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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  Shame on GM and Saturn - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By dissatisfied - June 17 - 4:10 am

  I purchased this car because I was attracted to the exterior and interior design, I have since grown to loathe it because of the problems it has. The seat fabric which I initially thought was nice turned out to be cheap. I paid for extended service on the fabric, but since Saturn folded,my extended warranty no longer applies,theres no longer anyone to honor it. The fabric stains easily and the sides of the drivers and front passenger seats crease and are beginning to fray and show signs of tearing.Ive contacted Saturn and they sent me to a GM dealer who said it was "normal" so they take no responsibility for an inferior product.This has never happened in any other car Ive owned.

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  I love it! - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By Luis A. Montero - June 16 - 2:06 am

  I love this car. I am always commenting to myself, "This car is so smooth." Not only does it drive smoothly, but it has a nice pick-up when you step on the accelerator pedal. My car is merely a 4 cylinder car, but it feels like what I would imagine a 6 cylinder would feel like. This car is also super comfortable. In fact, I would rather take a nap in this car than on my own bed!

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  Just love it - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By D. Ramos - June 14 - 6:00 am

  When we take our Saturn out on the road people just take second look and admire it. I like to put my foot down on throttle and feel the torque that the engine produces. It is fun to drive and now youÂ’r e safe inside with side and front air bags. I think Saturn needs to advertise more about this wonderful car. Now I do by word of mouth

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  Great Car - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By Wes - June 14 - 2:00 am

  Unlike the title says, this is the FWD, not AWD Anyway, acceleration is very quick, not torquey but still quick. The engine approaches the red line very quickly (7000 rpm). The speed can be deceiving, when going 50 it feels like about 30. Braking is good, since it is such a light vehicle. The car handles beautifully, without much sway at all. It feels stable at all time. I was especially surprised by the ride, it was very smooth, much smoother than i was expecting. Back seat space is very limited, people over 6 feet would have problems sitting in the back.

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  Great Car - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By wes - June 14 - 2:00 am

  Unlike the title says, this is the FWD, not AWD Anyway, acceleration is very quick, not torquey but still quick. The engine approaches the red line very quickly (7000 rpm). The speed can be deceiving, when going 50 it feels like about 30. Braking is good, since it is such a light vehicle. The car handles beautifully, without much sway at all. It feels stable at all time. I was especially surprised by the ride, it was very smooth, much smoother than i was expecting. Back seat space is very limited, people over 6 feet would have problems sitting in the back.

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  Sweet Car! - 2003 Saturn ION
  By Psvlk012 - June 14 - 2:00 am

  I really liked this car. I am 6 foot 2 inches tall, and have never had a problem (I acutally find it much rommier than my old Camry) The ride is peppy and fun. Console is designed well and is cool since you only have to adjust steering wheel for comfort and not for viewing the speddometer. Excellent price too! Got it for about 2K cheaper than Corolla!

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  7th one didnt cut it - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By guitarmedic - June 14 - 2:00 am

  We have owned 6 other saturns and was happy with all of them. I decided to turn my VUE back because of 1. excessive torque steer (almost ran off the road when passing), 2. not enough room and 3. I had it would not pull my light weight trailer without using 3rd gear of the 5 speed automatic (in other words you cant select 4th gear.

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  GM Gremlins Are Back - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By Not Happy - June 11 - 11:53 am

  Poor quality returns to GM. My 40k car is in and out of the shop every 90 days with recalls, electrical issues, and power steering and other problems. They have covered everything but not my time. Service says the first 9 months they had build issues....I wanted to buy domestic to support the cause and what I got was a UAW Union American Waste of money. I feel bad GM is going under but bad products deserve to fail. Go buy an american built mercedes and avoid the hassle.

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  Im impressed - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By Great Aura XR - June 10 - 2:30 am

  I took some time to write this review to help evaluate this car. Ive got 4000 miles on it and cant be happier. Driving it is wonderfully fun.

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  This car is a mistake - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By Sarah Colantuono - June 8 - 5:20 am

  Since Ive gotten this car almost two years ago, Ive taken it in probably 10 times if not more. Everything keeps breaking down on it from the transmission, to my radio falling out, doors not opening, wipers not working, and a horrible rattling and vibrating sound that is still not fixed. Another time I was stranded on the side of the highway with my 2 year old daughter, after the car completely stalled and lost power on me. I feel this car is unsafe, and I am looking into a sell already after not even two years. I know somebody that got the Chevy equinox- and after driving that- I know where I went wrong. Thumbs down to VUE