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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  Honest Review - 2006 Saturn ION
  By Mark C - May 28 - 1:43 am

  I just hit 70,000 miles. So far Ive had the ignition problem which is VERY common to the Saturn Ion where you cant get the key out of the ignition. Should have been a recall item. Also all of my fuel injectors needed to be replaced. Another problem I had was with the control module, another common problem with these cars. Luckily I purchased an extended warranty through an online warranty company. So I was not out of pocket too much. Other than this not too bad. Had my brakes checked today and there is plenty of pad left after 70k, I was surprised.

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  Consumer Review - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By Emera - May 27 - 7:03 pm

  This is my 3rd new vehicle with Saturn. The first two cars I liked okay however, I just love the new 2006 Vue. For a non luxury SUV the 2006 Vue has a new sleek design the looks and feels and drives like a luxury SUV.

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  Best vehicle Ive ever had - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By dpique - May 24 - 10:00 am

  What a great SUV! This thing is a blast and does everything I want it to do. I dont have to worry about screwing it up because you cant!

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  VUE RED LINE - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By fred - May 23 - 6:43 am

  Terrific car with loads of power. Build quality is top-notch. Has not been back to dealer except for scheduled oil change. AWD works flawlessly and is terrific in rain. I have the Red Line model and it gets quite a lot of looks! I intend to replace it with the 2008 Red Line VUE early next year. The new VUE is amazing.

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  I see its not just me - 2005 Saturn Relay
  By mike d - May 23 - 3:00 am

  I do not know how many times I have had this van to the dealer. Things replaced off the top of my head, fuel sensor, radio,and windshield wiper motor to list a few. There is a constant noise in the front hubcaps when going 20 mph like sticking a playing card in a bike tire. Was told they fixed it with spacer washer in the lugs. No it is still there. They cant fix the front cupholders will not close or open properly. Need new tires and brakes at 30,000. This might be one of the cheaper suv/minivans out there but for 22000+ I expect a decent vehicle this is not. Cant wait till my lease is up to get into something else. Anything has to be better then this. Buyer Beware!!

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  Great value, fun to drive - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By Laurie - May 20 - 8:36 pm

  I have had a lot of fun driving this car on the freeway and on back roads. It looks great, inside and out, and the manual transmission is peppy and responsive.

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  Great car - 2008 Saturn Sky
  By Lou - May 18 - 2:20 am

  The Red Line is a blast to drive. The styling is great and it handles like a dream. I am not looking forward to the day I have to put in the garage for the winter! I had a choice to invest some more money in stocks or to buy some fun. Given what is happening on Wall Street, looks like I made the right choice.

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  American Cars are Back!! - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By jackflash - May 16 - 3:03 am

  Thank you Saturn for building a car that that finally shows that America is back. As a owner of Japanese cars for the past three years I thought that was the best you can get for a 4 cylinder. The Aura proved me wrong, this car is a quality built vehicle with attention to detail. From the chrome trim rocker panels to the solid closing trunk lid, ambient lighting, trim details, XM radio, smooth shifting, comfortable and supportive seats this car is impressive. The exterior color midnight blue with tan interior and wood trim is awesome for a car in the price category. The paint job is excellent to go, the ride and handling is like the car is on rails, way to go. Plus this car turns heads!!

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  Awesome Car - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By Netray - May 15 - 11:36 pm

  So far so good. I have owned 2005 VUE for the past 2 years and it seem to be cheaply made, the Aura so far from I can tell is a well built car and worth the $21K, I looked at other cars with the same options that were in the $30K range and not as nice to drive, Saturn has a winner with the Aura. The Aura handle nicely and is very comfortable, seems to have a lot of power with good gas mileage, Very quite car when on the highway doing 80 mph, and big bang for the buck.

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  Poorly Designed, Mechanically Defective - 2005 Saturn ION
  By amarri - May 15 - 10:23 pm

  I have had nothing but trouble with this vehicle: 4 tow-in and 2 drive-in service calls. Check Engine light glowing steadily, fuel gauge registering zero, rough engine idle (car struggles to remain running), loss of power when operating A/C (A/C fan and headlights dimming), annoyingly squeaking seats, water leaks, and dangerously faulty gearshift knob that breaks off in hand when using. Cheap interior materials and poor instrument cluster visibility. Poor rear-view mirror visibility: many blind spots.