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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  VUE is top SUV Option for the Dollar - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By Dave Kay - March 5 - 8:40 pm

  As safe as the CRV. standard tires are bigger and better than the CRV. Same engine and tranny yet Consumer Reports rated the Saturns engine and tranny lower (impossible, but they did). No-rust, no-dent panels that sadly are going away, I could go on and on. Everything I mentioned, for thousands less. Look at the two vehicles parked next to each other, not even close.

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  saturn Vue V6 - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By r rbrodehl - March 3 - 8:30 am

  Very nice car for the price. The Honda 250 hp V6 with the Honda automatic 5 speed transmission make for a reliable, smooth and peppy performance. With a curb weight almost 1000 lbs less than the honda pilot, the saturn is FAST, and the mileage is as advertised--29 mpg hwy, and 25 mpg town, on regular gas. I tow it 4 wheels down behind my RV and have had no problems in 10,000 miles of towing it so far. I di get the 16 inch mag tires/wheels and they look great. With 10,000 miles on odometer I have had no warranty service required yet.

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  my ion experience - 2003 Saturn ION
  By kc - February 28 - 10:00 am

  At 2000 miles engine light came on. Took to dealer twice, second visit it was kept for three days. Turned out to be a screw had gone through wire in harness and had to be removed. No problems since.

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  Great car! - 2003 Saturn ION
  By Dalixra - February 28 - 10:00 am

  Very pleased with the design and features of my new Saturn!

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  Happy with my Vue - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By SKF - February 28 - 10:00 am

  Ive had this vehicle for three months and so far I have enjoyed the Vue. I have the 4 cyl. automatic because the salespeople talked us out of the V6 saying it was getting horrible gas mileage. I dont believe the 4 cyl. gets much better. Nowhere near the sticker. Thats probably my biggest complaint. The car lacks power, but I knew that when I purchased it so I cant complain. As for the interior, I feel it is well laid out, but everything is plastic. Overall, Im happy with my purchase and would recommend this to others who were looking for an economical SUV. This would be an ideal vehicle for a young family.

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  ZZT goes fishing - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By ZZT - February 28 - 10:00 am

  I did not think I would like this SUV when my wife bought it. It has good power and a smooth drive that is not found with htese small SUVs. Great package at a very good price.

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  so far , so good - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Indiana vue - February 28 - 10:00 am

  We recently purchased our vue after having minivans for several years. I am the most critical of the two of us, being the husband and wife. My wife has long enjoyed smaller sportier cars and I like more room. We had bought a cherokee sport before and I didnt like it after getting it.This is the first suv that I have liked well enough to buy.The dealership where we got ours was very helpful.Right now,the vue is fun to drive and I like having the sunroof in it. We went with the med. green color and got leather seats in it Gas milage is okay so far,buthavent had it on a long trip.our son who just turned 18 yrs. old, really likes this suv.

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  redski 1 - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By Dave witman - February 27 - 8:03 pm

  I think this car is well designed. When I drive around town, its a real head turner. People ask what is it and who makes it. I put it in a car show last year. There was so many people around it I couldnt get to it, it stole the show. I am going to trade it in for the red line. I hope to pick it up by months end. I only use it on the weekends and only in good weather. There are a few things about the car I would consider looking at. I think the car should have run flats on it by Goodyear. I have a standard transmission, and it dosent shift with ease. Its a little on the hard side. All in all I think its the best roadster.

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  Great Car - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By gregtwelve - February 27 - 11:20 am

  I needed to replace my wifes 8 year old Maxima. Always liked the looks of the Aura since it came out. With the new GM incentives I decided to take a drive. It is an impressive car in every way. It is smoother and more refined than the Maxima it replaced, the ride is much better and it is much more quiet. It has tons more features and was still $3000 cheaper than the Maxima was eight years ago! I cannot get over how great looking this car is in white.

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  Fast - 2006 Saturn ION
  By FastJ - February 26 - 11:13 pm

  Bought my Redline two weeks ago and after spending the 1st 500 miles breaking the engine in (just to be sure), Ive let er rip and she is fast. Shell get to 60 in 2nd gear right at about max horsepower and its a kick in the pants moving up to 3rd. The cornering is impressive. The exterior build quality is top-notch (I cant believe the nice, solid THUNK when closing the suicide doors). The interior headliner on mine still needs work (the area near my ceiling lamp clicks annoyingly (its held by velcro) despite a visit to the dealer to fix.) The RECARO seats are fantasic and do their job when cornering. There arent any armrests so long trips and traffic jams might be tiring.