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 Vue from here - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By fishhead - August 28 - 5:03 am

  V6 FWD, with awesome acceleration,and a smooth, comfortable ride. It zips down the turnpike at 85 in total silence. Gets good fuel economy for 250hp. Its probably the best value in its class. I vowed not to own another American car until i drove this. Go test drive one.

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  07 VUE - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By Scott - August 28 - 1:53 am

  We had 2 uncomfortable cars, 93 Civic, dragging ground, and 03 wrangler (fun but uncomfortable.) So when we test drove the VUE, it was great. That day we had test drove the HHR and Vibe, but this was a perfect fit for us. Roomy, comfortable, options that suited us perfect, at an affordable price. We love the steering wheel controls and heated seats, and the mp3 input, which we use for our Sirius radio, sounds great.

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  Ion - overlooked jem - 2005 Saturn ION
  By scott reilly - August 26 - 10:40 am

  I drive a lot of cars in my job. The ION is exceedingly quiet - especially for engine noise in this class of car. The ION 1 seats do need imrovement but the ION 2 seats are very comfortable. For the price - this car is very had to beat. Im getting real world 25 to 30 mpg. The Saturn dealer experience is as advertised - comfortable and accomidating.

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  Wow what a car!! - 2007 Saturn Outlook
  By tony fiore - August 24 - 11:33 am

  "Awesome",to quote my kids. Excellent looks and ride. More car for the money. It easily outshines other, more expensive cars on the road. The interior is spacious. The engine is powerful and quiet. No road noise and great feedback from the steering and handling. When you look at it, then drive it, you feel you should have paid more. Without a doubt in my mind I made the absolute right choice in this purchase. Way to go GM. P.S. my family and friends want one now.

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  2005 Saturn VUE - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By luvmysatsuv - August 22 - 12:36 pm

  In looking for a small, economical SUV for less money, I found the Saturn VUE for less than I thought I would have to pay. Better economy than expected, better ride than others I drove. I love the dash board, the reclining rear seats, the large outside mirrors, and the large window area. Averaging over 26mpg in everyday driving, 30mpg for hiway trips. Has room for all our junk and four people. Love the fact that I can park it anywhere without worring about dings. My Saturn has the 5-speed trans and this improves on its performance, plus the clutch has a light touch, not tiring. Its not the perfect vehicle, but its perfect for what I need this vehicle to do.

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  What a Lemon - 2007 Saturn ION
  By Jhendy - August 22 - 9:06 am

  Car is up on factory warranty end of March 2010. Car has 53000Km Never had any problems until Feb 2010. Stereo went, then 2 weeks later the heater fan made a horrible racket, when in they noticed a axle seal leak. Beginning of march I noticed the car would accelerate from 40-60km/hr, dealership replaced MAR sensor, said my K&N filter caused it, and I replaced with a factory style filter, as per their recommendations. Car is doing the same thing now with only 100km since the last time I saw them. As well one wiper arm is now stuck. This thing is a LEMON DO NOT BUY!!!

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  It Doesnt Get Much Better Than This - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By jerry - August 21 - 7:53 am

  First one on the road in MD. This car stickered at $21,775 (base model) and is worthy of competition with cars costing twice the price. Style (I bought the Berry Red), comfort and ride are second to none. This is Saturns finest hour competing with the imports. I test drove Mercury Milan, Toyota Camry, Nissan Altima and Maxima, Cadillac CTS and Pontiac G6. Take all of the best qualities of each and put them into a sleek, eye catching style and you have the Aura. Test drive the others youre thinking about and then drive the Aura and see. It was worth the wait.

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  Good bang for the buck - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By James Doerfler - August 19 - 2:00 pm

  So far so good. I have owned Honda Accords for the past 15 years so this was a big departure from tradition. Time will tell if the reliability factor is there.

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  My 2007 Saturn Aura - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By Denise Fuller - August 16 - 2:46 pm

  At first, I did not think I would be driving a Saturn. I test drove so many cars in the $40,000 range, from BMW, Lexus, Audi, and Mercedes. For the money, I found my Aura to stand right up there with them, as far as performance and style. It has the bells and whistles of any of those cars and more. The car looks rich, feels rich, is sporty and conservative at the same time. I love my Aura.

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  Not my Impala - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By lb0456 - August 16 - 12:43 am

  I sold my 2000 Impala and bought the Saturn Aura XE 6cyl. My Impala got 30mpg on the freeway at 70mph. Im a bit disappointed in the Aura. Its supposed to get 32mph highway. If I keep it at 60 it might get that but who drives 60 anymore? Right now Im getting about 27mph. Not impressive. I find it hard to get a comfortable temperature with the heater also. Love the XM radio and OnStar and the interior is very nice and comfortable. And I still prefer cloth seats to leather even with the heated seats so wish I had cloth. Very roomy trunk. Good visibility. Good get up and go when passing.