of the finest vehicals on the North American continent. The only drawback is the closing of the convertible top. The alignment pins more often do not locate themselves into the debit as they should and this has caused the weatherstrip to tear.

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  2004 Saturn Ion 4 door sedan - 2004 Saturn ION
  By loufalce - January 2 - 2:46 pm

  Bought it late in 2004 after my `93 Lumina died at 110,000 miles {needed transmission} Excellent dealer and service. Generally well built car overall, never gave me any trouble until winter of 2008 when engine failed to start. After spending 125.00 at an "authorized GM repair shop"-the dealer was out of business- I was told it needed a new starter, ignition switch, and fuel injection module. Bottom line-1400.00. Since the car had slightly over 35,000 miles on it, I was -hit out of luck. It starts OK when its nice outside, but as soon as it gets cold, it takes forever. Bottom line. I`m going to lease a Honda Civic this time. I`ll never touch another GM car again.

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  CRV Killer - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By bobl - January 1 - 3:20 pm

  Having worked at Honda dealers for 18 years, when I decided to buy an SUV I naturally looked at the CRV and Pilot. The Pilot was too expensive and bigger than what I wanted and the CRV seemed underpowered to me. I looked at Nissan and Toyota but didnt find anything that was comfortable, reasonably priced and had some power. I read that the Saturn vue V6 was powered by a Honda 3.5 liter engine which I was familiar with as it is the same engine in the Odessy and Pilot. It only took one test drive for me to fall in love with this SUV. I have been driving mine now for over four years and just love it. I am a large guy and I am very comfortable on short or long drives.

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  My Astra - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By christie - December 24 - 1:20 pm

  Traded in an SUV for this. Havent owned a smaller car in 15+ years. Love the gas mileage and the handling of the car. I had to get used to how loud it sounded at first compared to my other vehicles. I really enjoy the car.

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  Fun and Quirky Redline - 2004 Saturn ION
  By danhaab - December 22 - 10:00 am

  While helping my parents shop for a new SUV at Saturn, I decided to test the Redline on a whim; I had no plans to purchase the vehicle. After a test drive and a $3750 reduction in price, I decided that this was the car to purchase. The cars quirks are pleasantly surprising. I was not sure I would like the center mounted gauges; however I found them surprisingly easy read and unobtrusive. The quad style coupe is also an interesting feature. The suicide style doors open wide and allow easy entry to the rear seats. While straight-line performance doesnÂ’t match up to the Neon SRT 4, the car acquits itself well among the rest of its competitors in the sport compact car scene.

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  Excellent car! - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By Mdewman77 - December 8 - 11:10 pm

  I really enjoyed our 2007 Saturn Vue. We had it for a year and half but had to get rid of it and trade it in for a van because we now have two kids. We only had a problem with the engine light coming on. It handles horribly in the rain though, be warn! I was in a rainstorm and I had to drive 45 miles just so I didnt slide all over the road. Ive had other SUVs and this one handled the worst out of the 3. I hope they fixed it in the 2008 model!

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  Slip Slidding Away - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By Joel - December 8 - 6:10 am

  Bought it new off the lot. opted for a little better milage over the AWD. BIG mistake !!!! This is one of the worst vehicles Ive ever driven in the snow. Tires are too wide, and the anti-lock brakes are WAY to touchy. Just seems like in snow, the anti- locks go on and there is no braking at all ! Traction control via the throttle reacts way too slow too. I also have a "02" Saturn wagon. Traction control via brakes and anti- lock are much better. NOt to mention, on the wagon you can turn it off with a button. On the Vue your stuck with it, unless you want to drive in Lo gear. Had it in three times to the dealer before warranty ran out "Nothing wrong with it!" ????????

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  Overall Very Happy - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By dakrtgrl - November 30 - 1:03 am

  I bought this car in April of 08 and I traded in my Buick Redevouz since I wanted something a little smaller but still needed some room for my 2 year old and all of her stuff! I bought the 4cyl because of the better gas mileage. I get 26 mpg on the highway and about 24 in the city. Sometimes I wish I had bought the 6 but I find the 4 has enough pep for me and what I need it for, just everyday running around. I love this VUE and have had no problems with it at all. Very fun to drive and I love the looks! I bought the orange one. Even pretty good in the snow without the AWD because of the traction control. At this point I would definitely purchase again.