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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  First new car - 2006 Saturn ION
  By HappyCamper - February 11 - 9:03 am

  This is my first new car. Ive only put 350km on so far. It is very smooth with strong acceleration. My only complaint so far is the sun-visor. It clicks-in at certain angles, but the settings are too far apart. I find it either blocks my view or doesnt block the sun.

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  Solid, solid crossover - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By dealing3000 - February 10 - 3:30 am

  We looked all over for a 7-8 passenger vehicle that met our needs. Since our family is growing we needed something bigger. We looked at many other SUVs/crossovers and this is the best of the bunch for the dollar spent. My wife and I love this vehicle. It drives great and hugs the road for an SUV. We recently went on a 1000 mile trip and it was the easiest ride I have ever undertaken. he fit and finish is top notch (way better than my 2007 VW Passat Wagon) and I really like the exterior and interior design of the vehicle. After 2000 miles we are getting 16 city and 24 highway. We hesitated at first when considering Saturn but we could not be happier with our purchase.

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  Love it - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By BALUSHNA - February 8 - 10:00 am

  Never thought that I would buy American again but so far so good. Love the smooth Honda engine and love the looks.

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  Love my Astra - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By rmittel - February 6 - 8:51 am

  After 2.5 years I still really love this car. Too bad they are no longer available here in the US. If Saturn had sold more cars like this they would still be around. Get comments from people asking what car that is, they love styling. Very firm fun car to drive. I live in Colorado and is great in snow. Have had no problems what so ever with vehicle. Dashboard controls a little hard to figure out as they are European based but not an major issue. A lot of car for the money I think.

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  Best Crossover - 2007 Saturn Outlook
  By Nichole - February 4 - 4:26 am

  I absolutely love my new vehicle. I was in the market to upgrade to a larger vehicle (Civic before). With the growing family and traveling 100miles/day to work, I need a vehicle that would be comfortable and with good mileage. I was not quite ready for a minivan so I continued to explore car lots until one caught my attention. This car is excellent on the road. It is a very smooth ride all the way. I could not be more pleased with my choice.

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  Freaking amazing car!! - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By matthew_w - February 1 - 11:09 am

  Ive owned very many cars, but by far this is the best car ive ever had, put hankook tires under it and it will run forever... Great SUV fast, and powerful when needed!!

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  Not fancy, but a great all around vehicle - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By keith plant - January 26 - 10:50 am

  I love my Saturn VUE. I driven it on soft sand at the beach to the mountains of Big Bend national park. I have yet to have any problem with this vehicle. It is a great buy and very affordable to insure.

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  Excellent Vehicle For The Family - 2005 Saturn Relay
  By Douglas - January 25 - 11:03 pm

  We really like our 2005 Saturn Relay. It has plenty of room and standard features that wont break your pocketbook. The OnStar feature is helpful, and the drive is exceptional. Get the convienance package as it will help out with long trips and entry/exit for the vehicle. Also, if you want more room, get a FWD 2 instead of a FWD 3. The captains chairs on the second row take up a lot of room. If you get the bucket seats for the second row, you will have plenty of room to spare, and it is very comfortable to sit in; even for an adult. The drive is nice and the ammeneties are all that we need. Very nice vehicle.

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  Better than Mazda - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By Junit - January 21 - 10:03 pm

  Its about time that Saturn got a little edgier. I almost purchased the Pontiac Solstice but I opted to wait. After the test drive I was sold. It has great handling, good mpg., and looks like no other.

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  Happy owner - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By h hetrick - January 19 - 1:33 pm

  We have owned this greenline for almost a year. It has had two recalls, both of which were very pleasent waits. Great tow vehicle behind our motorhome. Vue carries two med sized dogs and my wife along with three weeks worth of supplies and clothing to our campsites. Fully load and crusing above CA speed limits we still ave. 28 to 32 MPG. Ride is great and steering is dependable in rain and sun. A pleasure to drive on freeways as well as mountain roads. We had a QX4 for 5 tears and the VUE outdoes the QX4 on all accounts excepy offroad. But we knew we were not purchasing a 4 wheel drive. Combining 4WD in the VUE would be a motorhome owners dream car. LOVE this little car. Buy one!