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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  Good bang for the buck - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By Vueguy - April 19 - 1:16 am

  Good combination of price, power, features, and quality. I would have never dreamed of owning a Saturn until I heard this model was equipped with a 250hp Honda engine. Merging onto freeways is a breeze and the 250 hp has gotten me out of some bad snow drifts.

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  Nice and Safe to haul the Kids! - 2004 Saturn ION
  By Eye On - April 18 - 7:43 am

  Love the "sucide doors", its easy to get my two small kids in and out. HUGE TRUNK and fold down seats great for shopping. I can steer into and out of tight spaces in a snap. Lowest priced car in its market, with lots of great features. Just a great overall "ride" that really stands out! Sales guy really helpful and NOT pushy, bought the car that I wanted w/no hassles.

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  This vehicle has surprised me!! - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By taar - April 15 - 10:00 am

  Its been about 11 months now with this SUV. The silky smooth Honda engine and tranny is a must have! I now have 30000 miles on this puppy with absolutely no problems.

• 

  Impressive - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By bsquare - April 15 - 9:36 am

  Have owned for 2 weeks now, and so far very pleased. Smooth, comfortable ride and plenty of pick-me-up in the V6. Nice lines - more than a few double-takes from other drivers and pedestrians. Shopped the Aura against the 2008 Accord (Im a two-time Accord owner). Liked them both, but feel with Aura Im getting a lot of car for several thousand less.

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  Poor gas mileage! - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By crasberry - April 11 - 8:03 am

  I realized in the 1st tank of gas that I wasnt getting the MPG that Saturn told me I would get. The vehicle is rated at 16 MPG city but we struggle to get 12. It would be different if the vehicle was driven hard but its driven very slow in a fairly small town that you dont drive over 35 MPH. Ive had the vehicle back to 2 Saturn dealerships 4 times and they cant seem to figure out why it gets the poor mileage. The last Saturn dealer told me they drove it and got over 16 MPG. I offered to ride with them to verify their claim and they refused. My wife loves the vehicle but if I knew it was going to get 12 MPG I would have bought another vehicle with a V-8 engine.

• 

  Good Car - 2004 Saturn ION
  By Torn - April 10 - 9:56 pm

  I had my Saturn for 3 years this month. Its a great car. I commute 30+ miles a day and I have even driven it cross country. 90,000 miles on it. Having the coolant fan replaced today. A few other problems with a/c and transmission reving up without touching the gas. But other than that no problems. Handles well and gets excellent gas mileage. I love the car and intend on keeping it till it wont run no more. The trunk is very spacious and interior is comfortable. Dent resistant panels are great. Steering is great. The apolstery, carpeting, and plastic panels need huge improvement.

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  Great other than few issues - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By Robert Simmons - April 8 - 8:30 am

  This is my first Saturn. Has great response,handling on curves,electric power steering does the job. Instrumentation is appealing to the eyes. Steering wheel control of radio, cruise control in good location.

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  Saturn ION 2 - 2003 Saturn ION
  By jshel - April 6 - 10:00 am

  I found the ION a very fun care to drive. I love the handling and the power is sufficient for this class. I was looking at the ION or the Civic. I found the Civic interior very boring compared to the ION. I am very happy with this car.

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  Will hit 200K Next month - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By uppity - April 2 - 8:41 am

  This has been a wonderful car. Ive kept it well maintained so repairs have been minimal. Only things needing repair have been something related to the front end and a sensor of some kind. Repairs were so long ago I dont really remember. Have replaced brakes, battery and tires but I consider those part of maintenance. Still on the original exhaust system and clutch. Only redid the brakes once. I.can only hope my next car is this reliable.

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  Still not sure. - 2005 Saturn Relay
  By Kim - March 31 - 10:50 am

  Weve had our Relay for about 16 months and Im not as happy as I originally was. The molding on the outside is coming off and there is a grating noise everytime I accelerate. There are so many mystery noises its almost unbearable. The door creaks everytime you touch it, as well as the clicking of the DVD player. Weve loved having the DVD player, but my kids are getting as used to it as the radio and no longer is used as often. Overall, Im just not sure the quality is there. But, I guess you get what you pay for.