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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  Best car for your money - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By Andy - May 14 - 6:30 pm

  Ive had the Aura XR for about a month now and I still cant believe I got this car for less than $30K. The performance is great. Power comes across the entire rpm range, and it handles very well for a larger wheel base car. If youre in the market for a new car, I would get to your nearest Saturn dealer and give the Aura a test drive.

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  Worst car ever owned - 2005 Saturn ION
  By von - May 12 - 1:40 pm

  I have had more problems with this car than any other. It has been in the shop too many times to count. I now could swim inside my car its leaking soo bad, yet Saturn is telling me its not there problem. This problem, along with many others that Im having with the vehicle are listed on what Im being told is recalls. Saturn of course is telling me there is no recalls. 2005 was the worst year they had with this vehicle so I find it hard to believe there is no recalls. I have many other problems but too many to list. I have owned a Saturn in the past and loved it which is why I bought another one, but I will never buy one again.

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  Memphis thang!!!!! - 2007 Saturn ION
  By Bibbles - May 4 - 5:07 am

  I love my ion to death. Bought the 07 model in 2010. This vehicle has been there for me in more ways than 1. Still goin strong til this day. I love u my ion. 177,000 miles and we aint stopping til the wheels fall off...

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  Favorite out of 9 cars - 2007 Saturn ION
  By Sue - May 2 - 5:20 am

  So far so good. It is a quick little car without the hassle of too much hype. Great in all seasons.

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  Pretty good, but... - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By Harry - April 29 - 4:16 pm

  Overall, I like this vehicle. Dont like the tinny noise on the tailgate door. Sounds really cheap! Front end components feel flimsy but the steering is good. I have engine noise that sounds like a diesel but not as loud. Dont like the fact that you have to remove the intake system to do a tune up. Cost about double what most other cars would. Really dislike the transmission. Jerky, shifts to much, and passing gear puts the rpm through the roof, even when you just ease the throttle when passing. The AWD makes a loud terrible noise when it engages, but I understand thbat this is common. I think most of my complaints are minor compared to the overall performance of this vehicle.

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  Go fly the outer skin. - 2007 Saturn ION
  By Sylvia - April 26 - 2:43 pm

  Just dont drive on windy days after 8 years. Gm ambassadors dont return calls and suggest its your fault that their plastic exterior is faulty. Its costing us approximately $800 TO FIX THEIR FAULTY PASTIC EXTERIOR COVERING. I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER GM PRODUCT.!!!!!!!!

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  Very car like SUV - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By a0000z - April 25 - 3:26 pm

  After two Audis, I thought this may be a big step down, but after a couple of months I am very impressed with this vehicle. Very refined ride, great passing speeds.

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  Dissapointed and Insulted - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By supercell777 - April 25 - 10:00 am

  Saturn is aware of and refuses to find permanent fixes for: Steering column rattle, front end rattle, loose front end, sway bar link breakage, premature suspension wear/failure. Sound system is of less quality than in a base model Hyundai Accent. Saturn Service is hit and miss, aside from major problems, if you want it done right, do it yourself.

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  Sad - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By cayenne72 - April 20 - 7:41 pm

  My Vue went our last March. I didnt drive it much I had it for 3 years. I bought it at 54,000 miles on it. Sadly enough had I driven it more it would have been covered when the tranny went out.it was a month after the deadline. Im surprised people are still selling the 2002-2005 at 8,000. They are only worth about 4,000. It was a decent car. Its not worth 8,000,considering the transmission in it costs 5,000 to replace. Oddly enough I would consider buying a 2007-2009, but GM is so hard to deal with.

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  Mixed bag - some outstanding parts - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By Redmond - April 18 - 5:20 pm

  It is a powerful, smooth, great- handling sedan with great performance. It is rock-solid and very quiet inside. The interior design is very attractive, although it becomes bland as you live with it. The comfort of the front seats and the quality of the interior materials is lacking, especially the cheap plasticky center console. I keep expecting it to just break off its mounts. The seats also seem to have a certain amount of unpleasant rocking on thier base -makes car feel cheap. Sound system is excellent. Exterior styling is nicely upscale, and I like my massive rims.