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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  You Should VUE - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By emjones - May 14 - 10:00 am

  This is the second Saturn I owned, first was a 1996 SL1. Also a great vechile, I put 100,000 in 6 six years, and plan on doing the same with my VUE. I really appreciate the space and airy feeling when driving it. Very comfortable and practicle. Being 53" or 63" makes no difference, everyone will fit comfprtably while enjoying the ride. I researched many other cars, including the Land Rover Freelander, and the Subaru Forester, there is NO competition.

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  What is with all the noise! - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By c. robinson - May 14 - 9:50 am

  Our Saturn VUE is a good but not a great car. Mileage on highway runs 34 mpg. Engine performance is excellent. Draw backs: Interior is cheap for the money. This is one of the noisiest cars I have ever driven. Have had it at the dealership 2 times, and still has problems. Sounds as though a train is coming in the drivers door. My 2002 F250 diesel Ford is much quieter than this car. And the resale value is horrible. Purchase a car for $24,000 and drive one year and get offered $12,800 for a trade on a new 2005 Vue. This tells me what Saturn thinks of there vehicle. Would not have purchased this car if I knew what it would be worth after a year of driving.

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  Love It! - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By christina - May 13 - 8:33 pm

  I compared this to an Acadia, Pilot, Tahoe. The Outlook topped them all! It drove the best, had more options, and had the better price. I love it. I have the captains chairs in the back and I would never have one without them. My insurance went down $300 a year because of all the safety features. My husband is 62" and he has plenty of room. I have been getting so many compliments on the style of it. I love the OnStar, XM radio, and DVD player. All of the reviews are correct on line, you will love it!

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  Best Kept Secret - VUE Best SUV imho - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By AmericanCarbuyer - May 13 - 1:20 pm

  Was on the market looking at different cars and decide to check out some of the small to mid size SUVs. Needed roomy interior, wanted performance, style, good looking reliable American vehicle. The VUE just blew me away with the interior room, features, performance and price. After first 1500 miles still really happy with the purchase and the dealership has been great!

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  So far on par - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By MGGDTW - May 11 - 9:56 pm

  I read all the reviews and researched the Astra religiously online and I ended up buying it without even test driving anything else. All the good reviews from this site alone really provoked me. Its a very solid feeling car and built very well(in Belgium I might ad) with tight bonds all over the place. No rattles here at all. I got a 5 speed, fully loaded, every option avail including the sports, handling package with 17s and 45 series tires. I have never been in a car that handles as well as this. Period. I see maybe 1 other Astra in a week where I live and I wonder why. At the price I got it for over $6500 off MSRP. I stole it off the lot! A premium European 5 door hatch at its finest.

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  Buy one now! - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By kyle - May 11 - 8:53 pm

  Needing a new, reliable family car to replace a 2000 2-door Pontiac Sunfire, my wife and I had narrowed it down to the Vibe, Matrix or Astra. We jumped on the GM employee discount and used our GM card earnings (a great way to save money, check it out) to help with the purchase of the Astra. I was blown away by the amount of standard features that come with this car. I do get a lot of looks when driving it, a lot of questions at gas stations, etc. Its an "everyman" priced vehicle with the features of a VW or higher end car. You cant beat the 100,000 mile warranty either. I feel very safe with my wife and baby girl crusing around the big city of Chicago in this car.

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  Happy Saturn owner - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By shly - May 11 - 10:00 am

  We bought our Saturn Vue last November. We absolutely love it. It has great handling capabilities and is nimble. The electric power steering is awesome. The ride is carlike and comfortable. It is not top heavy at all. We also were pleasantly surprised when our car insurance dropped. We highly recommend it.

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  Love it - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By CDXmixbreedMom - May 11 - 10:00 am

  I own the Saturn Vue V6 AWD for over a year and have been really happy with the auto, so far. The gas mileage isnt bad at all and hopefully, it will be as reliable as my past 2 Saturns have been. (Ive owned a 1991 SL2, which I had for over 10 years, with no problems, and also currently own a 1999 SL2, which also has had no problems) Ive taken a couple of really big trips and its unbelievable the amount of stuff I was able to fit in.

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  Lots of Problems with Sunroof - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By M&M - May 7 - 5:20 am

  Overall owning the Outlook hasnt been too much trouble except for the sunroof leak which has been present ever since weve had it. Its been back at the dealership a total of 3 times, soon to be 4, and its still leaking. Other than this little problem, no issues.

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  A-Ok - 2006 Saturn ION
  By Saturn ION - May 6 - 3:16 pm

  I owned a Saturn before and loved it. I hated trading it away but I got the bug to buy and couldnt think of anything to buy except another Saturn. The service is excellent and the quality of their vehicles are tops.