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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  Exceeded expectations - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By berls - September 24 - 1:53 am

  Nice room for the driver and passenger. Little storage in the trunk with the top down. Rides like a midsize touring suspension and sits down on the curves at 40-60 mph. Nice pickup with the 2.4L. Looks great- a real headturner!

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  I Love my Saturn - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By Mary Beth - September 22 - 9:50 pm

  I love my new Saturn VUE, its sporty but yet big enough to carry people or things around in, I went from my 2000 Mustang to my Saturn VUE and right now Im loving all the space. Before buying my VUE I also looked at the Honda CR-V which is suppose to be like the same but its not its smaller and lower to the ground than the VUE. To be a little 4-Cylinder it has good pick up and is extremely smooth and bumpy free. I will contiue to deal with Saturn in the future.

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  powerful - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By darryl campbell - September 22 - 10:00 am

  I have a vue red line v-6 250 horse i love the power of this SUV I real was going to buy a car monta carlo supercharge the vue redline has more horse power and cheaper so far good suv but i dont like the full time day time lights. u should be able to turn them off also both seats should be power

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  2004 VUE AWD V6 - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Bucko - September 22 - 10:00 am

  We do a lot of serious off-roading. We took our new VUE out to some dry washes and on some mild loose dirt roads in the mountains where we drive our Jeep Wrangler and atvs. The VUE performed well. While no serious four- wheeler, the AWD performed flawlessly and as long as you watch the ground clearance, this vehecle will take you to some places you wouldnt think possible. I wouldnt take it into running water or mud, but for hard packed sand, and dirt roads, steep or not, the VUE really surprized us.

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  ION 3 - 2004 Saturn ION
  By FONTENOT - September 22 - 10:00 am

  I am hoping to get as good of reliability with this Saturn as the previous ones. My last Saturn had 260,000 miles before I sold it. The automatic transmission takes getting used to. The RPMs decline when the speedometer is increasing. I think this means I am utilizing the best gas mileage possible.There is no lack of zoom with this phenomemon.

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  Couldnt be happier! - 2007 Saturn Outlook
  By Jodi Shover - September 21 - 2:43 am

  I personally looked at and test drove it 5x before I purchased it. Each time I fell in love more. This vehicle has style and class, at a very reasonable price! In addition to the 8 seating capacity, there is ample storage space in the back. Saturn has combined safety, luxury, and roominess all in one. I am more than satisfied with my decision. It is beautiful to look at and equally great to drive. Without hesitation, I would recommend buying the Saturn Outlook.

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  XE - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By D van Galen - September 17 - 9:43 am

  After 10K miles on this car I have to say it has been one of the best cars I have owned.I will put 18k-25K rep yr on the miles. A real pleasure to drive. I average 2-3 years on a car.The ride it the best feels like a BMW sport sedan. Comfortable and has style. I would have prefered the simulated wood trim to the silver interior trim but it is clean. Radio is great. Not bad on mileage 22-26 around town, 25-30 on highway. Very quiet ride for a $24K car.

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  Astra-nomical fun! - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By Joe Astra - September 17 - 8:10 am

  I have owned my new Astra XR 5 speed manual coupe for about a week. I have put 200 miles on it so far. It is the best riding/handling small car I have ever driven. It also has an outstanding quality interior, and features that you typically only find on a luxury car. I could not be more impressed. I was concerned about the 138 horse power engine having enough power to climb the foothills of the Rocky Mountains where I live. This car eats up the mountains like a piece of cake.The highway I take most frequently that has the steepest grade has a 75 mph speed limit. The Astra takes this hill in 5th gear doing 80 mph, no down shift and plenty of additional power to give if needed.

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  Great Car - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By ValKilmer - September 13 - 1:13 am

  This car is slick. It is powerful and very good looking. All of my friends are so surprised when they find out its a Saturn.

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  i love it - 2004 Saturn ION
  By Nate cool - September 11 - 10:00 am

  this is the best car in the world.iwould never