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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  My Saturn - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Sky - May 22 - 2:00 am

  I was in the market for a new vehicle and had seen the new VUEs, so I went to check them out. I drove the vehicle, told the salesman that I wanted to check out some different dealers, and would make my decision then. I think I test drove nearly every SUV on the market, but they couldnt match up with the Saturn--I was in love! When I bought this vehicle, it had 17 miles on it and I had put most of them on it test driving it several times. I have had my Saturn VUE for 8 months now, and would recommend it to anyone.

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  AWESOME !!! - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By dyhardbear - May 21 - 10:00 am

  love it ... fun to drivve ... gets plenty of looks .... Ya just gotta love the orange

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  Great Car - 2007 Saturn ION
  By Shawn - May 20 - 7:26 pm

  I wanted an American car. I know this doesnt exist in the truest sense any more, but I wanted to find something made by US workers for an American maker. Ive had great luck with foreign cars in the past, and so – so luck with American cars, but I wanted to support US workers as much as possible this time. I thought “This is their last chance”. So far the car has been great. Just what I wanted. Nothing fancy, just a commuter. 8K miles in a NE winter on mixed freeway\city roads. 31 mpg average and I make no attempt to drive efficiently. If these first 8k miles are any indication, Ill be back.

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  My 3rd Saturn - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By Saul Cruz - May 20 - 2:00 pm

  This is my 3rd Saturn, since they began in 1990. I love this car. I can rest assured that it will start the next morning.

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  What a great family Van - 2005 Saturn Relay
  By Sam - May 18 - 5:36 pm

  We bought this van Early in 05, I think we were the first. Lots of small problems, updates, and fixes. The only major issue, was the flickering headlights and dash lights due to the wrong alternator. Dealer never figured it out, I found a buletin on alldata. Oh, and the Goodyear Integrity are the worst tires ever. We replaced the alternator and Tires (Michelin Hydrodedge - well worth the money). after that, the best family vehicle ever! 19mpg city, and 27 on the highway! DVD is awesome for kids, great for a trip taking vehicle with 7 passengers. Born a Ford man, now considering another GM Product for the family.

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  I LOVE MY ICON-1 - 2004 Saturn ION
  By carla cook - May 16 - 2:00 am

  DEAR SIRS, I WAS THE OWNER OF A PREVIOUSLY OWNED SATURN. I WAS CRAZY ABOUT THAT CAR, THE WAY IT LOOKED, THE WAY IT HANDLED WAS GREAT. SO WHEN I SAW THE ADD IN THE LOCAL NEWSPAPER FOR THE NEW IONS AND THE SALE THEY WERE HAVING I COULDNT HELP BUT TEST DRIVE ONE. I FELL IN LOVE ALL OVER AGAIN. THE ION IS A GREAT CAR. I LIKE THE WAY IT HANDLES, I LIKE THE LEG AND HEAD ROOM FRONT AND BACK BOTH MY SONS ARE OVER SIX FEET AND THERE IS PLENTY OF ROOM FOR BOTH OF THEM.THERE IS PLENTY OF ROOM FOR TWO CAR SEATS FOR MY GRAND KIDS IN THE BACK AND THE TRUNK SPACE IS FANTASTIC AND THE BACK SEATS FOLD DOWN. EVEN THOUGH I ONLY GOT THE ION-1 I STILL LOVE IT.

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  You Should VUE - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By emjones - May 14 - 10:00 am

  This is the second Saturn I owned, first was a 1996 SL1. Also a great vechile, I put 100,000 in 6 six years, and plan on doing the same with my VUE. I really appreciate the space and airy feeling when driving it. Very comfortable and practicle. Being 53" or 63" makes no difference, everyone will fit comfprtably while enjoying the ride. I researched many other cars, including the Land Rover Freelander, and the Subaru Forester, there is NO competition.

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  Love It! - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By christina - May 13 - 8:33 pm

  I compared this to an Acadia, Pilot, Tahoe. The Outlook topped them all! It drove the best, had more options, and had the better price. I love it. I have the captains chairs in the back and I would never have one without them. My insurance went down $300 a year because of all the safety features. My husband is 62" and he has plenty of room. I have been getting so many compliments on the style of it. I love the OnStar, XM radio, and DVD player. All of the reviews are correct on line, you will love it!

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  Best Kept Secret - VUE Best SUV imho - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By AmericanCarbuyer - May 13 - 1:20 pm

  Was on the market looking at different cars and decide to check out some of the small to mid size SUVs. Needed roomy interior, wanted performance, style, good looking reliable American vehicle. The VUE just blew me away with the interior room, features, performance and price. After first 1500 miles still really happy with the purchase and the dealership has been great!

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  So far on par - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By MGGDTW - May 11 - 9:56 pm

  I read all the reviews and researched the Astra religiously online and I ended up buying it without even test driving anything else. All the good reviews from this site alone really provoked me. Its a very solid feeling car and built very well(in Belgium I might ad) with tight bonds all over the place. No rattles here at all. I got a 5 speed, fully loaded, every option avail including the sports, handling package with 17s and 45 series tires. I have never been in a car that handles as well as this. Period. I see maybe 1 other Astra in a week where I live and I wonder why. At the price I got it for over $6500 off MSRP. I stole it off the lot! A premium European 5 door hatch at its finest.