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:

• 

  Love my Saturn Outlook - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By Flora Rowland - November 18 - 7:06 am

  This is without a doubt the most comfortable vehicle Ive ever owned. I took a trip, drove 18 hours straight and got out of the vehicle with no back pain. The whole trip was relaxing. The Outlook handles great on snowy, slushy roads. I would recommend this vehicle to anyone.

• 

  great suv finally hits the market - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By william mardavich - November 12 - 6:40 am

  This car has been a great eye opener- alot of people stop and ask me if I like it. I tell them its great-fun to drive easy to drive and has great pickup and speed-Its not afraid to move out when I hit the gas.

• 

  Love my Ion 3 - 2004 Saturn ION
  By AJ - November 10 - 7:46 am

  For the money, this is a great car! I bought it for work travel and the gas mileage. Im not disappointed. I average 30 MPG and have gone as high as 39MPG on the highway. Contrary to the expert reviews, it is fun to drive, comfortable, and I especially like the center gauge placement. I have it serviced at the dealer and they are great. In two years when I am done with it, I will give it to my son. Looked at Honda, Toyota and Mazda 3. For the price, you cant beat all of the features.

• 

  ION Red Line is fast, fun - 2006 Saturn ION
  By ron - November 9 - 12:30 am

  Got a used 2006 ION Red Line about 6 months ago, it was a nice find since not too many around. Engine design and performance is great, supercharger responds perfectly to deliver big acceleration. Sweet shifting 5-spd. Suspension seems solid. Absolutely fun to drive. Very generous headroom and legroom for tall driver. Completely reliable, no problems at all so far. On the outside, the ION Red Line looks similar to the regular ION coupe, but mechanically they live on different planets.

• 

  First new car purchase and loving it! - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By Shana - November 8 - 7:13 pm

  After test driving the Accord, Civic, Sentra and reading numerous reviews on other cars, I test drove the Aura and fell in love with it. Ive been a GM girl my whole life and am glad that one of the name plates still holds up, even if I wasnt interested in the current Chevy or Pontiac models. This car was unbelievable for the price. A comparable Japanese or German auto would have been $5-10,000 more!

• 

  Good looking car or beautiful - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By Larry - November 7 - 11:56 pm

  I got delivery of a Sky in late June. I think it is a good looking car. I have had several who wanted to know if I would sell it. Recently at Costco getting gas someone asked if they could sit in it as he was fairly tall and his girlfriend really wants one. I told him that it was a good looking car, "it is beautiful and the best looking car I have ever seen." It has good performance and is quite tight with the the width of the tires and the additional steering capabilities. You would never realize a 4 cylinder engine could provide so much power. I am going to sell my car as I think I can make $10,000 over what I paid, and I want to get a turbo.

• 

  Love this car! - 2009 Saturn VUE
  By Jenny - November 5 - 8:06 am

  We bought our 05 Vue new four years ago and when it came time for a new car we wanted nothing else. Our old one had zero problems with it and had 78k on the odometer. We brought our new 09 Vue home and just love it. We couldnt be happier. The build quality is dramatically better as is the comfort and interior trims. The old one was good, but this one is great. This is our third purchase from a Saturn dealer and the buying experience is always easy and hassle-free. Saturns have many nice options are included in the package price of the car. We dont have to add on much at all if anything. Will definitely purchase a Saturn again and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to buy a new SUV

• 

  The Deal of the Century - 2004 Saturn ION
  By Ken the Auto Tech - November 4 - 10:00 am

  The Ion 1 is the deal of the century for a $12000 car. It has a great suspension, a lot of pep, great gas mileage, an outstanding designed exterior especially in nickle silver, a good solid interior that isnt cheesy looking, great visiblity, the coldest a/c unit I have ever had the pleasure to use, the turning radius is unbelievably tight (almost pivots on the rear wheels), the manual transmission and clutch are a great team. This list could go on and on but I just ran out of room

• 

  My Saturn 2005 - 2005 Saturn ION
  By Antoinette - November 3 - 10:06 pm

  This vehicle is nice and easy to drive good on gas and smooth ride not to big and not to small just right

• 

  In Love with the Aura - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By Amazing Car - October 31 - 1:20 am

  I bought the car about 6 months ago, and still feel so spoiled every time I drive it. Its a pleasure at all times. You really get the most car for the money. Would buy again- in a heart beat!