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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  Solid Little Car - 2004 Saturn ION
  By ron nelson - March 19 - 9:33 am

  I have no complaints about my Saturn ION 2. Its a solid compact car. I love the exterior design. It handles very well on the road. Excellent gas mileage. Good power. Easy handling . I think its a solid little car. A very good family car. I have the car two years. It runs perfect, no mechanical problems. I would recommend this car highly to anyone looking for a solid car.

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  BAD TRANSMISSION - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By katie - March 19 - 7:16 am

  The VTi transmission in this car is prone to premature failure and there is a class action lawsuit agains saturn for it. My transmission just died at 100,000 miles, and costs 6200 for the part alone- and this is no exaggeration because Ive gotten 3 different quotes. Used is 2500 with 60k on it. I have 6500 left on my loan and am a 23 year old grad student now without a car and thousands of dollars in payments left. Dont waste your money. If you have this car, Get a warranty on your transmission!

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  Great Econo Car - 2003 Saturn ION
  By Lou204 - March 18 - 10:00 am

  The car is responsive in every way! I didnt expect to get cabin filtration, two-tone leather, power windows, programmable door locks, auto headlamps, fog lamps, cruise control, speed sensitive wipers, low noise level, low profile tires, premium wheels, spoiler, a large trunk and an auto dimming mirror w/ compass in any vehicle priced under $19,000. The center mounted instrument cluster makes you feel like youre in a European racer. Ive owned my Ion3 for only a month and have driven it over 1600 miles. No matter how I drive, mpg seems to fall between 29.5 and 32.5. Im anxious to see what it will do on a straight highway trip.

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  My Ion - 2003 Saturn ION
  By LD Lope - March 18 - 10:00 am

  Great little Car, excellent gas milage. I love the design

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  Dont buy one - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By kevin - March 17 - 7:56 am

  I bought this car brand new, love the dealer hate the quality of the Vue. Here are just a few of the problems Ive had over the years. Struts went bad at 500 miles, car had to be towed at 1000 miles would not start burrs in the fuel rail bad abs the breaks stink, both O2 sensors are bad, crank case sensor went bad, gas guage works when it feels like it same with turn signals. Engine control module went out when driving 70 mph lost all control of everything including power breaks and steering. My wife was locked in the car not once but twice (how is that possible)? Car lost all power while driving in Atlanta on way to Florida, went to dealer was charged $85 for bad connection happened again.

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  Sky review - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By Susan Musulin - March 16 - 2:53 am

  I have restricted insurance curently on this car that stops on Dec 15th so I have only had a short time to drive it but during that time, I have thoroughly enjoyed the car and the drive. I only wish that it had more storage space for traveling. People stop and ask me questions about the car because it is such an eye catcher, so it is an easy sell based on its looks. So far I have totally enjoyed the car.

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  Its A Keeper - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By Don - March 15 - 1:43 pm

  I always wanted an SUV. I havent driven my VUE on the open road yet, but if the leveling out of the bumpy roads of my city are any indication, the highway trips should be comfortable. I love the XM radio and will probably continue my subscription past the first "free" year. And I added some minutes to the free minutes I got with the OnStar service. My steering wheel has the hands-free radio tuning and volume control, which has been a joy. The 2.2 litre engine provides enough power for my needs. The gas mileage is right on at 22 mpg in the city. The first road trip is coming on Tuesday, about 240 miles round-trip. So far, Im very pleased with my purchase.

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  Transmission Nightmare - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Disappointed - March 14 - 8:16 pm

  Transmission shot at 55,000, just out of warranty. Cost to repair: $5,000 to $6,000. $3,100 left on the loan. Class Action suit over the transmission issues just settled. Too little, too late. Saturn has to "reimburse" for transmission replacement up to 125,000 (original owners), but many complaints from people who have had to replaced the transmission yet again. The settlement is bittersweet, since owners have to front the $5,000-$6,000 and wait for the replacement. The transmission flaw was never addressed so you get the same loser the second/third time. Decided to get away from it and traded for a Honda CR-V yesterday. Do your own research on the transmission.

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  Very Satisfied with Relay. - 2006 Saturn Relay
  By Mad Matt - March 13 - 11:13 pm

  I tested most minivans before purchasing the Relay. Great braking and handling. Confortable for long trips. I bought with heavy incentives from GM, and I like it more that the Honda and Hyundai. I paid 7k less than most of the competition and it is a better minivan. Cant beat that.

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  03 ION 4 DOOR - 2003 Saturn ION
  By JAYBEA - March 12 - 2:00 am

  THIS IS OUR 4TH SATURN ,NICER DESIGN AND BETTER PICK UP ON THE HIGH WAY THAN OTHERS WE HAVE OWNED.