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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  Great road car - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By DJW - October 12 - 1:56 am

  Just made a 2500 mile trip and it was a pleasure to drive. I averaged 22MPG for the whole trip and it didnt tire my 68 year old body. This is the best car I have ever owned and should last me for all time. I had thought to get the navigation package but the OnStar is does the job as well.

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  ION quad coupe - 2005 Saturn ION
  By lon barber - October 7 - 6:00 am

  Well engineered. Easy oil changes with oil filter on top of engine . Quick change headlights ; pull 2 pins & headlight assembly comes out . Battery is mounted in trunk for more even weight distribution & easy jump starting of other vehicles.

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  My first SUV - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By Gary - October 5 - 12:46 am

  I researched and looked at smaller SUVs for several months. Considered the Hundai Tucson, Honda CRV, and the RAV4, but really liked the VUE best. The new styling of the 2006 model was a major improvement. I particularly like the way the V-6 drives and handles, lots of pep. The Honda built engine is very smooth and quiet. Dealer could not locate exactly what I wanted (side air bags for one thing) so I placed a factory order. The neat thing was the fact that the dealer could merely modify one of his existing inventory orders and I got my new Vue in 2 weeks! Five weeks and 900 miles later, I have not found a flaw or defect yet. Not a squeak or rattle. I love it!

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  Very happy owner - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By Tom - October 2 - 6:33 pm

  I am 64" and need the fuel economy of a compact but cant get a comfortable fit in one. SUVs fit me better but typically the initial cost of ownership and fuel economy scares me away. Hello Saturn Vue. I was able to get the 5 speed, 4cyl option for 30ish mpg. The cab is roomy even for me. Power is just what youd expect from a 4cyl but acceptable. The ride is comfortable and the handling is very responsive. The electronic power steering does take a little getting used to. I am very pleased with this vehicle and would buy again tomorrow.

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  Digging sporty ION sedan - 2003 Saturn ION
  By Mountain Driver - October 2 - 2:00 am

  The online reviews are all wrong. This car is fun to drive. Corners great with the 16" wheels & electric steering in the mountains. I live at 10,000 ft. altitude and notice no power loss, even with 2 passengers. The styling inside & out makes it different than the others which is great; who wants to be a clone? I am getting 29 mpg. Can you get a Honda, Nissan or Subaru at this price, with these options at 0-1.9% loan interest? I doubt it. The silver roof rails on the white car with the killer rims gets looks.

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  What a Great Vehicle! - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By C Pappas - September 30 - 10:33 am

  GM really did its customer research when they built the Saturn Outlook. We have now had our Saturn for 1 1/2 years and we remain extremely satisfied. In addition to wonderful build quality, the interior design is outstanding. I am 6 1" and my 13 year old son is well on his way there. With the second row captains chairs, he and I can comfortably and easily get into the third row seat, far easier than any other vehicle we tried. A great surpise: After changing my flat tire (which was quite easy) I found that Saturn had put a large plastic bag in a storage area so that the dirty damaged tire could be stored in the back so as not to make any mess! Wow! Very nice touch!

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  The fun SUV - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By Red Line - September 30 - 1:46 am

  This SUV is destined to be one of the best in its class. It wont let you down in its agile handling (Red Line) in proportion to the power under its hood (6 Cyl AWD). It has the power of the a RAV 4 with the reliabilty of a CRV.

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  Love it! - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By Joy - September 27 - 9:00 pm

  We love our Saturn Outlook! Its comfortable and weve had no problems at all with it. Were in the market for another new car and were realizing how great of a job GM did with this vehicle. The nav system is top notch and we also really like the stereo system and overall interior design. The car drives well, has good pick up and can carry 7 adults without any problems.

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  its the best - 2004 Saturn ION
  By javan - September 27 - 2:00 am

  its the best car i ever had and the only car i would ever want. the people at saturn were great i look forward to buying another car from them.

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  I say, I say "Saturn" - 2005 Saturn ION
  By Jim Miller - September 24 - 8:50 pm

  I took my 1994 Saturn SL2 to 200,000 miles with less that $150 in non-maintenance type repairs. My new ION 2 seems to be even better engineered and cost $1,500 less than my SL2 over 11 years ago. The dash configuration does take some getting used to but is far superior than the old one. The exterior has a classy look to it, stacking up very well in the parking lot to sedans with much higher sticker prices. This is our familys third new Saturn and definitely not the last.