SaturnFans.com Links

Left to languish in mediocrity after a successful debut, Saturn is once again becoming the Japanese fighting brand that General Motors hoped it would be. It is an odd twist of fate then, that the homegrown rival to Japanese domination of the smaller car categories would base its whole product lineup around GM offerings from Europe. Having become the means to own a European GM here on our shores, its latest flavor for us to sample comes in the form of the Saturn Astra. Though arguably viewed as a...

The Saturn franchise boasts one of General Motors' better portfolios. The addition of the 2008 Astra hatchback is going to make it the place to shop if you're after a stylish, sporty ride.

My best mileage booster is a featherweight touch on the accelerator, as if you had an uncooked egg between your foot and the pedal. I drove a Saturn Astra hatchback this week - the Opel-origin car with a 1.8-liter engine made in Hungary, a transmission built in Japan and the whole ball of wax assembled in Antwerp, Belgium, that has EPA estimates of 30 mpg on the highway and 27 mpg in the city. Using my featherweight technique, I managed to make 5.002 gallons last 184 miles, which would make that...

GM should be applauded for what it's done with the Saturn Astra. It has taken the car known as the Opel Astra in Germany, put it on a boat and shipped it to the States. Period. Yes, that means you actually have to read the owner's manual to find out what the symbols on the controls represent. But it also means that the controls haven't been switched out for cheaper plastics, that the suspension pieces haven't been traded for ones giving a softer ride at the expense of control and that stuff the ...

Myles Kornblatt from TopSpeed: We are getting to the year end so we will be presenting plenty of lists of our top ten favorites. To start it off, TopSpeed's Top Ten New Cars. Here are the rules: the car must be new or significantly improved this year, they must be manufacture's car not tuner cars, and all cars must be available for sale in the U.S. The Saturn Astra will likely be the most disputed car on the list, but drive one before you pass judgment, damnit. Saturns are now just Opels with od...

From WBPN TV Channels 7 and 4: It was a big day for a northern Michigan car dealership – all because they're celebrating the 4 millionth Saturn sold in the country. With a police escort Tuesday afternoon Philip Lieffers and his wife Mary of Traverse City drove their black, three door Saturn Astra to Saturn of Traverse City for the big celebration. Lieffers bought his Saturn Astra from Saturn of Traverse City back in December. He did not know that he was becoming part of Saturn's corporate hist...

Matthew Smith from ABC 12 in Flint: Less than two months ago, news of Saturn's future sounded pretty bleak. Former GM CEO Rick Wagoner said that the troubled automaker could begin phasing out the Saturn brand by the end of the current product cycle. But at a time when many dealers are fearful of the auto economy, Saturn is meeting sales critics head on with the Saturn Astra. "Saturn is not dead, it's not going anywhere," said Pete Serra, owner of Saturn of Flint. "It's got that tighter feel, a...