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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  I love my ION, but . . . - 2003 Saturn ION
  By RBH - July 10 - 10:00 am

  Great gas mileage. Have driven it from coast to coast. It handles well in the mountains. It did hydroplane a couple of times. The where you put the fuel in should be re-engineered so that the gas nozzle stays in when filling the tank. Yesterday (10/18) nozzle slid out while filling my car with gas. Sprayed me with gas. Big mess. Thanks Saturn, I got a great deal on my ION, now maybe I can get a great deal on a new suit and shoes.

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  Skyhigh - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By skyed - July 9 - 5:03 am

  The Sky is an attention grabber. Im constantly stopped by onlookers and this car turns heads. Fun to drive and very comfortable. Only negative that I have is lack of compartments. No storage in the door panels. No place to put your sun glasses. Saturn has hit a home run with this automobile.

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  I love my VUE - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Derek L. - July 7 - 5:43 pm

  I purchased my VUE brand new in 2003, and I have been more than pleased with it ever since. The interior is very comfortable. The leather seats are soft but firm. The interior space is great, instrument panel and gauges arranged almost perfectly. The factory sound system is amazing, and the overall ride is very good. This was a great choice, and I am considering getting another one.

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  Great vehicle - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By Grant Robb - July 2 - 10:00 am

  Great Vehicle for the price

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  Comfy but lack of power - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By Jay - June 28 - 3:13 pm

  I had for it 4 months and put 5000 miles on it. Roomy, handling is good. Rear seats can be fold down so you will have plenty of cargo room. No cargo cover though, not even a design let you put one so no after market cargo cover either. I knew the 4 cyl one will have less power so I got the manual one to better control it. Still powerless. I push for 4k~5k rpm on 1st gear but it is still slow. Mileage is OK, better than other SUVs. I get 21.3 local and 23~24 on highway. If you stay around 65 mph on hiway you will get better mileage but that is too slow for me. About 3.7K rpm at 80mph. Gear ratio at 5th gear need to be adjusted.

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  A Saturn that competes - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By aldinero - June 27 - 9:30 am

  A real drivers car. Very good ride and flat out very good handling. Great sounding stereo.

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  Grinding Steering Wheel!!!!!! - 2003 Saturn ION
  By Tracyann - June 27 - 2:00 am

  First, the hood latch brook, so I was unable to check my oil or fill the windshield wiper fluid until it was fixed. Then I brought it in for a steering wheel grinding noise. The first time they told me they greased up the steering wheel. The sound was gone for about 2 weeks, but then it came back. I brought it back and they told me that “adjusted the steering column,” which I later found out isn’t even possible. Obviously, this didn’t work, so I brought it back. They told me they would grease up the steering column. When I told them they already did that and it didn’t work, they said “owe, it’s a new grease.” As I predicted, the noise is back.

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  Vue-ish - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Bubb G - June 27 - 2:00 am

  After 1000 miles we are quite happy with our VUE. Mileage is about 20.5 without any significant freeway driving. Acceleration with the Honda powertrain is excellent. Steering is soft but acceptable. Handles and rides well though road bumps come through the cabin harder than I expected. Back window always dirty No key-way for back door??? Good interior lighting. Brakes feel good. Like shifter design/placement. Heater-a/c controls feel and look cheap. Great step in/out height for me at 6 and my wife at 57". Like the sporty/athletic/aggressive look

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  My First Saturn - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By Nino D - June 24 - 11:56 am

  I traded in my 2004 Honda Accord V6 after I drove the Aura.This car looks and drives better than my Honda Its a good value the build quality is excellent. Looks like it should cost more.

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  So far so good - 2007 Saturn ION
  By romeromd - June 22 - 5:30 pm

  We recently purchased a pre-owned ION and like it a lot. I work in a dealership and had always been skeptical of American made cars. I hope this Saturn proves me wrong. So far my husband and I have enjoyed it thoroughly. The one thing I dislike is the cheap plastic interior design. Otherwise it fits our needs.