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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  So far so good - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By Matt - June 14 - 8:23 pm

  I am impressed overall. The mileage is what I was looking for and have gotten it. Comfortable, stylish, and versatile. Just what I was looking for in small SUV.

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  Love it , love it! - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By SarahR - June 14 - 5:03 am

  When I started looking at these, my husband insisted we get a loaded 3.6 XR version. When I came home with the loaded 3.5, he did not even blink an eye. It has a smooth ride and is so darn quiet! Road noise is minimal - the first time we were on an extended highway drive, my husband noted that he could fall asleep it was so quiet...thank goodness I was driving. Acceleration is fabulous, although with todays gas prices, I tend to conserve as much as I can now! I would recommend this car to anyone - and it was fabulous in the snow this winter. I have not had a better car.

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  I love my Ion 3 Quad Coupe!! - 2007 Saturn ION
  By Mark - June 13 - 10:00 am

  There are a lot of bad reviews for the Saturn Sedan but I totally love my Ion 3 Coupe. Bought it new and just passed 60K miles and not a problem yet. Good performance. 37 mpg highway (at 70 mph). Beautiful paint and finish, and I love the plastic body panels - no dings or dents - although there is more road noise because of the plastic. The interior design is only fair due to cup holder location. Plastic interior looks cheap. XM radio is great! On- Star is superb but costs too much.

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  Another happy Saturn VUE owner - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By caseas - June 11 - 5:53 am

  This is a great vehicle. Very quiet with plenty of zip. Very comfortable ride. I think its one of the best kept secrets in the small-mid size SUV range.

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  Surprises everyone - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By DerekTJ - June 7 - 8:16 am

  Bought this for my wife on July 16th, and we have been nothing but overly impressed over the last month we have owned it. I just got back from a lengthy road trip to visit family, and in addition to being a great car to take on a road trip because of its superb merging/passing power, ample room, solid handeling, super smooth, comfy ride, and great stereo, everyone that saw it was impressed, as well... and this is from people who normally drive BMW and Lexus. We got the white XR with the tan leather interior, and its a sophisticated look that even the teenager it the house thinks is cool. With the sharp European looks and great ride, I feel its the best kept secret in town.

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  Skys the Limit - 2008 Saturn Sky
  By Rich Schulhoff - June 5 - 4:50 pm

  An impressive auto thats great fun to drive. After having four BMW Z3s and Z4s, I switched to the Sky and enjoy it more at $15,000 less.

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  Just What I Expected - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By Lou - June 4 - 11:10 am

  This is the most fun little car I have had so far. I previously had a SLK230 Sport, and this car is much nicer than the MB. The ride and handling is excellent. Very peppy motor. Turbo must be amazing. The MB had a little more leg room and a bigger trunk. This is not a practical, everyday driving car. It is to drive for pleasure. It is not a Corvette or a MiniVan. It is not super fast, or extremely roomy. I purchased this car used, drove it 650 miles home. A 10 hour drive. It averaged 25 mpg. For such a small car, it was still fairly comfortable on a long trip. Never once did I bump the cup holder(like everyone says), and the other was very convenient. Everything I expected. Very satisfied.

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  Great Updates for 2006 - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By VUE - June 3 - 5:10 pm

  Great vehicle especially after the updates for 2006. If you drive the 4 cylinder automatic near the speed limit you will get over 30mpg highway. After more than 10K miles no problems and gas mileage is great. It does have pep for a 4 cylinder though it will degrade gas mileage quickly if you race it around. I use an iPod with the aux input. Just buy a 3.5mm to 3.5mm jack from RadioShack. OnStar diagnostics are emailed. OnStar is great and safe. Green Line hybrid version should be interesting when it comes out later this year.

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  Steel safety cage saved our lives - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By robin - May 31 - 8:40 pm

  Originally bought my VUE for increased security and safety for commuting 84 miles to work daily. We were t-boned 10 miles from home by a truck at a speed of 85 mph from drivers side. the air bags deployed without causing any injury. The steel crumple cage performed as designed with the driver/passenger compartments remaining intact. The ability of the VUE to take this kind of impact with minimal injuries to driver and passenger has convinced me to buy another. The other truck exploded on impact and was destroyed. Very thankful to have purchased my 1st suv from saturn.

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  Wow to Saturns! - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By Carm - May 29 - 10:36 am

  I purchased the Saturn Aura XE. It had eight miles on it when I drove it off the lot. I was amazed and so happy that I had made this decision. The smooth ride, the classy interior and exterior and the economical gas mileage that this car has now given me is awesome. Ive now got 1500 miles on it and wouldnt hestitate to tell anyone to go for it. Saturn Auras are the answer to your high priced Camrys, classy VWs, and yes, even have been told it looks like a MINI 300 M. Absolutley incredible. Wish I could find someone that has bought one in the Albany area in which I live, so we could e-mail one another and compare notes! All I can say is in three years I will be trading it in for a new Aura!