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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  My dream car - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By agirltrucker - September 8 - 7:33 am

  After having waited over 1 year for my Sky I am very much in love with this car. Although there is some room for improvement, door locks & cup holders, I am overall pleased with this car.

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  Lovin it - 2009 Saturn Sky
  By Matt - September 7 - 5:16 am

  Bought my Ruby Red Redline for my 40th birthday 3 months ago and have put about 1600 miles on it so far. I will be putting it away in the winter months. Gas milage is around 30 mpg - not much different than my 2007 Honda Accord v4. Top operation is not so tough as some suggest - I can put the top up and down while sitting in the drivers seat - still have to get out to close the trunk and lock the buttresses - but well worth the effort. Took the wife on a weekend trip and had plenty of trunk space with top down - just need to pack carefully. Gets lots of attention.

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  Great Car for the Money - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By Brian - September 7 - 2:20 am

  This is my first car, and Im so glad I chose the Aura. The car rides great, its quiet and drives smooth. Love the XM radio with an aux input plug. Love the hands free calling from OnStar. A great car for a lot less than it seems.

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  Good Bang for your Buck... - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By LisaM - September 7 - 1:26 am

  I have owned a few of GMs vehicles. After talking with other Saturns owners, all of them said that they would not purchase any other vehicle. So, I decided to purchased the VUE. I just love it. Ive got so much for my money. No need to purchase packages, no need to add on anything, unless you want sunroof, leather. I didnt need that. But, everything else came in one package. I even got OnStar. The ride is wonderful. I previously owned a Buick Regal and it was a 6 cylinder and now have a 4 cylinder and I cant tell the difference. I now fill-up every week and 1/2 instead of filling up every week. Trust me on this. This is a good buy.

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  I love this van - 2005 Saturn Relay
  By christina - September 7 - 12:33 am

  I love this van. I did lots of research before getting this. But it just has so much to like. We had already owned two Saturns before this so I knew what to expect. It drives great handles the road so well. Has plenty off room even in the back and doesnt have the small seats in it like the Dodge Caravan. My hubby is 63 and can sit in the back and be comfortable.

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  Why Buy the Other Nameplates? - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By warrenj - September 6 - 3:40 pm

  We looked high and low to replace our Honda Pilot this time last year. I saw the Outlook in a magazine and went to see it for myself. My wife wanted another Pilot. I wanted a larger Tahoe/SUV. (Glad we didnt go there now!) After the first year we can honestly say, it is the best automobile we have ever owned! But why would you want to pay more for the GMC/Buick sibling when they are made side by side in the same plant but are thousands more because of the name plate? I have suggested this SUV to many friends and all have six have purchased and all have great things to say.

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  Saturn ION - 2003 Saturn ION
  By Ryantupac - September 4 - 10:00 am

  I think it is an all around good car.

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  Cant Be Beat for $25K - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By HomeBase - August 29 - 2:00 am

  Coming from a Toyota Seinna and after looking at many cars and reading about them on Edmunds, the VUE was a "dark horse". But with the updated interior and 250HP V6 for 2004, it became clear that this vehicle is really fun to drive and easy on the pocket book. With comfy leather seats, moonroof, MP3 player, great gas mileage (so far 26MPG),great reliability for this drivetrain and excellent safety ratings, this makes for a GREAT vehicle.

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  Great Buy!! - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By nine - August 28 - 7:53 pm

  Went from a 3/4ton Suburban to this tiny Vue, I absolutely love it!! I have had it a year with no problems what so ever! Stock stereo is great nice and loud! There is plenty of room for my kids and travel and camping gear. The dent resistant body is great keeps it looking smooth. Very classy sophisticated family car!

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  My Car Rocks! - 2006 Saturn ION
  By Talitha - August 27 - 4:16 am

  I have had my Saturn Ion since October of 2005 and it is awesome. It looks great, it takes very little up keep and I am very happy with my purchase. This is my second upgrade, the first was also a Saturn and when I get another it will be a SUV by Saturn. I love their cars!