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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  Great value and performance! - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By jthanan - September 16 - 9:53 am

  Bought the VUE for its utility and it hasnt let me down. With the back seats and front passenger seat folded down I can haul the equipment for my entire band! Have had the truck for almost a year and put about 20K miles on it and havent had a single problem. Has made multiple trips Wisconsin-South Florida with no problems. Averages about 20mpg in the city and around 25-26mpg highway. The VUE is also great for towing, I pull a 1500 pound fishing boat with it and the VUE takes it all in stride.

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  07 red line - 2007 Saturn ION
  By jonathan - September 15 - 2:20 am

  Not bad for a four cylinder. Lots of get up and go, and will take some gs in the corner. The car has great lines, inside and out. Overall the Red Line is not disapointing and is a blast to drive!

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  Loving It - 2006 Saturn ION
  By wkae - September 14 - 3:13 am

  I was first attracted to the car by its low price tag, but Ive found it to be a great little car to drive. True, it doesnt live up to the gas mileage estimates, but whose car does? Most of us dont drive our cars at 55mph anymore. This is a great vehicle for the price

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  We Like It But Its Not Perfect - 2005 Saturn Relay
  By Wisconsin Family - September 13 - 3:00 pm

  We recently purchased our Saturn and love all the bells and whistles. Between the amount of options and room we got for the money and working with the Saturn dealership, we are very satisfied. As first time mini-van owners, we were happy not to have to give up some of the comforts and looks of our old SUV while getting the room of a van.

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  Near perfect ride - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By lrigemag - September 13 - 7:56 am

  I never had a car buying experiance as pleasant as buying my Saturn VUE. I left feeling like I finally got what I wanted, paid what I wanted, and was treated the way I wanted for the first time. It was apparent that they listened to me, because everything that was important for me to have is in my VUE now. All the safety features that will make me feel secure when out and about with my loved ones on the road.

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  Saturn ION3 - 2004 Saturn ION
  By Disnydude1 - September 5 - 2:00 am

  After having this ION 3 for 1 week, I am totally in love with it. All the automatic features are awesome. The pickup is great for a 4 cyl. engine. It rides beautifully and handles great. There is plenty of room for me in the front.

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  Good car but not satisfy - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By VUE owner - September 3 - 10:00 am

  Love everything of the car and purchasing experence. Except for these: 1. carpet comes loose 2. Gas gauge shows wrong amount 3. Side of the panel makes a clicking sound when push 4. left fog light not secure. 5. The COMP on the mirror auto turns back on (this might be how it is supposed to work, but the problem is I asked the technicians, sales persons and 800 support number and nobody knows if its that way or something wrong.) I sold my old SL1 which had almost 100k. I know they are great cars just not sure if they rush out the VUE that cause the problems.

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  Re-thinking GMs quality - 2006 Saturn ION
  By KAMH - August 12 - 5:46 am

  The Saturn Ion is a sharp-looking 4cyl. sedan. I feel it has much more personality than, say, the Cobalt. My former 96 Saturn (before GM began manufacturing them) was built to last. My Ion is very reliable, but only with some fixing of things Ive NEVER had to fix on any car before, even when it was 10 years old. Ions are notorious for bad ignition switches. When you turn the key....nothing happens, not even a click of the starter. Ive replaced sway bar links, insulator and bushings. The catalytic converter is partially blocked up. My gearshifter was replaced in the first year for chrome chipping off the top. The current one needed the top superglued back on.

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  Was not ever happy with my Saturn - 2006 Saturn ION
  By Kim - August 11 - 4:26 am

  I have recently been in an accident with my ION2 and when they say they made the car out of dent resistant plastic they mean it. I hit another car and the left front fender literally shattered like glass. The frame of the car also broke. Needless to say my car was totaled. The good thing about it is the riding compartment of the car was not damaged at all. All of the damage was done on the exterior of the car.

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  Quiet,quick and responsive. - 2003 Saturn ION
  By jimbob67 - August 11 - 2:00 am

  We bought our Saturn Ion 3 in January. As far as reliabiliy 2 months is not enought time to fully judge, but so far no problems.. with anything. I like the smaller than usual steering weel which frees up room and contributes to the very responsive steering. The leather seats are nicley sewn dispite what I have read about the fabric seats. The 2.2l echotech 140 hp engine has plenty of power and does very well on the interstate.The automatic lighting is a plus and the 160 watt advanced audio kicks. The car could use wider leg room though.