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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  AURA XR-4 - 2009 Saturn Aura
  By JDB - November 6 - 8:16 pm

  Purchased a Saturn Aura XR-4 after coming off a Lincoln Zephyr lease. I was looking for better mileage without sacrificing comfort. So far I am happy with the Auras performance. Ok its not a Lincoln, but the drive is comfortable and the 2.4 four cylinder gives me enough power and speed thanks to the 6 speed tranny. The interior is a little cheap and I agree the buttons on the steering wheels are small but I new this going in. This car has just about everything, bluetooth, moon, remote start, leather, Onstar, XM. It actually has more feature than my Zepher had. The price was very attractive. The exterior is eye catching. If your looking for an affordable midsize give the Aura a look.

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  So far so good - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By Traci - November 5 - 6:50 am

  This is my second Saturn, but my first truck. I love the way the VUE looks, however I feel its cheap inside. I find it dumb that there is no switch for the rear passenger to roll down the window! So if they want the window down they have to ask me. What was the point of window locks? The steering also has a lot of play in it, but overall I like it and would suggest it. My truck is still so new so I havent found anything wrong except my wheel bearing went already.The gas mileage for some reason doesnt seem so efficient but that could be with all trucks.

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  Good Car, Some Caveats - 2004 Saturn ION
  By Matt_A - October 24 - 3:36 am

  Ion 2 purchased new at end of season, with a power package. An econocar, with great exterior styling (seemed to be copied in the 2004 Nissan Maxima). The engine has plenty of power and pep than the older Saturn S Series. Long drives were extremely comfortable, suspension was comfy, seats are firm yet comfortable enough for 6 hour drives. The soft donut hole head rests (reminiscent of the Audi) are great for the passenger looking for a sleep and for seeing through. The innovative center console is cool/easy to read. Flexible body panels are excellent, a BMW bumped into the rear in a parking lot and no harm to the Ion but it crumpled up the BMW side panel. The huge trunk is a bonus.

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  own 2 2003 vues - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By larry dunn - October 13 - 10:00 am

  bought 2 vues last december at 0%. we love everything about them. Great ride/mileage..27-28 mph. looks great. we get many compliments..no mech problems.

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  Not vying well after 90,000 miles - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By rollo - October 11 - 10:00 am

  This car rides like a lumber wagon on streets that arent in great shape. It has to stiff of a suspension and I have over a 100,000 miles on it isnt holding up like a car made in Japan would. The brakes are to small for comfortable stopping, I have vibration and shaking in my rotors. Looks great but for the long haul I wouldnt recommend.

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  Power Steering went out - 2006 Saturn ION
  By Cruces2009 - October 8 - 6:10 pm

  I got my car in Oct. 2005 and really had no problems and was planning on trading in for a Vue or Outlook with in the next year or so and then Yesterday my Power Steering went out, it was hard to turn and scary driving over a mountain with my two daughters alone. As soon as I turned off engine it was fine again. I went to dealership and its going to cost $1,000 to replace and to top it off I found out lots of people are having the same problem, this really stinks, I plan on calling customer service tommorrow, really wish there was a recall. :(

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  Great car - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By lacey - October 8 - 5:16 pm

  Very nice car. Good ride. Owned a BMW but is pleased with the accommodations. Regret the co. not makes this car.

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  first saturn - 2004 Saturn ION
  By d day - October 7 - 2:00 am

  i was originally ready to buy a used 2001 saturn sl1. but with the rebates and financing for a few dollares more a month i could get a new ion. i was looking for a car in this subcompact class anyway. i need a car with trunk space and for the price i cant beat it.

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  Great Car for the Price! - 2004 Saturn ION
  By Sarah - October 5 - 7:10 am

  I recently bought my first Saturn, an ION 1. Overall, I am very pleased with the car. It has nice pickup and the turning radius is amazing! The body style is very nice and looks much more expensive than many other economy cars (though it is very inexpensive). I love the alloy wheels (it was a special order) and nice roomy interior. The headlights are not very bright. Overall, a great car for the money!

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  Bad transmission!! - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Lara - October 2 - 11:50 pm

  I bought this car used in 2007 for $8,000CAN with 110,000km on it (68,000 miles). Shortly after that it needed a drive chain, which was about $1,000. Everything was fine after that until last week! Although I love the look of this suv, I am disgusted that my transmission just blew at 143,00km (89,000 miles)! My mechanic said the transmissions in them are weak and prone to fail. They cost more to rebuild than to replace, and the cost of to replace the transmission is about $5000 all said and done. Unbelievable! It is not worth spending that kind of money so Im left with a vehicle worth about $800 and have to purchase something else. Very disappointing that this was not a RECALL.