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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  Pleasantly suprised - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By Veajh - February 12 - 9:43 am

  I was a little hesitant buying a Saturn but was sold on this particular vehicle. Ive been very pleased with the vehicle refinements, comfort of the ride and initial quality. It lacks power, but power is something im willing to sacrifice for price. Gas mileage is decent. Lots of room.

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  08 Aura - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By Bob - February 12 - 6:23 am

  I had a Honda Accord before and I struggled with purchasing a Saturn. I had purchased two other Saturns before for the wife and hated them both but this one has been a pleasant surprise. Smooth quite ride with what I think is preety good gas mileage for a V6 (Avg 25) doing city and highway 50/50. Had one small coolant link since in the first 6 months, which was just an occasional drip. Other then that perfect. Wife always had a hard time with Nav systems but the OnStar has been the perfect solution. I drive it about 80% of the time and the wife uses it when she nees directions. Shes got an 07 Honda and just admitted that she likes this better. Time will tell if its as reliable as a Honda.

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  07 Ion is a great car & fun to drive - 2007 Saturn ION
  By I Love my saturn - February 9 - 1:26 am

  I am currently looking into a 2nd car for my hubby. We both love it and we are seriously considering getting the exact same car, same year: used of course as it has been a year and a 1/2 since we bought it. We bought a demo so it had a few hundred miles on it when we got it & it came with a good warranty. We really feel it is a wonderful car. I like the idea that the car isnt going to ding up & that the car in a few years will still look as nice as it does now. There are some minor issues which I see from other reviews that has bothered other drivers too. More on those later in my review. I do like the center instrument panel & the stereo especially. everything is really easy to use.

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  So Far So Good! - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By So Far So Good - February 8 - 6:33 pm

  When we bought our Vue we were excited for the Saturn vehicle. Wed never had problems with our other two and we are not disappointed now. Neat vehicle. We like sitting "up" a little above traffic and the SUV roominess in the back. Could be better with gas mileage. The sticker is a little misleading 29hwy/23city. We get around 25 & 21. This is a lot better than our old Suburban, though.

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  Nice Car - 2006 Saturn ION
  By p. Jackson - February 8 - 2:13 am

  Handles good, good performance, love the 2.4 litre engine and the performance package, onstar,etc. the list goes on. I have had my ION 3 for a month and have no compalints. I dont understand why the car critics arent more fovorible towards the Saturn.

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  Mixed Emotions - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By Adam - February 7 - 9:43 am

  Im about 8000 miles in now. It has great performance. I get compliments on the looks of the car (one lady thought it was a Lincoln MKS). The interior still baffles me. For the most part, its quiet and comfortable, but the plastics are a bit cheap. The traction control switch is under the armrest, the heated seat buttons are down low on the side of the seat, and the side mirror switches are too far away. These all need to be re-positioned so they are easier to get to. And who still puts an emergency brake pedal on the floor? I had a bad rattle, which ended up being a bad weld on the sunroof bracket. Dealer fixed it under warranty.

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  AWD Vue - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By remmy - February 6 - 10:03 pm

  This is our first SUV. However, it is a "looks can be deceiving" vehicle. W/in the first 6 months, the back seat stitching ripped out, the mirror adjuster popped off, and the middle console cracked. After owning it 2yrs and 6 months, both front wheel bearings went out, the rear main seal began leaking, and something went wrong with the rear axle.On windy days, the drivers side and passenger side doors tend to push out at the top. There is a lot of road noise and air. When the windows or sunroof is open, there is a vaccuum of air that makes your ears pop. Other than that, it handles great in all kinds of weather.

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  Love the car... even with flaws - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By jennx2 - February 6 - 9:33 pm

  I have had my Saturn Astra (XR, 3 door, automatic) for a week now. It is a bit hard to get use to. I went from a Hyundai Tiburon Gt to the 4 cylinder Astra. The Astra doesnt have the get up and go from a stop but it is better on gas mileage. Averaging 26 mpg is the city. The Astra sounds like it is struggling a bit to get from 1st to 2nd gear but after that the ride is quiet and smooth. It handles well and I am interested in how well the winter driving mode will more out. I read reviews about the cupholder being a problem and it is. It was way in the rear compartment. I had the center console installed and there is no improvement there excpet that I gained an arm rest.

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  New Ion owners - 2005 Saturn ION
  By stevegcar - February 5 - 1:13 pm

  We loved the look of the Saturn Ion and the price was great. When we went to purchase a car we were not hassled by a salesman. They were very approachable and not pressuring. The sales team did not try to suffocate us or tell us we could not afford a car and take us to the used car section like many other dealerships. The whole experience was a positive one. We went in with a trade- in and walked out with a new car. The car is great it rides and handles well. Its a 4-cylinder car but amazingly it has the power and pick-up of a 6. We love almost everything about this car.

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  The worst vehicle I have ever owned... - 2005 Saturn Relay
  By notagoodvan - February 3 - 5:00 am

  This van has been nothing but a nightmare since the beginning. We should have sold it back under lemon law but we never thought the problems would continue. We certainly never thought that if the problems continued that Saturn would say...sorry you are stuck with it. It has had quite a few different brake problems, major door problems, issues with the windshield or something near there causing an extremely loud wind noise that was never able to be fixed, door paneling falling off, radio replaced 3 times, DVD player replaced once, rear sensor malfunction, broken seatbelt upon purchase, broken horn upon purchase and more...yes theres more. Its a terrible van and Saturn does not back it.