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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  Saturns gone but ive got mine! - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By golferpal2 - December 13 - 4:56 pm

  This is a wonderful car and finally they got it right. Gm is the loser. They lost me from being a future customer. All those gm cars and gm couldnt run the corporation correctly. Hondas are my next new car in 2011.

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  It started out good. - 2005 Saturn ION
  By Amanda - December 13 - 6:33 am

  I loved my vehicle. It has been a decent car. In the past two weeks I have begun to have issues with the ignition. This is something that is suppose to be common with this vehicle year and model. Per the dealership and corporate this is something easily fixed. So far the ignition cylinder housing unit has been replace twice and the ignition switch once. It appears I have purchased a lemon. It has been a good car up until this point. Saturn has also been kind enought to point out that there will be no further ION models after the 07 year.

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  Good Bang for your Buck! - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By Chris - December 11 - 5:03 am

  Believe it or not, the new Saturn Vue is pretty awesome with an honda engine and practical design. the suspensions are pretty sturdy and the steering is incredibly smooth. This is one low profile suv which is among the best out there.

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  Wish it was all positive - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By faceman - December 11 - 2:00 am

  My VUE is fun to drive and is thoughtfully designed for different uses. If it were not for the many repair issues in a new car, I would be Saturns strongest supporter. In my first 2 yrs of ownership, my VUE has repeatedly been in the shop (fuel pump & sensors, radiator, windshield, side panel rattle, etc). Saturn seems to rarely fix an item on the first repair trip (1 fix took 4 times). A number of times, they broke one thing while fixing another. Corporate customer care was a waste of time.

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  2003 Ion 1 - 2003 Saturn ION
  By JHemminger - December 11 - 2:00 am

  I have owned my Ion for 8 months now. This car has been a dream. Everyone who has ridden in or driven my Ion, loves it. The Saturn Ion sells itself i.e. As I was pulling into my driveway, ( I park outside), a neighbor who lives atleast 20 homes down stopped to ask what kind of car is that and asked how much I like it. I told him it is the funniest car I have ever driven and the styling is great both inside and out, it is a beautiful Saturn. 2 days later, I see him driving in his own Saturn Ion. It commonly gets confused with Audi. I have heard that from many a people. Gotta love the unique styling!

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  Overall nice drive - 2007 Saturn Outlook
  By driver - December 10 - 5:46 pm

  Fuel economy is good but lower than claimed. Visibility out of rear window is limited. Interior comfort is fine for driver. For the price of the options seating for both driver and passenber should offer power controls.

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  Problem after Problem! - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Jen - December 10 - 2:23 pm

  I bought my vue in 2007, for a year and a half, I loved it, there wasnt a single issue. Then the one day, dead of winter, in MN, I find myself stranded on the side of the highway.The belt came off, and now to this day, it has happened 5 times.The engine is loud, along with road noise. I always have brake issues. For the last 6 months it has been 1 thing after another. Now that they dont make VUEs anymore, it is worth practically nothing.

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  An Underaetd Car - 2007 Saturn ION
  By New Jersey Driver - December 9 - 4:33 am

  I traded in a 97 Sl 1 automatic for my ION. I have been very satisfied to date .I have had no problems at all. I find my ION to be comfortable, quiet & fun to drive . The fuel economy is good. I like the electronic steering. My ION is easier to handle than my SL 1 was . I was surprised by this car and it exceeds my expectations. The build quality is good and the interior is well put together .The Storm Grey color is beautiful. My ION holds the road well. Saturn refined the ION since its introduction and my 2007 shows the results.I do wish that the power window buttons would be easier to find at night. Overall my ION has a degree of refinement that I did not expect to find.

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  Excellent road Car - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By jim wilson - December 6 - 10:00 am

  I have put 20000 road miles on this vehicle so far and it has performed like a champ.I use the car for business travel and I am very pleased.

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  Dont do it! - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By Kat - December 5 - 4:50 pm

  I have had this car for 4 years now and I am very unhappy with it. I have had wheel bearings, wiper motor, etc. replaced on this vehicle and continue to have problems.