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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  Nice car - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By d - August 22 - 12:36 pm

  I love this car. Although the onboard drive train computer did have to be replaced, so that was slightly disappointing. But overall a great car.

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  Marrige of Luxury And Economy - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By Samyn - August 22 - 4:36 am

  The fit and finish of this car is suburb and the materials are exceptional for a compact car. Close the door there is a thud which says quality. Every knob, and door is quality built. This car feels more like a luxury car than an economy car. The truth is that this is a small luxury car, a marriage of quality and economy. There is talk about the hard to learn radio and complicated controls. Yes it did take 1 or 2 days to become familiar with the radio. Anyone with an average IQ will learn the radio in one day or so. Overall the interior is European luxury and European quality. It is a very positive experience for a compact car.

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  Love our Sky REDLINE - 2008 Saturn Sky
  By Bill and Claudia - August 18 - 6:43 pm

  After searching for a fun car to enjoy on weekends & short trips we found our Sky.The original owner traded it in 10 months after purchasing it on impulse, car had 4300 miles on odometer and still had new car smell.On our first weekend drive to Fl. Keys we knew our Sky was the right choice, Great performance & handling.After a few months we had a Magnaflow exhaust system installed"WOW"it was music to my ears,then a stainless steel Bullit mesh grille on the front end.The GM cold air intake will not void warranty so that will be next upgrade.Our Sky is going to be a very special collector car now that Saturn is gone, so sad the possibility of a V6 with 300HP is only a dream now.I Love my SKY!

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  I Love my 2005 Vue! - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By Kate - August 17 - 6:33 pm

  I have owned my VUE for just about a year now and I love it more and more every day. It has tremendous functional capability and its just really fun to drive. I can seat my children comfortably in the back and we can really pack the cargo space. Get the heated seats - they are such a treat! I recommend this car to anyone in the market for an SUV!

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  The 2005 ION, one fine automobile - 2005 Saturn ION
  By normanhickenbottom - August 15 - 11:40 pm

  This is the 3rd Saturn I have owned along with Buicks, Pontiac, Mercury and an Aurora. This new Saturn just seems to do everthing so well. Smooth, quiet, beautiful inside and out. Finest car for the price available today. I tried out Toyota, Honda, Focus, Cobalt and Nissan. Also the Mazda 3 Nothing to compare to the Saturn for all around value for the price.

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  Saturn ION 2 - 2003 Saturn ION
  By sweetpea10995 - August 14 - 10:00 am

  I absolutely love this car. The service I have received has been great and Saturn always follows up on its customers.

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  What a Car! - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By steelerman - August 13 - 11:20 am

  I rated this car so high because it is a great car. Never before have I enjoyed a car like i do this one. It is fun to drive because it is comfortable, has responsive handling, and has ample power. I only gave it a 9 on comfort because I wish it had a bit more leg room for the driver.

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  Would buy another - 2003 Saturn ION
  By azgirl - August 12 - 6:36 pm

  I like my Ion. Six years after purchasing, its a great value. I dont drive it hard. Maybe if I drove it more, it would have more issues. Six years and less than 37K miles, the only issues Ive had are a drivers side power window issue (fixed under warranty), and I now need new bushings. Love the interior and exterior styling and would buy another if they were still in production.

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  The Green Machine - 2004 Saturn ION
  By Brittany - August 12 - 10:00 am

  I knew Id need a car that would do well traveling the interstate and not cost me a fortune in gas. Ive gotten that. Ive had problems with the key getting stuck in the ignition as well, & some electrical problems that seem to fix themselves. My mechanic cant ever find anything wrong with it, but as soon as we leave, itll misbehave again, but just as quick as it started it will stop. The door sensor was triggering the door being open, which made my alarm go off at random & my dome light go on and off which would kill my battery, so for about a week I had to unplug my battery when I parked. Then it just started working again. It has 85k miles & is still running great under the hood though.

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  Better than my SL - 2003 Saturn ION
  By Crulamin - August 8 - 2:00 am

  I traded a 95 SL for the ION-2. I was told that that was the last 03 in stock. The car was similarly equipped as my SL with manual trans, so it drove a lot like my SL (which is a good thing to me). Good cornering, ride, etc. Power everything. The engine is quick and launches you pretty good like a turbo, even in 4th. Aside from waiting for the dealer to fix some cosmetic details, the car is perfect. I would recommend it to anyone looking to replace their S-series. :)