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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  Glad thats over... - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By Gregory - November 2 - 11:00 am

  I hate to bash this car, it got me around for bout 7 years and over 100k, but: This cars been my rival the entire time- Pros: This thing is pretty safe. I have been in 3 notable accidents (most recently fatally colliding with a deer) which have left me completely safe and confused that my vehicle had collided with something! Cons- This whole car (Including critical engine components) is made of cheap plastic, prone to dissentegrate and collapse in dire, drastic and expensive ways. Its all hunky dory til your engine almost seizes or your shifter breaks, leaving you in 1st gear and 30miles from the nearest soul. Thanks, Saturn.

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  Not Happy with my 2008 Saturn Vue - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By joyous83 - October 13 - 9:13 pm

  This car has given me nothing but trouble. Ive lost count how many times it has been in the shop. Im lucky that so far everything has been covered under the warranty. The wipers dont work right, have had problems with the AC, seats stain easily and many other problems. Now its in the shop because the computer system needs to be replaced. This is the 1st time I have owned a GM car, not sure if I will purchase another one.

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  Think twice about an ION! - 2005 Saturn ION
  By Jamie M. - October 10 - 2:03 pm

  Got my Ion in 05. I would say this car has good performance, only that would be when it wants to. After having the car for 13 months I began to have troubles with getting my keys out of ignition. This would drain my battery. I took it to saturn they said there is no problem. I accepted that and kept the car. Now I find out after replacing the battery multiple times (which they r expensive batteries) that this is a common problem. My car stalls on me and will not restart for about 15-20 minutes--during which time it is draining my battery. I am so disgusted with this car. Prior to this I drove a 2000 Saturn Coupe..Loved it! My opinion of Saturn has changed for the worse with this car!!!

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  ION 3 - 2005 Saturn ION
  By skitcat19 - October 4 - 8:10 am

  Driving the vehicle has had its ups and downs. Most comparable to the Cobalt. I feel those are more fun to drive. Twice now when driving the guages went crazy on me and they had to replace the module. Kind of annoying. It has vibrations at higher speeds and went through three window regulators 1 door hinge. The rubber piece for under the back wind shield flew off through some event. And also after the purchase of the vehicle there was broken glass all in the back of my rear seats when you fold them down. Not to happy with my choice but there are always likes and dislikes.

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  Not recommended - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By kevin137 - July 30 - 12:43 pm

  My truck has given me problems from the 45th day I brought it (brand new in 2007) through today 5/21/2011. I actually had to sue Saturn because of how many times its been in a shop (over 50). My transmission has failed WHILE I was driving, which almost caused an accident, my transmission is about to fail again because of a powertrain malfunction according to OnStar. This has been the worst vehicle Ive ever owned and cant wait until I purchase a new, safer car. I do not recommend.

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  Dont Buy a Saturn Vue! - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Susanscarb - July 22 - 10:00 am

  I wish I had looked at owner reviews before I bought mine. The engine knocks and rattles and Saturn continues to try and fix it. After the last time the dealership looked at it... something major happened. Saturn tells me its the crankshaft! The car is 1 and half years old with 54,000 miles. (I do highway traveling)Saturn says I have to pay for the Crankshaft... at a price of $2,500! The car is less than 2 years old. Corporate Saturn wont help... and says Im over the 36,000 mile mark. But every mechanic I talk to says... crankshafts dont go out! Please do your research before buying this horribly made car. Every review I read is poor!

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  The US is in trouble - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Artsy341 - July 8 - 10:00 am

  We love the package: big cargo area, 4 cyl economy, CVT technology, non-dent panels. We hate the shoddy "we can save a nickle if we use this flimsy cloth" mentality of domestic manufacturers. Its been in the shop three times first year to replace: tie rod end, sprung gas cap cover and wheel bearing. Do you know how many miles you have to drive a Honda to go to the shop three times? Have you ever heard of a Toyota needing major suspension parts inside of 150K? Sayonara - we are off to buy a Honda Element (taking it in the shorts on a trade in and all!)

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  Buyer Beware - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Daniel - July 4 - 3:43 pm

  This car really has problemsÂ….. I had the transmission re-built at 8,000 miles and then replaced at 35,500 miles. Had a binding valve replaced at 10,000 miles because the AWD would kick in for no reason, Saturn replaced something called a rear lateral link assembly at 30,000 miles (I guess this was a recall). The interior is cheap plastic, which seems to bother me when people ride in it because some people even comment on how cheap it looks. I have endless problems with the window sprayers malfunctioning. Overall this car has had way too many problems

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  Shoulda, woulda, coulda - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Tiffany Burson - June 6 - 2:00 am

  I traded in a Passat on this car so I could take our large dog around more comfortably for him and us. Wow, what a mistake. After German engineering, it is hard to get used to Spring Hill plastic. POOR, POOR quality. I knew that the Saturn was inexpensive, but I assumed it to be of good craftsmanship, if not of high end materials. Was I ever wrong. I want a divorce from the Saturn family.

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  So Dissappointed - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By scli1 - May 28 - 6:09 am

  Purchase my 08 Saturn XE 3 yrs ago. The Outlook drove nicely on the open road at highway speeds. (unfortunately thats where I test drove it). On side streets, in stop and go traffic its bulky, non responsive and just not pleasant to drive. Terrible turning and very hard on tires. We get 15.5 mpg in City driving. Ive never gotten near the 24 MPG on the highway. Best on a 450 mile trip was 22.5. Never saw that again. 19 - 21 is about the best I get on the same trip. I have my Saturn serviced by a professional. Always problems. Stalling, hesitation, idiot lites, etc. Always resetting codes. Making repairs. Not reliable. Going back to Ford or Dodge. My Expedition is easier to handle!