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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  Unhappy - 2005 Saturn ION
  By unhappy - May 22 - 2:00 am

  Loved the look of the car when I bought it however once it started getting cold the car wouldnt start, had to try it then wait ten min. Then it would start. Recently the clutch went out after only 65,000. Unbelievable

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  Failure of saturn corp - 2009 Saturn Aura
  By Ron Lamarque - May 13 - 6:30 am

  I purchased a new saturn aura xe on April 30th. On Aug 6 vehicle had to be towed as to transmission problem. Vehicle returned as "repaired" on Aug 7 and had to towed again on the 7th. Saturn Corp over the next 32 days literally lied about what the problem was and when the repair would be completed. First they said the part was coming from Germany. Then they couldnt locate the part. After numerous calls, we learned that the Dealership that was to make the repairs had given up their Saturn line and switched to Mazda and couldnt repair our vehicle even if they received the "part". Saturn Corp lied from the start. Doing the right thing from day one, Ha Ha Ha

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  Complications - 2006 Saturn ION
  By Jane - May 7 - 10:16 pm

  Good car at first, then some problems started to arise. Check engine light sporadically comes on and off. Window went off track. Leaking from sunroof into the interior light fixture, but that stopped after a week or two on its own. On one occasion (about five months after purchase) the car didnt start up.

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  I thank God for my Saturn! - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By Laura - May 2 - 7:26 am

  My first Saturn was the 4-dr sedan with a big trunk. I drove it for 6 years, and then went to get a new Saturn because my friends were right: Saturn is a great car, with the dealership providing great service after the sale! I wasnt going to try the VUE because my friends seemed small, but I tried and it loved it! Stylish, roomy, decent fuel economy, drives great, and holds its value. I thank God for my Saturn!!

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  Very Pleased! - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By mjmiron - May 1 - 2:16 am

  I bought my Saturn in 2004 after the vehicle depreciated in value. I paid around $15,000 and the car had 36k on it. I have had no major problems with it and like the vehicle a lot. I would recommend anyone buying this car wait a year or two and not buy new. I think the price of the car new is a little high. I had purchased a new 2004 Jeep Limited with leather before the Vue and it was the same price.

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  Worried - 2006 Saturn ION
  By cnp - April 25 - 3:50 pm

  I just bought my saturn Ion have been reading the reviews and its making me really nervous I hope that my car does not have all these problems it has 66000 miles on it in really great shape so far so good guess I will let you know how things work out!

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  good, but could be better. - 2003 Saturn ION
  By ginny - April 24 - 10:00 am

  i like the ability to turn in tight places and the smaller steering wheel gives it a racing car feel. i do not like the leather seats. the quality of leather is very poor.

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  Dont judge a book.......... - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Public Defender - April 18 - 10:00 am

  Compared four cylinder to six. At first four seemed like it had plenty of zip. A few months after I purchased the four lost its pep. Gas mileage not even close to what they represent. Buy the six!

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  Wife loves her Vue - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By haney - April 11 - 2:00 am

  Fun to drive and has the pep needed for expressway driving.

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  loyal saturn owner - 2004 Saturn ION
  By kis73 - April 7 - 3:46 am

  This is my fourth saturn car, though I cant say its the most exiting car ever the cars I have owned have been very reliable and the dealer experience is secound to none. All these things add up to a very happy and loyal saturn owner.