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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  piece of junk - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By angryenuff - April 7 - 3:49 am

  i bought my saturn at a buy here pay here place.it looked like a great car and it seemed like a great car till 6 months after i bought it and the tranny went out in the 100,000 mile marker.now im being told it s my problem.so i was so irate that they had to of known and i dont have the money to repair it .i told them to shove that car were the sun doesnt shine.oh well there goes my credit.dont buy this car unless you have a lot of extra money to waist on repairs.

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  Bad gas mileage - 2007 Saturn Outlook
  By Better Gas Mileage - April 6 - 3:40 pm

  I have owned mine for 10 months with 27,284 miles. I use it for work and put on 600 or more highway (70 mph) a week. The problem is that I have never got more than 21 mpg. I bought the front wheel drive for the 26 mpg. Wrong! It has been in to the dealership for seven things that were broken. The transmission got a free upgrade, but shifts worse on hills or on ramps. I would suggest a different product than the outlook or Acadia from people I have talked to. I have two teacher friends with big families who thought the same as me. A nice vehicle that can fit a lot of kids and get good mpg. All of us agree city average is 13-15 mpg. HWY MPG 20-22. not 26!

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  Family friendly and easy to buy - 2005 Saturn Relay
  By SaturnMom - April 6 - 5:53 am

  It started with our love for our local Saturn dealer who we bought with before. The company has an easy no-haggle sales policy, so I never had to fear being ripped off or my time being wasted by money games. Also our local dealer has an excellent service department. I first bought the Relay 3 FWD but traded it in during my 30 day trade-in satisfaction guarantee period for the Relay 2 model. I enjoy the toy box and added visibility over the bucket seats in the Relay 2 second row. If you have younger children, these are a practical option. I also value Saturns Bumper to Bumper Extended Warranty program vs. competitors Limited warranties for worry free ownership.

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  Great Aura! - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By don - April 5 - 10:00 am

  My Aura is Deep Blue with Morocco Brown leather interior and it looks like a million bucks! A buddy got a 320CLk Mercedes at the same time and when he saw my Aura and found out what I paid for it he said I got the better deal. I took advantage of Saturns 30 day exchange program as my original purchase was a 2007 Ocean Mist w/black interior car. The dealer swapped it out for my 2008 no problem after owning the first car 3 days. I love the performance and looks of this car! On a recent trip to the desert, it averaged 28 mpg according to the trip computer. I get a lot of compliments from friends and complete strangers alike. My license plate sums it up- GR8AURA!

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  2000 mile review - 2005 Saturn ION
  By Kurt M - April 5 - 12:06 am

  The Saturn has been a pleasant purchase. The car delivers its rated 34 mpg. I have checked the mileage with both high and low octane gas. No difference, so use the low octance. The manual shift is smooth, and the clutch is responsive. It keeps up with highway traffic at 70 mph. I do not find that the ride is rough or noisy. The car corners well. The instrument panel is easy to get used to. In fact, I like it better than the standard location. The interior is a little on the cheap side. The switches are easy to operate and read. It seats 4 comfortably on short trips. The trunk is spacious. For a low cost new driver or "drive to work" car, it has been worth the cost.

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  Ion2 is Awesome - 2003 Saturn ION
  By maestromartin - April 3 - 10:00 am

  The car is fun to drive and quite responsive. Its amazing to me how negative the official reveiw is...they need lessons in fun because thats what this car is! It is reliable, stylish, I WOULDNT HAVE BOUGHT THE CAR IF IT FELT CHEAP! Im a music teacher...the stereo/ cd player is great...especially on those huge symphonies. Handleing and stopping power are impressive.

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  Saturn Vue - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Mie4evEr1 - April 3 - 10:00 am

  I cant say those so much wrong with this vehicle. The biggest problem id have to say it that its a very jumpy car. I cant explain this very well but when i put it in Park (P) the car jumps backa dn forth and this isnt very good if your in a tight parking spot.. it can cause u to hit the car infront or in back of you. The interior is a little too much plastic, but I guess that what you get for the price your paying.

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  No problems with our VUE - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By no problems here - April 2 - 10:10 pm

  Purchased new in 5-04. Purchased the 5-spd for the great gas mileage. Perhaps I just picked a good one, but we havent really had any problems. I did have a solenoid go out in the first 10k, but everythings been great since then. Its an inexpensive car, not a BMW, and for the price its been great. I purchased the seat cleaning option since I have young kids. My car looks new inside and out at 42k and runs great, too!

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  Overall - 2005 Saturn ION
  By Lindsey - April 2 - 7:20 pm

  Overall, I am esxtremely happy with my purchase. The only things that bother me would be that there are no handles on the back doors so the passengers can let themselves out (someone else must do it for them). I also do not like the vents for the AC/Heater. The steering wheel seems to block some of the air coming out. Other than that, I couldnt ask for a better car!

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  I like it! Mostly.... - 2009 Saturn VUE
  By dwane - March 29 - 8:40 pm

  I love the looks and amenities of my Vue. This is my second Saturn, my first was a 2007 Vue Hybrid. But the AWD has 600 extra pounds and 70 more horsepower. It will make a big difference winters. The ride is very assuring, plenty of power for passing and hills. The interior is very classy. And I really like the curves of the body shape. My one reservation is the seating. I am a large guy, and the seats are uncomfortable after just a few minutes. The seat hinge and the hanger that the seat cushion support hangs off of cause a degee of discomfort. Perhaps as everything wears in that will abate. But the seat depth is to short, I could use another inch or two.