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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  New Saturn buyer - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By linda - April 28 - 3:36 am

  We have been looking at many midsize SUVs. Once we looked at and drove the VUE we just loved it. My husband has been a truck owner for years but decided to go SUV because of the price of trucks lately, and the mileage of trucks is pretty low. This SUV is so easy to get into and very comfortable. With the chrome it is very classy looking. This SUV is a best kept secret. We get second looks a lot going down the road.

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  I LOVE MY ION! - 2004 Saturn ION
  By VBDOT - April 28 - 2:00 am

  I LIKE THIS CAR A LOT. I GOT IT IN JULY AND SO FAR SO GOOD. ANYTHING BAD IS FROM MY OWN MISTAKE (CIGARETTE HOLE) ALL IN ALL ~ GOOD CAR FOR PEOPLE WHO WOULD LIKE A NEW CAR ~ VERY AFFORDABLE!

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  Sky High Performance - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By OConnell - April 26 - 8:20 am

  This car is a great performance vehicle. It handles great in the rain and has a lot of pick up. This car is one to own. This is the future of small convertibles

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  Love it - 2005 Saturn ION
  By athenamor - April 26 - 2:06 am

  After doing tons of research before buying I found that in this price range, this car is one of the safest and most dependable. Perfect for my family of 4. I can fit my big clunky stroller and 2 weeks worth groceries in the trunk with no problems. It hugs curves, and gets good gas mileage. Its compact enough to ease into almost any parking space (even when people park crazy), but not so small that we feel cramped. I love the latch system for carseats, easy to get to. Love the CD player, though its weird not to have a tape deck. Though it has some unique features on the exterior, it still looks a lot like other models at a glance. One night leaving a store, I tried to unlock someone elses car that was in the same color. It took me a sec to figure out why my key wasnt working. It ended up being a different make/model all together.

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  most SUV for the money - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By goose6776 - April 23 - 10:00 am

  We test drove Liberty, Exterra, CRV, and Escape/Tribute. VUE was by far the best. Most powerful engine, better gas mileage (getting 21-26mpg), most cargo room, most comfortable back seat, and comfortable drive. (No experience of road noise or steering problems these experts whine about) I am 63" and have no problem sitting in back seat. Dealer incentives were the nail in the coffin. Would put the VUE in the same class as Highlander or Murano, but 5-10k less expensive. We just flipped 3000 miles and still loving it.

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  Little Ole Lady Driver - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By Njinks - April 22 - 8:56 am

  This late manufactured 2007 vehicle is a love to drive! Unless your clothing can be rolled up or a wear & toss type, trunk space is limited as is the 3 cups holder. Driving with the top down did not hamper conversation even at 80 mph. I had the most problems with the automatic phone connection due my accent! Ive ordered a 2008 turbo therefore if this vehicle had not met my expectations and more, I would not continue to be a Saturn Sky owner. Very easy to drive and shifting never did present a problem.

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  Great Mieage with soft foot - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By IlliniJoe - April 19 - 2:33 pm

  Traded in 2006 Tiburon for more space. I was hesitant because I was getting 30 mpg with the Tiburon. I only have 400 miles on the VUE so after it breaks in I am sure I will get at least 1 mpg better. So far I drove 102 highway miles filled up with 3.3 gallons and got 30.7 mpg. Then I drove 59.5 city miles filled up with 2.02 gallons for 29.5 mpg and finally 82.2 mostly highway miles filled up with 2.7 gallons for 30.4 mpg. Granted I havent gone faster than 65 mph but usually dont. I think the main factor for the mileage is resisting the temptation of accelerating hard. Nice and gradual and it pays off! So far I really enjoy the VUE.

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  Works for Me! - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By ShellJay1 - April 13 - 7:23 am

  This vehicle is great. Handles really well once you get used to the electric power steering, very unique! Looks great with the chrome package and rails. OnStar free for 1 year. Excellent!

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  Nice ride! - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By techman3006 - April 7 - 4:10 pm

  I was hesitant to purchase a Saturn at first until a coworker talked me into visiting the dealership...Im glad I did. Im very satisfied with my new car. In two months of ownership Ive actually had 2 different people stop me after parking my car so they could ask me about the vehicle (which is a first for me). Anyway, the car is great and Im very impressed with the performance, styling, features, etc. for the price. It really does seem like it should cost around $10K more. The all around mileage has been decent (around 24.6 mpg) and it has been a joy to drive. DidnÂ’t feel the extra $4K was worth it to go to the XR..

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  Family friendly and easy to buy - 2005 Saturn Relay
  By SaturnMom - April 6 - 5:53 am

  It started with our love for our local Saturn dealer who we bought with before. The company has an easy no-haggle sales policy, so I never had to fear being ripped off or my time being wasted by money games. Also our local dealer has an excellent service department. I first bought the Relay 3 FWD but traded it in during my 30 day trade-in satisfaction guarantee period for the Relay 2 model. I enjoy the toy box and added visibility over the bucket seats in the Relay 2 second row. If you have younger children, these are a practical option. I also value Saturns Bumper to Bumper Extended Warranty program vs. competitors Limited warranties for worry free ownership.