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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  Excellent Vehicle - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By Chris - November 15 - 2:56 pm

  After narrowing my search down to the Aura XR and the Altima 3.5SE, I was much more impressed with the Aura. Honestly the best vehicle in this price range.

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  Saturn for Life - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By HEB girl - November 14 - 8:50 pm

  I have always owned Camrys and was a die hard Toyota driver. With price being an issue dwhen shopping for a new car, I test drove every make and model out there. I kept going back to the Saturn and test drove it 3 times. hands down quality and price won out and I choose a Saturn. It still smells like new inside and has been a great car and one that I plan on keeping for a while. The sleek looks and gas mileage are a very big added bonus. Pay attention Toyota because you just lost a customer for life!

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  Bought w/ Salvage title - Great Car! - 2004 Saturn ION
  By dhallization - November 13 - 7:30 am

  I traded in my big SUV for this little thing 4 years ago. It had a rebuilt salvage title (flipped over in accident) and 75k miles. Im up to 120k and we still love it. 30+ mpg and minimal repairs. The only things weve had to do are: keep relays on hand for when the electrical steering goes out. At first this was a monthly occurrence, it has been 2 years since weve had to replace them. We did struts and brakes at 110k. A fuse for the cigarette lighter. Then of course the normal things, battery, oil changes, spark plugs, etc. We plan to drive this car until our family doesnt fit!

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  The Saturn Astra Rocks - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By Ryan K. - November 13 - 12:53 am

  When I was selected to "ride & drive" the Astra back in early October I was a little sceptical about how this car would be next to the lackluster Ion I was blown away. This car has all the looks and amenities of a car costing many thousands more, the handling is also phenomonal compared to the Ion. I think Saturn has built a real winner and that they will be a serious contender in the small hatchback segment.

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  Always in for repair. Poor Service. - 2007 Saturn ION
  By MadMatt - November 12 - 9:46 pm

  Took my ION 2 in for service 2 weeks after the initial 30 day exchange period. Major vibration, accompanied with various rattles from engine compartment. Remount power train. No change. Took it back a week later. Foam insulated my Washer Fluid tank, remount Engine. No change. 3 months later (trying to let prob get worse) foam reattach fan shroud (rattled lose) flash entire car computer. No change, gas mileage drops to 18mpg city. Foam insulate passenger headlight (now cockeyed) prior to getting home that day. Corporate insisted that 4 times isnt enough, take it to another shop. This shop now wants me to come get, and bring back next week for parts. 6 times in shop. 2600 miles. Avoid!

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  On thing after another - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Didier - November 11 - 12:33 pm

  I bought this Saturn Vue new and 6 months later I lost the transmision driving on the highway then it went downhill from there, little things one after another. Poor quality on the dash instrumentation, broke the hazzard light button twice, handle for the hood release broken twice. Issue with fuel guage malfunctioning seems to have been an issue with several GM models in southern Ontario. Heated seat not working anymore on drivers side. A few lights on the dash not working anymore. Was not impressed to learn that new tires where only available at the dealership only and they are quite pricey. Headlight bulb gone out had to go to dealer to have it replaced because I did not have in hand the GM screwdriver

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  Disappointed owner - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By AlisonSLP - November 11 - 10:00 am

  I have had alot of mechanical problems, which I should not have for a two year old vehicle. It does handle very well and manuvers easily. It also does well in various weather conditions. The children can not see out of the back windows, even in booster seats. Overall I am very disappointed in the quality of this vehicle.

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  Love It! - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By XR Boy - November 10 - 1:20 am

  The car is really really fast for a car of its size. The cars paddle shift capabilities make passing very easy. The cars stability control feature is very useful and helps maintain easy control of the car even under harsh maneuvers. The car has minimal body roll and corners aggressively. Handles better than my Mercedes E-class and Lexus ES 350. The car has an input for an ipod and a very loud sound system. The 18 inch wheels make higher speeds very tolerable. Furthermore I have taken turns much too fast and have found the stability program useful. Buy the XR!

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  At least check it out - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By Stan - November 8 - 2:23 pm

  We were looking for cheap transportation. I went to Edmunds.com to look for Sedans under $15K and the Saturn Astra was no where on the radar. Visited Hyundai/Kia and test drove an Accent. We were on the way to the Nissan/Toyota dealerships. Just for kicks I stopped at Saturn when I had to make a U-Turn. We were blown away by the Astra. With the current discounts and very little haggling we were down to my price range. The quality feel of this vehicle is outstanding. It was like night and day from the Japanese imports. If I could have bought two I would have. After the test drive I was hooked. I really like the european feel of this car. Its at least worth a look for new car shoppers.

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  The typical van - 2005 Saturn Relay
  By jack - November 6 - 9:43 pm

  Before the purchase of the Relay 2, we had two Dodge Grand Caravans. This realy is heads and shoulders above those previous vans. It is comfortable, powerful, handles ok and is reliable. We once had a problem when we overfilled our gas tank, but hav had no real problems since. Now, we need brakes at 30k, but that is the only problem it has had. I hope to get seveal more years of good service out of it before it gets sacrafiiced. So far, this has been a good vehicle.