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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  GM - 2009 Saturn Aura
  By NOT HAPPY - January 7 - 5:00 am

  I have to admit I love my Saturn it is BEAUTIFUL OUTSIDE...I have had problems with it thought..cant complain because I bought it USED..But when it came to getting if fixed at a GM dealership GOOD LUCK!!! I have called & So has SATURN CUST. Support every GM dealership within 100miles and Not a one will work on my car..I was told that GM dealerships have to work on your car!! NOT TRUE it is up to the General Manager of the store. So Make sure you live close to a Saturn Dealership...if not you will not be able to get if fixed at a GM dealership. I have not had very good luck with any vehicals I have owned so maybe it is my fault for not choosing the right one. I just want everyone to beware!!

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  The little engine that could - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By alex - January 6 - 5:36 am

  I was a bit sceptical about buying it, but when I drove it it was pretty good. I think it is a great little SUV for the price.

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  Yipes! - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By john - December 28 - 10:33 pm

  I bought my Vue with 20,000 miles and the VTi transmission. I also purchased from my credit union an extended warranty ($1,440) for 5 years. Has it ever paid off. As of 06/08/10, approximately $11,000 has been paid out for repairs - transmission 2 times, timing chain problems, wheel bearings ($1,000) and various electronic problems. I still love the car, but in October, 2010 the warranty ends. I am not sure if I can buy another warranty or not. If not, goodbye to the Vue. I am not sure what to buy next, but for sure it will have an extended warranty purchased with it. I feel sorry for those who had to pay for their repairs.

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  Great Mini Suv - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Mrich - December 23 - 10:00 am

  great ride 4cyl can tow 1500 very easy.

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  Saturn QC 2 with 2.4L engine - 2006 Saturn ION
  By Taxman - December 20 - 11:53 pm

  I traded a 2005 ION 2 sedan manual for this car - a Quad Coupe 3 manual with 2.4 engine. The revised engine, same as Cobalt, plus leather interior plus XM radio/CD/sunroof makes this Saturn a fun car. Revisons to struts and sway bars make for a nice firm and controlled ride - compared to ION 2. Leather is better than I expected - about as good as my old 2001.5 Passat GLX. Fit and finish quite good. No problems as delivered. Very good low end torque when compared with 2.2L engine. And the "deal" was very good - well below sticker plus $1,250 in rebates. Get one if you can find one

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  Redline ROCKET - 2005 Saturn ION
  By roderic - December 18 - 3:00 am

  It was unfortunate that there was a service campain to correct a problem with the camshaft timing right after I purchased the vehicle. Once corrected the cars full potential was reached. It has been a lot of fun driving this car. No other major defects. There was an issue with the front brake rotors but the dealership replaced them for me without asking and did it for free. I had some frustration, with Saturn, trying to find some technical answers but did manage to get what I needed eventually.

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  It started out good. - 2005 Saturn ION
  By Amanda - December 13 - 6:33 am

  I loved my vehicle. It has been a decent car. In the past two weeks I have begun to have issues with the ignition. This is something that is suppose to be common with this vehicle year and model. Per the dealership and corporate this is something easily fixed. So far the ignition cylinder housing unit has been replace twice and the ignition switch once. It appears I have purchased a lemon. It has been a good car up until this point. Saturn has also been kind enought to point out that there will be no further ION models after the 07 year.

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  Wish it was all positive - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By faceman - December 11 - 2:00 am

  My VUE is fun to drive and is thoughtfully designed for different uses. If it were not for the many repair issues in a new car, I would be Saturns strongest supporter. In my first 2 yrs of ownership, my VUE has repeatedly been in the shop (fuel pump & sensors, radiator, windshield, side panel rattle, etc). Saturn seems to rarely fix an item on the first repair trip (1 fix took 4 times). A number of times, they broke one thing while fixing another. Corporate customer care was a waste of time.

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  Excellent road Car - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By jim wilson - December 6 - 10:00 am

  I have put 20000 road miles on this vehicle so far and it has performed like a champ.I use the car for business travel and I am very pleased.

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  Loved the car, but.... - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By wheeker - December 4 - 1:14 pm

  I bought my 2007 Saturn Sky (base) in February 2011. I loved the styling, handling, and performance so much! I just recently traded my car in for 2010 Mazda 3 though. Why would I do such a thing you ask? Well, it was a hard decision, but the idea of putting MORE money into the Sky was not what I wanted to do right now. I needed more room too. I used it as a daily driving car which was great for a while, but became annoying and a hassle when I couldnt even put a bag of cat litter in my trunk. This is a great second car. As an everyday car it becomes a hassle at times. I loved my Sky, and I miss it, especially knowing Ill never get another one, but at least I can say I owned one!