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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  Great small car - 2005 Saturn ION
  By satisfiedsaturnowner - June 23 - 9:46 am

  Have had the car for almost a year now, and still love it. I have had no mechanical problems to date with it. Keep in mind it is a Saturn and will have its occasional pops and squeaks from all the plastic. Most of the noise is coming from the rear quad door, the top molding comes loose towards the rear of the door, but is easily popped back into place. It seems most of the reviewers have a problem with passlock, from experience on Saturn forums it appears this only happens in extremely cold conditions.

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  Nice all around car, but needs tweaking - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By Heather - June 16 - 4:26 am

  I bought the VUE with the following critera - better gas mileage than most small SUVs, room for my family and our stuff, and fun to drive. Id say that all in all, it meets those requirements. I generally get 24-25 mpg, with roughly 70% highway and 30% city driving. Theres plenty of room, and its not a bad drive. If youre looking for a car-like ride though, its not for you. It rides more like a truck. I am a bit disappointed in the overall interior - it looks relatively cheap and plastic-y. The larger disappointment is that there is a LOT of road noise apparent in the cabin. I never thought that feature of a car would bother me like it does. Ill definitely know better next time

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  Not 100% happy - 2006 Saturn Relay
  By gr8joy75 - June 7 - 2:23 pm

  Like many others, our Relay has been in for repairs numerous times. From the beginning it doesnt want to start at times. Now that warranty is expired they found problem. Imagine that! We dont have the problem with the molding like others, but it has been in for the brakes, sway bar, rear upper light, back seat pull broke, air vent broke (all plastic on it is cheap) shortly after purchase. Gets better gas mileage than others reported, but we set cruise at 65mph. Hwy mpg is about 28-30. Seats are difficult to get out. Otherwise, its a good vehicle.

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  Good: ride& price. Weak: quality - 2005 Saturn ION
  By captainhurt - June 6 - 3:50 am

  Nice ride since 2005 ION(much softer ride, much quieter than any earlier Saturns). Never had a Saturn break down on me leaving me unable to drive, but they do have some quality issues. Historically...battery failure, window motor failed, gasket failures, engine mount failure, steering column failure, exhaust system brackets failed,engine light on 3 times in 1st 3 months of ownership, and a few others.

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  End of the Green Line? - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By Ken - June 4 - 10:06 pm

  If you are looking for a vehicle to pull your boat or camper or to climb to the top of the mountain it had best be a pop up trailer and a very small mountain. The Vue delivers a good comfortable ride but you had best know what your giving up performance wise. It does travel well on the flat and narrow and the mileage which is one of the main reasons we purchased the Green is about what we expected, 25 around town and we have gotten 30 on the highway. It will hold a bit of stuff but its not a four wheeler. It does get a bit of attention on the road and lots of questions at the gas stations. Fit and finish are good, but it leaves you wanting more.

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  Good Car - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By Mom - June 3 - 11:20 pm

  I like my VUE. Its not as good looking as the other SUVs in its class but so far it has been a good car. I love the OnStar.

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  Great Used Car For The Price - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By andrew_aura1 - May 31 - 3:20 pm

  The Saturn Aura is a very well put together vehicle. It has great handiling capibilities but the steering lacks feedback. Power is adeqaute but more would be nice. The gas mileage is fair in the city I average around 21-23 mpg in the city and on the highway 30-32 mpg. The ride is very smoth and it feels like a cadillac compared to a honda with road and wind noise. Overall it is very nice and drives well for 71,200 miles and I hope to get it over 150,000 miles. They are quite a bargin compared to used malibus and accords.

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  My First Saturn - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By Dj Daily - May 28 - 12:40 pm

  It is not super small or super big. It tows 3000 lbs without effort. The ride is quiet and not harsh. It gets me to my fishing spots. The only complaint the window switches could be better placed other than around shifter.We love it more than the other GM models based on the same platform. We looked at the Ford Escape, Rav4, CRV, Liberity, and Element. This was the best around package for my wife and I.

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  Honest Review - 2006 Saturn ION
  By Mark C - May 28 - 1:43 am

  I just hit 70,000 miles. So far Ive had the ignition problem which is VERY common to the Saturn Ion where you cant get the key out of the ignition. Should have been a recall item. Also all of my fuel injectors needed to be replaced. Another problem I had was with the control module, another common problem with these cars. Luckily I purchased an extended warranty through an online warranty company. So I was not out of pocket too much. Other than this not too bad. Had my brakes checked today and there is plenty of pad left after 70k, I was surprised.

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  Saturn ION - 2005 Saturn ION
  By Terri Nelson - May 15 - 4:53 am

  Enjoy driving it, but I am disapointed in the quality of interior seats. Has some rattling from the inside lights. Overall I am happy with the vehicle