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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  Love the car... even with flaws - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By jennx2 - February 6 - 9:33 pm

  I have had my Saturn Astra (XR, 3 door, automatic) for a week now. It is a bit hard to get use to. I went from a Hyundai Tiburon Gt to the 4 cylinder Astra. The Astra doesnt have the get up and go from a stop but it is better on gas mileage. Averaging 26 mpg is the city. The Astra sounds like it is struggling a bit to get from 1st to 2nd gear but after that the ride is quiet and smooth. It handles well and I am interested in how well the winter driving mode will more out. I read reviews about the cupholder being a problem and it is. It was way in the rear compartment. I had the center console installed and there is no improvement there excpet that I gained an arm rest.

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  It Fits My Needs - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Paarshot - February 2 - 9:56 am

  I bought this vehicle used with 50,000 miles on it. I knew what I was getting. I am 6"3" and wanted a roomy commuter that was fun to drive and got good economy. The Vue does all of this. Plus, I am fortunate to have the plastic body panels because the car is Black and shows no side damage. I chose this combination of 4 cyl/CVT because it fits my needs. If you want better acceleration and towing capacity, get the V-6. With the 7/70,000 warranty on the transmission I am not concerned. I chose the front wheel drive for economy and simplicity. I occasionally go over a mountain pass, but with the traction control and a knowledge of how to drive in snow, it is no problem.

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  2004 VUE Redline - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By zsbrown22 - January 27 - 3:30 am

  Just bought it a couple months ago and really liked the styling before I drove it. When I took it out for the first drive I was surprise at the "heaviness" of the vehicle. It was a lot more substantial than I thought it would be and I was pleasantly surprised. Even my buddies, who are pretty harsh critics (the know-it-all type when it comes to cars), really like my ride. Gas mileage is a great surprise for an SUV - I get about 23/gln just in everyday driving (my buddies Xterra only gets about 15).

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  Very Nice Compact Car - 2006 Saturn ION
  By gilbcp - January 25 - 7:33 pm

  I bought Storm Grey ION-2 with a 5spd manual transmission, power door locks, remote keyless entry, and power windows. I found the ION to have a nice comfortable ride, responsive steering, and pretty decent acceleration. I like the placement of the gauges in the center of the dash (took me only about a day to get used to), the free 1-year of OnStar, the 3- month free subscription to XM- Satellite radio. I think that the styling of the car is great and looks much better than the Civic and is just as attractive as the Corolla. I know that the projected reliability isnt as good as Civic and Corolla, but it also costs about 3k less than either of those cars do. It also has comfortable seats.

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  Saturn VUE 2005 - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By Amanda - January 20 - 5:20 pm

  I had an excellent sales expirience with Saturn, with no pressure. They were understanding of what I wanted and did their best to deliver. The VUE has surprised me in many ways. Coming from Saturn, I expected less power, and the steering is excellent. The intirior is a little bland and some plastics are cheap, but overall a good buy.

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  Needs More Power - 2004 Saturn ION
  By Jeffmilwak - January 17 - 10:00 am

  The ION is great for around town driving. It loses out on freeway driving. Especially during summer when AC is on and headlights are on at night. There is no reserve power. Car shakes and rattles over 65 mph. Suspension is typical Saturn - you feel every bump in the road. We bought it because the price was right; resale ok as well. Plan to sell it late July or August.

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  ION owner - 2004 Saturn ION
  By BDubb - January 17 - 10:00 am

  I really like this cars its fun and easy to drive.

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  Our second Saturn Vue - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By Iowaguy - January 15 - 5:16 pm

  We love the looks of our Orange 2008 Saturn. It has lots of power and amenities. I was surprised to see magazine articles saying it is heavy and underpowered. In my experience, the extra weight makes it ride so much better than our 2006 Vue and the 257 hp V6 has lots of power. It is a hot rod.

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  My white truck - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Bobby "Z" - January 12 - 10:00 am

  Great power, terrible steering, especially when towing my boat.Love the plastic body panels, wipe off the scratches and no dents. Interior cheap looking. Waiting for my recall to fix the supension. Dont make sharp left turns over 35 mph it may damage frame. Recall should fix that.

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  Finally an economical 7 seater - 2005 Saturn Relay
  By Michael Boyd - January 12 - 7:40 am

  We have only owned this Relay for a short time but we love it. It has more than ample storage and seating space with tons of standard features. We get excellent gas mileage, mp3 capability and a standard DVD player. This van is extremely comfortable and smooth.