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:

• 

  Excellent car , for the price. - 2007 Saturn ION
  By Brian - March 3 - 8:46 am

  I find this Ion to be an excellent car. Keep in mind it is not a luxury car. Basically a no-nonsense, reliable vehicle. I had owned 2 Saturns previous to this one & have found all 3 to be reliable, transportation, & based on cost per mile I couldnt be more satisfied. Unfortunately the polymer exterior panels were dis-continued in 2007. That was one of the main reasons I chose to buy Saturn. They are tough , dont rust or corrode & the paint finish is as attractive after 5 years as it was when new. Not to say these cars are flawless. I have encountered a few minor problems. None that ever put the car out of service & all were repaired under warranty to my satisfaction.

• 

  Good Reliable Vehicle - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By GA79 - February 28 - 6:26 am

  I have had this car since September of 2002 and have put over 105,000 miles on it. I just recently had my 100k mile service done and did have a few things to replace (wheel bearings, strut, brakes/brake pads) but up until this point it has been nothing but basic maintenance. I change my oil regularly every 3k-4k miles and have gone on quite a few 1000+ mile trips with no problems at all. Ive also lived in cold wintery climates and it was a dream to drive in the snow. The VUE will definitely be on my list for my next new car.

• 

  Good SUV - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By dave - February 26 - 9:50 pm

  Great Honda V6 engine is smooth & fast. Gas mileage is pretty good for a V6 SUV. It is fun to drive with great a view of the road. There is an ease in entering & exiting the vehicle. Its smart engine advises you when an oil change is nececessary, usually every 10K. The only down side is the cheap interior materials.

• 

  Love my Outlook - 2007 Saturn Outlook
  By YvettePR95 - February 26 - 6:16 am

  Ive had my Outlook a little over 2years and really have no regrets. We wanted a large vehicle with plenty of leg-room in all rows. We researched lots of models/SUVs particularly cross- overs. We are very happy with our choice. Although its not perfect its certainly doin its job and some. Weve taken long car trips (12-hr drive to Detroit, 5 pass.) It was great comfortable and enough space inside for storage. However, I would prefer a step for mounting. The Outlooks pick-up could stand improvement. Ive made my own driving adjustments to suffice but the cross- over would do so much better with more power. Fuel economy is between 16-18 mpg.

• 

  Why pretend you care how it peforms? :) - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By Maven - February 25 - 11:36 am

  Lets face it: if youre thinking of buying a Sky, its because youre in love with the body. Its the Supermodel of Roadsters: you know its superficial, but you still want to date it. Theres really no beating the Sky in terms of a sexy, affordable convertible. Yes, the Miata performs better. You dont care. Yes, the ergonomics are bad. You still dont care. Its sexy, its affordable... GO BUY ONE. You wont regret it.

• 

  Former 11 time Lexus owners move to VUE - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By John - February 25 - 12:10 am

  We have owned 7 Lesux ESs & 4 Rxs and got a VUE based on towablity...We are thrilled with the car in almost all aspects, it is fun to drive, handles very well, dent resistant sides, clever inside features and a pleasure to own. We have no problems with the VUE, we have driven it 9,000 miles and towed behind our class A motorhome for another 8,500 miles...all completely uneventful. We thought that we would miss the Lexuses but couldnt get one since they are not flat towable. The VUE is simple to tow and only needs to be started every 7 hours to circulate the transaxle fluid.

• 

  Miss the Saturn Dealer - 2007 Saturn ION
  By roving123 - February 24 - 3:06 am

  Bought my Ion 2 new after owning an SL2. Love the way it looks and drives. Currently has 38,000 miles on, several real long trips. The only problems I have had are: 1.Right side mirror fell off.... (I thought someone may have torn it off, but see someone else who did a review lost theirs as well.)2.After driving on a very long trip out west going over some terrible road construction (read big chunky rocks and holes- no road)had to have the strut and mount replaced and exhaust system fixed. All was covered under warranty (it was just under 36000 miles at the time). Havent experienced any problems with steering, noise, bad mpg as some report. Always starts, even in coldest weather.

• 

  Value wise, a much better choice than Malibu - 2009 Saturn Aura
  By golftango - February 22 - 6:15 am

  I purchased my Aura new in Nov 2009 just as Saturn was exiting the business. Therefore I got an amazing deal. Options are the Comfort and Convenience packages which include power seat, auto dimming rear and side view mirror with compass, Homelink, Power Sunroof and Bluetooth. To date I have put 53K miles on my Aura. The only issues I had were a bad strut and faulty seat frame. Still on my original brakes and second set of tires. It still looks new inside and out. Quality materials have held up well and the paint is nice as its thick and durable. The Aura is one of the quietest vehicles Ive driven. It eats up highway miles and I never get uncomfortable or fatigued.

• 

  Not Bad for the Money - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By Nic - February 20 - 10:30 pm

  The one reason I bought this car was because for the price you cannot buy a car with this kind of HP, fuel economy and reliability. If youre looking for a car that has a good drivetrain for little money than youre good. If youre looking for sophistication or quality design than look elsewhere.

• 

  My Vue View - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By My Vue View - February 17 - 6:46 am

  Have only driven for 500 miles but realize the 4 speed auto isnt great. It seems to bog down when traveling between 45-55 mph, where I spend most of my time driving around town. So I have to always decide whether to live with it or use the manual feature (which is fun but defeats the purpose of an auto). I think a 5 or 6 speed with the 4 cylinder would be better. Also cant figure out why they put a 12V outlet in the rear but only have one up front...and its in the console?! Even my 97 Explorer had two up front and in the front dash. Need at least one in the dash (radar detector) and keep one in console for cell phone. Otherwise love the look, drive, ride, and fit and finish.