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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  Its Euphoric / Can The SKY Save GM? - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By Angelqute1 - July 25 - 10:26 pm

  This car is so many things, its almost hard to put into words. I have had this car for 3,000 miles now & I think Ive driven a total of 30 with the top up. Its got the "WOW" factor. It stands out. People think its an Aston Martin, a Corvette, Viper, but never a Saturn!?! Its almost comical that the car is so beautiful because it takes peoples breath away. When you drive it, you feel like a million bucks. When youre not driving it, you wish you were, but then you dont want to put a lot of miles on it. But then you want to pull up to the mediocre looking Miata, or the not so special looking Honda S2000 and smile. Its in a league of its own. It rides great and has looks that kill.

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  Awesome Car - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By svenster - July 25 - 9:16 am

  This is a very nice car. I have had it for 3 weeks and just love driving it. I get all kinds of questions about it when I get out. Very fast, excellent interior layout and comfortable seats. A friend with a G35 says if she had seen the Saturn she would have saved $7 grand and bought it instead.

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  Only the Best Small 5 Door on the Road - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By Charleys New Astra - July 24 - 12:20 am

  Only had it now for 2-weeks, but, love it. Makes me feel like I am driving a 318i or 325i BMW. Smooth ride and great handling with great gas mileage, I am getting the first 2-weeks 28 mpg already and only have 430 miles on the odometer. I got my Astra loaded with the works, heated leather seating with adjustable lumbar fullsize moonroof 4- speed automatic. most everything else was standard on the Astra. My advice to you is go drive it. I traded my 2006 V6 Saturn Vuew in the Astra I downsized in cargo space only but what a great trade off. Works for me. Drive on yourself, buy it and write your own review on here...fuel ecomomy is better than the Potiac Vibe or Toyota Matrix.

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  XR - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By Joe Pritt - July 23 - 10:36 pm

  plenty of power! Handles well, paddle shifting makes car fun to drive

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  Good purchase - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By diphill - July 21 - 12:30 pm

  Just perchased the XE 2.4, It handles like a V6, plenty of power and great gas mileage. Its a pleasure to drive, feels tight on the road. Looks like GM finally got it right with this one. Plenty of storage and interior is tastefully done. Exterior looks like an expensive car without the price tag. Ive only owned it for about a week and cant say anything bad about it. Very happy, theyve earned my respect.

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  What I expected - 2003 Saturn ION
  By Kyle - July 17 - 2:10 pm

  I bought my Ion3 new in 2003. 0% interest and 3 mos deferred because I had just graduated college. Its no BMW 3 series, but its been good overall. 30 mpg on highway; 22- 24 in city (with hard driving). Have not had the build issues others reported -- recalls were done quickly and everyone was friendly. My CD player doesnt skip and noise is what Id expect for a car this size. Center console display is cool and looks much sharper than a Corolla from 2003. Plastic body means no dents; trunk is nice. 5 speed automatic is nice for extra oomph in passing or city accelleration. Would buy a Saturn again, but one a little more souped up. Good starter car.

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  Awesome! - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By BIG PAPPI - July 13 - 10:43 pm

  I love my Outlook. I just took it to Montana from Colorado hauling a trailer. It did OK, a little sluggish in the wind, gas mileage suffered but very comfortable. I drove the entire 1800 miles there and back. XM radio came in handy. Looks great inside and out. I finally got the car other people look at going down the road.

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  Fun to drive, great mileage - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By Alfetta - July 12 - 5:03 pm

  I first started looking at the Astas before all the GM incentives. I really liked the car for its nice styling, outstanding build quality, and good performance. I just thought the price was a little too high comapared the the VW Rabbit. The incentives made me take a second look, and I am glad I did. Although the HP ratings are lower, the power is spread out over the rpm range and doesnt feel slow at all. Brakes are powerful, and very stable handling on all surface types. It is evident that the car is built by Opel in Europe as the fit and finish is better than my wifes Mexican assembled Saturn Vue. In the past few years I have owned MB C 230, and Audi A3. The Astra is my favorite so far.

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  Customer is the King - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By Srinivasa Reddy - July 11 - 9:00 am

  I was so happy with my choice that I have made the other SUV buyers envy. My other colleagues have a RAV4 or a CRV and they now regret their buys. And a Highlander is a quite pricy.This VUE has been designed with customer in mind. Every aspect of it impresses me. I have no complaints so far. Great dealership experience as always with Saturn.

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  ION IT!!!!! - 2003 Saturn ION
  By ndspelman - July 10 - 10:00 am

  THIS CAR IS GREAT. THIS IS MY SECOND SATURN, I TRADED IN MY 1997 SL1 AS SOON AS THIS ONE HIT SATURN OF FORT MYERS IN MY COLOR, CRANBERRY. MY FIRST SATURN HAD ALMOST 110,000 MILES AND IT WAS STILL GOING, MY ION2 HAS 15,000 MILES AND IVE ONLY HAD IT SINCE FEBRUARY1. IT IS FUN TO DRIVE, EXCELLENT PICK UP, AND MARVELOUS ON GAS MILEAGE--EAT YOUR HEART OUT COROLLA!!!