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 Car - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By Ron G. - July 25 - 1:26 am

  My wife and I both love this car. We drove everything out there including Toyota and Honda, the quality of this is every bit as good if not better. Rides great, smooth, quiet, fun to drive. We have the old pushrod V6 - gets better than 30 MPG at 65 mph. I have never liked a vehicle as much as this car.

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  new Saturn owner - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Happy Saturn owner - July 23 - 10:00 am

  Having owned this vehicle for only a month we have found it to be very suitable for our use. Our previous vehicle was a Chevy Tahoe. The Saturn is smaller and not as luxurious as the Tahoe but the cost was much less. We can get by with a smaller vehicle at the present time and it was a fair trade.

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  Fun Driver - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By 61Bugeye - July 23 - 10:00 am

  Really dont have any complaints of yet. Have been more than satisfied with all aspects of the Vue. Would buy another. With the price of gas as it is and the fact that we need a four wheel or All wheel drive. Gas milage is great for an SUV.

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  power in VTI - 2004 Saturn ION
  By patsyfrom abfab - July 23 - 10:00 am

  Just want to make upgrades.

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  Saturn Did It Right! - 2005 Saturn ION
  By QuadCoopsterPoopster - July 23 - 4:23 am

  The Ion Quad-coupe 3 is a wonderfully fun car to drive, with good acceleration, wonderful handling, and responsive acceleration and steering, even for a 4-cylinder engine. All of the design flaws from the first ION have been resolved and improved upon (for instance, the NBA basketball- textured dash is gone), and even with the two rear suicide-doors, I was able to comfortably seat my elderly in-laws in the back seat comfortably for a long trip from Miami to Tampa and back. This is a truly wonderful car with a boatload of useable storage space in the trunk, and is also a real eye- catcher as well. Get the sunroof and the leather interior and ENJOY!

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  My First New Car - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By Yataiva Harris - July 22 - 3:03 am

  I have had my Saturn for almost a year now and I love it!! I get very good gas mileage in the city and on the highway. I have gotten many compliments from coworkers and from people on the street about the new look of Saturn. The experience I have had as an owner has been nothing less than superb! I have scheduled appointments for regular maintenance with various dealerships and everyone has been friendly. The only issue I have had thus far is a remote that worked at its own convenience. At the dealership, the service representative was friendly and swapped my remote while my oil was being changed. I would truly say that this car is a very good buy.

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  Over 2 Months and Honeymoons not Over - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By jbta - July 19 - 9:53 pm

  I got a silver well-equipped coupe a few months ago and I love it. Still look back at it adoringly when I leave it in a parking lot. I drive sensibly and have averaged 30.8 mpg so far. The interior is very comfortable for me, and I like the unusual radio/temp controls (and you CAN make the display backlight stay black - under Settings and Day/Night). Not the most powerful car Ive driven but unless Im going up a mountain with the AC on I dont notice sluggishness. Wish I could plug in my iPod and I have yet to see how it handles in winter weather, but overall Im very, very pleased. Any car Id enjoy more would have left me broke.

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  The Relay is Definitely a Good Choice - 2005 Saturn Relay
  By ian07042003 - July 18 - 12:40 am

  Our last four cars before the Relay have been Saturns. The Saturn reliability, styling, service, and price are very hard to beat. And the new Relay definitely does not disappoint in that regard.

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  Worst Model Yet - 2003 Saturn ION
  By adida5796 - July 17 - 10:00 am

  Ive had my saturn ion for a little over a year. Its been in the shop 7 times now, the 7th tommorow. Its had a leaky motor, a broken cd player, a recall, the transmission slips and the RPMs race and the car jerks forwards, the brakes are terrible as they are going in tommorow because the car makes a creeking sound when stopping and maneuvering. I wouldnt recommend this car to anyone who wants reliability and comfort unless you like roadtrips cause you will be taking many of those back to the dealership to get repairs! The car has a lot of problems with noises and they are very annoying. Id get a Civic or Toyota! Too bad im suck in the lease!

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  Dangerous shifting difficulties! - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Anakala - July 17 - 10:00 am

  Extreme difficulity ""finding" gears ... especially downshifting to first after stop. Interior finishes and seat covers are poor materials and finish.