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 Second Saturn - 2005 Saturn ION
  By Bob Cary - November 29 - 8:23 pm

  I purchased a Saturn L 1 in the year2000. I was very pleased with all aspects of owning and driving for over76000 miles. I went back to the dealer who sold me my first Saturn to look at the new models. I looked at all models, but the ION caught my eye. Took a test drive and that was it. The sales rep and salesmanager worked up a deal. Drove home in my second Saturn

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  Long Term, great car - 2004 Saturn ION
  By 04driver - November 29 - 6:09 pm

  I purchased my 2004 Ion3 almost new at the Saturn dealer, with about 2k miles. Thats been 9 years and just over 100,000 miles ago. Perfect car, for me. Only replaced struts, belts, brakes, filters, oil, etc. Had auto transmission serviced once. Absolutely NO problems with this vehicle. Great trip vehicle for me. Disneyland, Grand Canyon, Salt Lake City, wherever I want to go. 30 plus mpg on freeway. I get better mpg when I go faster than stated limits, hmm.. Anyway, I love it so much, that my extended family have purchased three others. Looks like a Saturn lot when all are here. Others may have had problems, but for us. Great car. Wish they still made them. All 5 still work fine.

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  A great vehicle - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By Melani - November 25 - 12:26 am

  My Saturn Vue was a pleasure to own. Never had a thing go wrong that required a trip to the dealer. I love it and highly recommend the Saturn for trouble free ownership.

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  Pats Car - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By Patricia Cobb - November 23 - 7:16 pm

  It is a beautiful car to drive very comfortable, there is a lot of room inside the car thats why it is so comfortable, safety features are there. This is our 3rd Saturn and hopefully more to follow.

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  A lot of fun - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Tollag - November 22 - 10:00 am

  If youre looking for a FUN suv, give the 2004 Saturn Vue, with the 3.5 liter Honda/Tranny. This thing is a blast to drive. Its about as fast as my Mini Cooper S, but gives you all the comfort of an SUV. Ride is comfortable, and youre given a feeling of security. The thing looks mean with the new 17" stock wheels, and youre left with tons of uprgade options. DId I mention its fun to drive?

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  Love our little Vue!! - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By vuefor2 - November 19 - 10:00 am

  We have had our Vue almost four months and we love it. So convenient and fun. We get stopped all the time by people who want to see it or ask questions. We have had no repair issues so far and we love our Saturn dealer!

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  Wow - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By John - November 18 - 11:40 pm

  I picked up my Black on Black XR about 5 weeks ago and have to say its the best car I have owned. The car handles great and the tires stick to the road. I see people trying to figure out what kind of car it is. Toyota and Honda better watch out if the general keeps building cars like this.

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  Not your plastic Saturn - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By YDKCooKiE - November 14 - 1:00 pm

  Being my first SUV, Ive tried quite a few out; the Rav-4, the CR-V, Ford Escape, and little did I know the 2008 Vue was available. Upon going to the dealership, my fiancee and I took a test drive and we were sold. The vehicle looks much like a higher-class SUV rather than the cheaper 2007 model. The drive is great, comfortable, and extremely enjoyable. Ive been pleasantly surprised by the drive and quality of this car, and everywhere you look, theres something new you discover about it. Id easily recommend this to friends and family.

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  I Love It! - 2004 Saturn ION
  By docsmilitarywife - November 14 - 12:46 am

  Very satisfied with it so far. Havent had it long but its perfect for me. My husband got it for me. Its used but not badly. Just really been broken in good. We got the warranty on it too, just in case. Its got awesome pickup and looks fantastic. Its really an eye catcher. I love the leather and the stereo sounds awesome. The 6 disk cd changer is great, too. The brakes are really good and it purrs like a kitten when you really open it up on the interstate. I got a great feeling about this car and am sure we made a fantastic choice!

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  Great small SUV - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By chris3259 - November 10 - 10:00 am

  I have put 15,000 km on my VUE and my son is driving it as well. I really like the 4cyl and 5 speed combo. You can loaf around town shifting at 2,000 rpm or keep it on the boil at 3,500 and it becomes very sporty and light on its feet. Reliability has been perfect, the dealer was very friendly, and gave me a package that beat the Ford Escape all day.