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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  Euro feel from Kansas City - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By MT - November 11 - 6:43 pm

  Saturn has successfully brought over the German essence of this car. The exterior is very striking - Ive recently had a Passast, Audi A4 and Audit allroad. This compares well. The interior is close to these cars but a bit below - see first suggestion below. Fit and finish is so much better than any previous Saturn. Driving on both highway and back roads is a pleasure - good feel,quiet (except standard tires are not so quiet or good and theres maybe 2 aftermarket alternatives). Vision Ok but A pillar is obtrusive. The engine is very strong and works well with tranny. It is definitely a lot of car for the money and if you find the right combo of incentives/rebates it is a steal.

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  Love my Ion 3 - 2004 Saturn ION
  By AJ - November 10 - 7:46 am

  For the money, this is a great car! I bought it for work travel and the gas mileage. Im not disappointed. I average 30 MPG and have gone as high as 39MPG on the highway. Contrary to the expert reviews, it is fun to drive, comfortable, and I especially like the center gauge placement. I have it serviced at the dealer and they are great. In two years when I am done with it, I will give it to my son. Looked at Honda, Toyota and Mazda 3. For the price, you cant beat all of the features.

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  Horrible Car - Do Not Buy - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By steppiemay - November 10 - 12:53 am

  I previously owned a (used) 2002 Nissa Altima that gave me all kinds of hell. I decided to buy American and thought Saturn made good cars. This car has proven me wrong. In the 4 years Ive had it, (purchased in 2008 - original owner), the car has overheated twice. Check engine light came on 3x. Ive had to replace an engine solenoid valve, temp sensor and H20 pump and fix a leaking transaxle. This morning I received a stability trak DIC. So off to the dealer I go again. This car is a big piece of junk! Pre-own buyers beware!!

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  ION Red Line is fast, fun - 2006 Saturn ION
  By ron - November 9 - 12:30 am

  Got a used 2006 ION Red Line about 6 months ago, it was a nice find since not too many around. Engine design and performance is great, supercharger responds perfectly to deliver big acceleration. Sweet shifting 5-spd. Suspension seems solid. Absolutely fun to drive. Very generous headroom and legroom for tall driver. Completely reliable, no problems at all so far. On the outside, the ION Red Line looks similar to the regular ION coupe, but mechanically they live on different planets.

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  First new car purchase and loving it! - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By Shana - November 8 - 7:13 pm

  After test driving the Accord, Civic, Sentra and reading numerous reviews on other cars, I test drove the Aura and fell in love with it. Ive been a GM girl my whole life and am glad that one of the name plates still holds up, even if I wasnt interested in the current Chevy or Pontiac models. This car was unbelievable for the price. A comparable Japanese or German auto would have been $5-10,000 more!

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  Frustrated Saturn 2005 ION2 Owner - Cold Start Issue - 2005 Saturn ION
  By mam824 - November 8 - 9:10 am

  In 2008, I had to purchase a vehicle right after I started a new job. I went to SATURN dealer, out of loyalty, (my old SATURN lasted 12 yrs). There was a car just brought in with very low mileage (12,000+) for a 2005 model. I have had my share of issues, but the cold start issue has been a thorn on my side for over two years! First it was the engine light that kept turning on, that took almost a year and two instances of my car being out of commission for weeks at a time to be resolved. GM did away with the SATURN brand, but they have certainly left a bad taste in my mouth about their product.

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  Good looking car or beautiful - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By Larry - November 7 - 11:56 pm

  I got delivery of a Sky in late June. I think it is a good looking car. I have had several who wanted to know if I would sell it. Recently at Costco getting gas someone asked if they could sit in it as he was fairly tall and his girlfriend really wants one. I told him that it was a good looking car, "it is beautiful and the best looking car I have ever seen." It has good performance and is quite tight with the the width of the tires and the additional steering capabilities. You would never realize a 4 cylinder engine could provide so much power. I am going to sell my car as I think I can make $10,000 over what I paid, and I want to get a turbo.

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  Love this car! - 2009 Saturn VUE
  By Jenny - November 5 - 8:06 am

  We bought our 05 Vue new four years ago and when it came time for a new car we wanted nothing else. Our old one had zero problems with it and had 78k on the odometer. We brought our new 09 Vue home and just love it. We couldnt be happier. The build quality is dramatically better as is the comfort and interior trims. The old one was good, but this one is great. This is our third purchase from a Saturn dealer and the buying experience is always easy and hassle-free. Saturns have many nice options are included in the package price of the car. We dont have to add on much at all if anything. Will definitely purchase a Saturn again and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to buy a new SUV

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  What A Difference from 2003 - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Skullbash - November 4 - 10:00 am

  I traded in my 2003 VUE for the new 2004, and am amazed at the changes made in a single model year. Its like a whole new vehicle. The car really likes to go! The ride is quieter with better road feel, though the car seems a tiny bit more reluctant to turn (tighter steering).

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  The Deal of the Century - 2004 Saturn ION
  By Ken the Auto Tech - November 4 - 10:00 am

  The Ion 1 is the deal of the century for a $12000 car. It has a great suspension, a lot of pep, great gas mileage, an outstanding designed exterior especially in nickle silver, a good solid interior that isnt cheesy looking, great visiblity, the coldest a/c unit I have ever had the pleasure to use, the turning radius is unbelievably tight (almost pivots on the rear wheels), the manual transmission and clutch are a great team. This list could go on and on but I just ran out of room