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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  My Second ION - 2006 Saturn ION
  By Henry - June 10 - 4:20 am

  Buying an ION-2 sedan was one of the best choices I have ever made. I can tell from driving it that numerous improvements have been made since the ION came out in 2003. It handles well and has good acceleration. The automatic transmission works very well and is known for reliability. Also, this one is quieter than the early model IONs. Cosmetically, the steering wheel and the front fascia are big improvements on the 03-04 IONs.

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  Good car for the money - 2005 Saturn Relay
  By driver75 - June 8 - 12:43 pm

  Much cheaper than Toyota and Honda. Have only had a few minor things that the dealer repaired quickly. A/C could be colder, but other than that it is great for long trips.

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  Who needs therapy - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By Shpchngr - June 6 - 4:56 pm

  ...when you have this car. I love it! I have never had a convertible before. When I put the top down and drive down a country road...every day is a good day. It has been a major conversation starter every where I go. Starts out...what kind of car is that and then there is astonishment over it being a Saturn. I have taken a 5 hour trip in it and packed everything I needed for a weekend in the trunk. That being said, this is a second car so there is a bigger vehicle available for longer trips (but not nearly as much fun).

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  Great in snow and rainy conditions - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Paul from D.C. - June 5 - 2:00 am

  Having an AWD on my V6 Saturn works like a charm. Drove yesterday on packed snow up a steep gradient without any slippage. The VUE handles really well in wet and sloppy snowy conditions due to its wide tires and the AWD. Great all aroud visibility and acceleration; a must in any Metro are full of cars.

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  Couldnt be happier! - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By tdee49 - June 3 - 8:10 am

  I had to buy an SUV because I own 2 dogs and I had just totaled my 2006 Saturn Ion. I am very happy with Saturns customer service. The Vue has a lot of power and it accelerates very quickly. Mine is fully loaded with leather and heated seats, so the they are a lot more comfortable than the Ion seats. It rides very smooth, and it sits up high. Gas mileage is great, considering it has a V6 and as much horsepower as a Honda Ridgeline.

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  Lookout Honda and Toyota! - 2007 Saturn Outlook
  By Kelly Kilroy - June 2 - 6:33 pm

  Just picked ours up, and what a car! We ordered ours with everything but middle row buckets, GPS and the trailering package. Ride is supple and very quiet. Handles like a car. Tan leather interior is beautiful. Seats are very comfortable. Lots of gizmos to fool with, including OnStar, park assist, auto liftgate and remote start. All and all very pleased. Most impressive was the 3rd row seat. Couldnt find a Pilot with one, and the Highlander we test drove it appeared Toyota put it in as an afterthought. Our kids couldnt even access it without coming in throught the rear hatch and climbing over the seat. On the Outlook the smartslide feature makes access very easy!

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  Awesome Ride - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By JRHayes - June 1 - 10:00 am

  I love my Saturn VUE, its fun to drive and gets great gas mileage. I have taken it on trips, a great ride, just needs a better back seat for the passengers in my opinion.

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  Airbag and body protection - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Bob Cumby - June 1 - 10:00 am

  We love our Saturn. One month after we got it another car run a stop sign and hit us on the drivers side. My wife was driving. Her side airbag save here from injuries. The body help protect us. It did its job. I think if we been in another car. we both would have had injureds.

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  How great our VUE is - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Sara LaBerge - June 1 - 10:00 am

  We have a 1997 Saturn, so when it came to another car we went to Saturn, we had seen the VUE and liked what we saw, we test drove one, and knew that this was for us. The major test, was a road trip to Las Vegas, thru mountains, it passed with flying colors, and we went 388 miles between fill ups.

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  Commuting Ion - 2004 Saturn ION
  By cajunmilkballs - June 1 - 10:00 am

  I was looking for a commuter vehicle and the Ion3, loaded, was less than similiar cars I had priced. The horsepower was similiar to the others but was avaliable at lower rpms, it got 28-32 MPG, and with the incentives avaliable at that time it was a no brainer.