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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  Great value and performance! - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By jthanan - September 16 - 9:53 am

  Bought the VUE for its utility and it hasnt let me down. With the back seats and front passenger seat folded down I can haul the equipment for my entire band! Have had the truck for almost a year and put about 20K miles on it and havent had a single problem. Has made multiple trips Wisconsin-South Florida with no problems. Averages about 20mpg in the city and around 25-26mpg highway. The VUE is also great for towing, I pull a 1500 pound fishing boat with it and the VUE takes it all in stride.

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  Junk dont buy it - 2004 Saturn ION
  By Amurtadi - September 15 - 3:30 pm

  ION2, Bought it new in 2004 for $20K thinking that I made a good budget decision but I had electrical problems since then. Burnt light bulbs, non functioning turn signals, non functioning fob. Took it to the dealer at least 6 times for electrical problems, 2 for Suspension problems, and once for rain water sneaks into the trunk. I discovered that because I needed to jump start it. You can pull the key out when it is on the acce. position without noticing and that will cause the battery to run dry.Interior is so cheap and is falling apart. Everything rattles, CD player gets stuck. Verdict Junk Junk Junk.

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  07 red line - 2007 Saturn ION
  By jonathan - September 15 - 2:20 am

  Not bad for a four cylinder. Lots of get up and go, and will take some gs in the corner. The car has great lines, inside and out. Overall the Red Line is not disapointing and is a blast to drive!

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  Loving It - 2006 Saturn ION
  By wkae - September 14 - 3:13 am

  I was first attracted to the car by its low price tag, but Ive found it to be a great little car to drive. True, it doesnt live up to the gas mileage estimates, but whose car does? Most of us dont drive our cars at 55mph anymore. This is a great vehicle for the price

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  We Like It But Its Not Perfect - 2005 Saturn Relay
  By Wisconsin Family - September 13 - 3:00 pm

  We recently purchased our Saturn and love all the bells and whistles. Between the amount of options and room we got for the money and working with the Saturn dealership, we are very satisfied. As first time mini-van owners, we were happy not to have to give up some of the comforts and looks of our old SUV while getting the room of a van.

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  Near perfect ride - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By lrigemag - September 13 - 7:56 am

  I never had a car buying experiance as pleasant as buying my Saturn VUE. I left feeling like I finally got what I wanted, paid what I wanted, and was treated the way I wanted for the first time. It was apparent that they listened to me, because everything that was important for me to have is in my VUE now. All the safety features that will make me feel secure when out and about with my loved ones on the road.

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  Exquisite Machine - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By MsJay39 - September 11 - 10:00 am

  Im very please with this vehicle so far. It handles with ease and flows smoothly across the highway with expertise. The bodystyle is what peaked my interest in this SUV. I didnt want a large SUV, I just wanted to sit up high enough to view the road and all blind spots clearly. This vehicle meets and exceeds my expectations.

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  I turn the car on, it returns the favor - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By Char - September 10 - 4:36 pm

  The car was originally a return from rental, so it was broken in when I bought it. But I love this car. Driving it is like an F-16 on wheels and just as sleek. Some people think I paid 50-60K and stare in disbeleif when I tell what I got for 22K. (Including tire/wheel warranty, bumper to bumper extended warranty and 3rd party remote- which the Saturn warranty covers) The in-town mileage is low but the highway mileage is outstanding. I typically get 35-40 MPG (at around 60) Kia & Hyundai eat your collective hearts out. Because of the high safety rating, insurance cost is very low. But why doent GM advertise it more?

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  Wish I had known - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By jcr - September 6 - 9:53 pm

  This car has been in the shop more times than my previous 7 cars. Windshiped wipers didnt work - 2 times to fix, ESC light on - 2 times to fix, cruise control - hit bump in highway - quit - 2 times to fix, and now on 4th time in for rear brake lights - some times stayed on all the time, other times never came on when applied the brakes. My car is definitely not "car of the year" Ive driven borrowed cars half the time Ive owned this one.

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  My second Saturn - 2003 Saturn ION
  By TChoirAlto 2 - September 5 - 2:00 am

  This is the second Saturn I have owned, and just like my last one, it is reliable, well-made and really fun to drive. The ION has all of the things I liked about the SL and it has lots of new features to like as well. The positioning of the instruments near the center of the dashboard allows excellent visibility through the windshield. The car is roomier than the SL and is higher off the ground, which makes entering and exiting much easier. Electric power steering is much quieter than hydraulic, and the IONs turning radius far surpasses that of the SL. The price is fair, and you get a lot for your money.