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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  Wasnt sure about this purchase! - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By Granny - March 4 - 7:40 pm

  We were after the 07 closeouts. Couldnt find one in black - but there was an 08 on the showroom floor. Hubby liked it - I wasnt sure. This is a great little vehicle. Rides nice, handles well, is fun to drive and is very suitable for cost- effective driving to work every day. The style has really grown on me, too. There are other similar styles out there but these definitely outstyle the others. Kudos, Saturn - fine job. This is our first Saturn and we couldnt be happier with it. OnStar offers a comfort zone and the directions feature is great.

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  Nice looks, poor quality - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By jswig - March 4 - 11:48 am

  The Outlook looks very nice. This is the reason my wife and I decided to purchase this vehicle. We didnt know they had lots of problems. Have had wheel bearings go bad at only 65,000 miles. Have leaks around the sunroof, back rotors replaced, various exterior lights not working, and now at 74000 miles the transmission is bad. This is very common with this vehicle. Buyers beware, do plenty of research first. Im only writing this to help others out so they dont find themselves in the same situation Im in. Go with a newer Ford or Honda --- trust me. You dont want a vehicle from a company that had to get the bailout.

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  Super Astra - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By Chuck from NY - March 3 - 5:53 pm

  4Dr XR Auto. with traction control & stability control, heated seats. Already had an 06 Saturn Vue which we love & was looking for an economical second vehicle. really impressed with the Astras looks.

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  Excellent value roadster - 2009 Saturn Sky
  By Ron - February 28 - 9:26 pm

  Overall the Sky has excellent performance and a good value for the price. Some of the other convertibles I test drove had large blind spots when the top is up and I felt the Sky was better than others in this regard (face it, youre going to have to have top up sometimes). Highway mileage has been better than EPA estimates. The Sky Red Line is a blast to drive.

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  3k update - 2006 Saturn ION
  By John Korner - February 27 - 1:43 pm

  Hard to belive that 3000 miles have come and gone since my first review car car gets 22mpg and I have had no problems. driving it the last 3000 miles has verified that I made the correct choice, attended my first owner clinic yesterday, outstanding. If you buy one of these cars buy a radar detctor youll need it. If your looking for a small car this should be at the top of your list. If Gm would run all of their business this way they will have a future

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  Nice Basic Vehicle - 2007 Saturn ION
  By Doug - February 27 - 11:50 am

  I orignally purchased this car for one of my kids, but needs changed and Ive ended up driving it. Its a nice basic vehicle. It has adequate power and handles nicely, although the traction control doesnt deal with deep snow as well as it should. Gas mileage is pretty good, about 23-25 mpg in the city and up to 35 mpg on the highway. It provides reliable, economical transportation. Certainly deserves a better rating than the Edmunds Editors gave it.

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  Saturn VUE V6 Amazing value - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By poliva - February 26 - 1:10 pm

  What drew me to Saturn originally and made me come back is the amazing quality and consistency of customer service. The few times I have had any issues, I have had them resolved quickly and cordially, and this is true regardless of dealership. This, combined with the terrific styling, size, power, fuel consumption and price of this vehicle make me a head-over- heels happy owner. The only thing that is slightly below-par is the quality of interior items. The fit and finish as the car reviewers would call it. There is a lot of lightweight plastic in the interior. Im sure the amount of plastic helps lower the price, and raise the fuel economy and performance (due to lighter weight).

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  crashed - 2003 Saturn ION
  By re-buy - February 25 - 2:00 am

  The wife survived a 45 mph full frontal collision with our 2000 SL2 and walked away from it unscratched. These cars with their space-age cages do work. Thats why we went out and bought a ION3.This new ION3 is a vast improvement over the SL2s. We liked our previous vehicle. We love this one even more.Your gettting a well equipped, comfortable,well built and safe car for the money .Just ask my wife.

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  Yellow & Not A Lemon - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By Yellow - February 20 - 1:56 pm

  I actually brought my ION in for an oil change & saw the redline. I called my wife told her the hood opens up backwards. We test drove it on her birthday for 2 minutes & all she said was I want a yellow one. 3 months waiting was worth it. I have now had this car a year & after reading complaints I have come to the conclusion that 2 seat roadsters are not for everyone. If you want an eye turner that is the biggest bang for the buck with both looks & performance to match, this is it. If not buy a sedan. Saturn has my attention.

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  The perfect ten - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By masterstan1 - February 20 - 2:56 am

  It handles really well, has a lot of room, and the performance is something to experience. I do a lot of highway driving and the gas mileage is great. For getting on main roads off of ramps it has a lot of get up and go.