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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  6 month update by John Korner - 2006 Saturn ION
  By John korner - December 20 - 6:33 am

  Over 6 months and 8700 miles have passed since I bought my car. You actually get the MPG on the sticker Its get more fun with every mile driven. If you dont test drive one you will be sorry. Ive owned 5 hondas over the last 20 years. I believe the Ion is one of the best cars Ive owned period. I bought it because of onstar being standard. Having a disabilty that requires the use of a wheelchair cane or ECV its gives me the extra level of security thats priceless. All of those items fix easly in its over sized trunk. Overall I am more then pleased. a 9.5 on a scale of 10.

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  Good Value - 2006 Saturn ION
  By The Copes - December 19 - 8:10 am

  We purchased our ION 3 seven months ago. With the leather & top tier features we still paid less than $18k. My husband uses it for work, putting more than 100 mi/day on it, and it has yet to give us any problems. In my husbands line of work, hes been in 2 accidents not his fault already being on the road so much. One was a side- swipe that didnt damage anything, another was a rear-ending that was inexpensive to fix the back bumper. Weve also taken it on several trips from San Antonio to El Paso (550 miles) and it does fantastic. The gas mileage is great. With the old trade-in and down payment, were paying less than $300 a month. The car is stylish, drives like a 6 cylinder,

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  Impressive - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By underdog - December 16 - 4:36 pm

  I was not planning on purchasing a Vue. After seeing the quality and test driving it, I was very impressed. I didnt care for the gas mileage, but figured it was a trade off for the AWD and power for Maine driving. I opted out of the original Vue with the 4- cylinder engine. Please take the lack of power into consideration when making your final decision. But, true to their word, Saturn took my 4-cyl. back and put me in to a 6 cyl AWD. What a difference in vehicles. Overall, the Vue has been a pleasant vehicle for me to drive. I use this vehicle for business and drive it every day. When you drive past an older Vue, youll be proud of how far along theyve come.

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  Getting to Know It - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By Dick Cole - December 16 - 5:50 am

  Just put the first 1200 miles on the VUE; mostly suburban driving with one short highway trip. Love the car. Easy to handle, easy to park, plenty of power for passing, and nice to look at (I have the "Orange" which is easy to find in the parking lots filled with Silvers, greys, and blacks).

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  Fun! - 2005 Saturn ION
  By redliner - December 16 - 2:30 am

  Wanted to lower my payment and save on some gas. (traded a 2002 camaro z28). I was teared up when I shut the door to my Z for the last time. But I have to say, what a fast little buggy, and its alot of fun to drive. I will look at the speedometer and freak when I see Im doing 85 in a 45 without realizing it.

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  Dont make the same mistake we did! - 2005 Saturn Relay
  By Saturn Relay - December 15 - 8:50 pm

  This is our 5th Saturn purchase. The battery died at 2900 miles in a gas station I am no longer welcome at. The bolts that hold the windshield wipers on were not properly tightend at the factory and came off during a rainstorm on a major interstate while I sat for 28 minutes until the state police could nudge my car off to the next ramp. Both abs chips on the brakes/hubs have been replaced within 35 days of each other, the left ball joint has been replaced, the power locks go on and off by themselves at mysterious times when your just sitting there,t he doors stick. Did I mention that its 2 years old with 14,000 miles on it. I walk a lot..its safer than being trapped inside or having no brakes.

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  Love My VUE! - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Maljan - December 13 - 9:10 pm

  I have been driving my VUE for over 5 years. It has been commuting, shopping, playing taxi, camping, and climbing mountians in Hawaii and now in Europe (were military) and we have never had any reason to complain because we take care of our VUE. In Europe there are no Saturn dealers and we have had zero problems with taking it to the Opal dealer to get it serviced when the struts had to be replaced - it is over 5 years old now some wear is expected. The traction control has saved my can on the wet autobahn a couple of times. The gas mileage is great - about 21 - 24 mpg at 80 mph. I will be buying a hybrid VUE whenever this one is about ten years old. Until then see you on the Zugspitz!

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  VUE for you - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By marilyn - December 13 - 9:10 am

  I have just purchased my VUE and so far I am very pleased with it. It is the perfect vehicle for a family with small children. The 250hp engine and the storage bin organizer located in the rear are two great features of this vehicle. OnStar is available on all GM vehicles but it optional. On the VUE it is standard. Gas mileage is great. There are a lot of accessories and packages to choose from. I test drove the Pontiac Torrent, Ford Escape and the Chevrolet Equinox. The Saturn won hands down because of its safety rating and price. Looking for a family oriented vehicle along with safety, value and affordability then the Vue is for you.

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  Quad Coupe - 2007 Saturn ION
  By Fran - December 13 - 8:23 am

  It is amazing what you can squeeze into the quad cab, such as a giant air conditioner that would no way go into the trunk. Its pretty, good color choices inside and out, and those flexible panels are nice.

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  Love this Truck - 2007 Saturn Outlook
  By Karen - December 12 - 8:43 am

  I have loved this truck since the moment I sat in the drivers seat. It handles so smoothly. We drove it on many long trips and all passengers were very comfortable. All gagets are within perfect reach. It really holds 8 passengers comfortably. If I had to do it over again I would have stuck with the 7 passenger model because the middle seats were more like the driver seats and had more versatility in leaning them back further. Other than that I love my Saturn and cant believe there will be no more...