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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  The Truth about the Sky - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By Dom_windsor_ontario - February 26 - 1:26 am

  Well I was very excited to get my new Sky. Unfortunately my happiness just went downhill from there. Quality and craftsmanship is very poor. Ive been to the dealership about 8 times already, and here is a list of problems so far. Roof leaked, needed sealant in the front end of the top. Poor quality paint job, could see primer at some spots. Driveline noise, rear axle leakage. AC compressor noise and malfunctioning when engaged. This is only after 4 months and 7000 miles later. I still love the car, but its very embarrassing to have this many problems with a brand new vehicle like that. I gotta say Im very disappointed.

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  O K car. - 2003 Saturn ION
  By leo - February 21 - 2:06 pm

  Owned since 8/07. Took some time to adjust to. Gear shifting is awkward compared to a Honda or Toyota. Great turning radius. Chronic ignition switch problem that shows up in winter. Wipers are plastic and are very delicate in cold weather with snow or ice. Fabric is cheap and stains easily. Seats not all that comfortable. Like car a lot but have been let down more than once.

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  After 6 Saturns This will be my last - 2005 Saturn Relay
  By Chris - February 20 - 11:13 pm

  Where to begin,this is my 6th and last Saturn have loved every one prior to this. the doors dont close, wont stay shut havent since the day I bought it,pop open when your driving down the road. When you disable the power doors it chimes incessantly until you either turn the powerdoor back on or remove the fuse. spent 3 weeks in the shop in the first 3 months due to electrical issues had entire interior torn out to finally find problem. Engine service light kept coming on. Front end pops and clicks when turning believe it is a ball joint issue, All plastic interior pieces keep breaking and falling off.this is the biggest piece of junk I have owned since my S-10 which made me swear of Chevy

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  Not Safe for any Family! - 2005 Saturn Relay
  By CS79 - February 19 - 9:00 am

  Ive had this van for 3 years and its been nothing but a headache. It was in the shop 2 days after purchase for a auto sliding door malfunction. The headlights have malfunctioned in the middle of the night on a car trip out of state. We were stranded until daylight until we could drive it to the nearest dealership, and it took them a week to fix it!!! Worst of all are the breaks. The brakes malfunction from time to time, and the ABS light comes on. Ive had it in the dealerships shop 8 times just for this problem, and they wont fix it! They keep telling me they cant get an error code. All together Ive had it in the shop 20 times in 3 years. Dont buy this van!

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  Needs - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By astra - February 19 - 8:56 am

  This could have been a nice car, but like so many other small cars its a DOG with NO option to get much needed HP and Torque. Just sold mine because I just cannot deal with the lack of power any longer.

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  piece of JUNK! - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By saturnowner - January 29 - 9:23 pm

  This car has less than 43,000 miles. It seems every time I turn around something has to be fixed. A/C went out twice, "small leak" in emission control 4 times, power windows stopped working, valve job, sway bars and struts had to be replaced, master cylinder and slave cylinder on clutch had to be replaced. Ive spent more on repairs than the car is worth. Pass the word - Saturn is very unreliable. If you have deep pockets and enjoy spending a lot of time with the service department (and being without a car for days at a time for repairs)this might be the car for you. Ill never buy another American car! Not surprised theyre going out of business.

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  Get me out of this thing - 2004 Saturn ION
  By nathan - January 13 - 3:43 am

  I loved it at first. It drove great, it turned heads and I thought it would last me forever. It problems started when it got cold,, The car will not start. The engine will turn once then the security light will come on and the car is useless until about 20 min later. When the problem first happend I thought it may have been the battery, I was going to get a friend to jump me off. When we went to the battery (in the trunk) Water was standing in the trunk well 4 inches deep. After repeat repairs the leak was fixed in the trunk but the car still wont start. There is a constant leak in the passengers side that leaves water 3 inches of water in the floor, there is a ever present smell of mildew.

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  Unreliable. Dont do it. - 2005 Saturn ION
  By pinktoes - January 2 - 5:03 pm

  Poorly made? Perhaps bad parts? I have had my horn replaced, the BCM replaced, and now the cruise control and gas gauge are not functioning properly. I cannot wait to trade this car in. I told myself I would keep it a year. One headache-filled year. I would not recommend Saturn or the ION. Not to mention the poor quality of the car, the salesmen and service department have been very disappointing.

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  ABS/Trac Control Light....AGAIN!!!! - 2006 Saturn Relay
  By noHappyRelayOwner - December 30 - 2:33 pm

  We have had our vehicle in the shop 5 times now for the ABS Trac light issue. Everytime, "I think we got it this time, must have been a short", or "Faulty wiring, we replaced it". It just seems funny that this issue happened right at the time the warranty went out.

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  2005 Rolling Lemon - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By Aphonopelma - December 24 - 7:06 am

  I purchased my VUE based on other peoples experience of the brand being reliable. The one I purchased was not. The 3rd member started making gear noise at 17K miles and was warranty replaced by Saturn. At 26K miles gear noise in 3rd member was back again. Local Saturn dealership claimed they couldnt hear the noise every time I took the VUE in for routine maintainence right up until the warranty expired. At 29K miles the CD played started having problems. At 31K miles warranty work had to be performed on the front suspension (it turned out to be a direct from the factory problem). At 34K miles water leaked in around the windows during rain. At 45K miles Id had enough and dumped the VUE.