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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  Lucky Lady - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By Joanne - May 13 - 2:16 am

  This is by far the best car I ever purchased, I owned every model Cadillac, & never was as happy as I am with my Aura XR. I am noticed by everyone. It drives so smooth you can drive for hours & not be tired. Very proud to drive my Aura XR. She has style & grace, just like a lady

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  I Love this Vehicle! - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By leisa - May 12 - 12:13 am

  A terrific little SUV. Make sure you give it a look when considering small SUVs, I think youll be surprised! I swore Id never drive another truck, but this one changed my mind. The comfort may be better for other folks, I have MS, and nothings really that comfortable to me.

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  America can Compete - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By thomas - May 9 - 8:20 pm

  I bought my fully loaded Aura XR for $21K. The Cadillac engine is smooth and very responsive. The stiff suspension works well for me. The neighborhood teenage kids have already complemented me for having "one bad car". And these kids wont drive anything but an Audi A4 or a BMW 3 Series. I am truly impressed with my Aura XR. I come from a Lexus ES300.

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  great car - 2005 Saturn ION
  By mikefazz - May 9 - 5:13 am

  this car has made me want to drive everywhere, and its easy to customize

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  Better with Age - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By Adam - May 8 - 10:00 am

  I wasnt sure about this car when I first purchased it, having come off of 10 years of German cars. But I can say that I have grown to really like the car. Great power, ride, and comfort. MPG is ok if youre nice to it. On highway road trips, Ive gotten close to 30 mpg. Just recently started to have one issue with the car, cruise control occasionally does not work. Have to take it in to get it looked at. Other than that, no problems at all. I get a lot of compliments on it. The Red Jewel paint is awesome. The car looks more expensive than it is. Many people are surprised its a Saturn. Too bad Saturn went away. They finally had a good lineup of cars.

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  Best Built GM Vehicle to date! - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By Maria - May 7 - 3:43 am

  I visited my local Saturn dealership to test drive the new 2008 Saturn Vue and was simply amazed! The build quality was right up there with Lexus! This Saturn is modern, stylish and a joy to drive...it is amazingly quiet! I traded in my 2004 Buick Rendevous and drove home in a Polar White Saturn XR FWD V-6 with gray leather interior. This vehicle is absolutely gorgeous!

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  This car is fun - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By BRW - May 6 - 11:16 am

  Fun to drive. Great to look at. It is beautiful. Fun to see other folks turn their heads when I drive by. It is not a muscle car. I describe it as peppy.

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  Serious design flaw - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By Bentley - May 3 - 10:00 am

  I love the car, BUT the engineering department needs to come up with a fix - and fast for me- to the REALLY aggravating noises coming from the front struts. I have had the dealer "repair" them three times and, in the last instance, we had someone from Tenn. come up to look at the car. This is NOT an isolated problem, they have reported numerous cases of this noise. The "fix" entailed packing the "dry" strut housing with marine grease until the engineering department can come up with a permanent fix. I called Saturn USA and got the hear no evil....... Its a shame because other than that the car has performed flawlessly in the 9,000 miles I have put on in three months.

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  Way to Go Saturn - 2007 Saturn Outlook
  By cherdis - April 30 - 7:16 pm

  I had heard about the Outlook coming out for about 6 months before we saw it. It only took a test drive to know that this is what we wanted. We are having our 4th grandchild and this has the room for all of us, but yet a class act also. The drive is so smooth that you really have to watch your speed, if not you will be hitting 80 or 90 and not have a clue. Everyone who sees it is so impressed. My grandson whom is 10 is finding all the extra features and it is great. Thanks Saturn

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  Saturn VUE awd 3.5 - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By R. Miller - April 30 - 12:26 pm

  I have owned a Saturn Redline AWD VUE for a year now and have had nothing but great dependabilty and driving pleasure from it. My average gas mileage is between 26-28 mpg. Handles real well for a SUV. I highly recommend this SUV.