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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  What a Great Investment - 2005 Saturn ION
  By shannon - May 12 - 10:33 pm

  Hi....I am very pleased to say that I am really starting to like my new car. Not only is it good on gas and it is very compact. Although my car is not fully loaded it has its great features that did not cost any more money towards the MSRP. If you are just starting out, it is a great investment. If you have a child that is getting their first car, this is the way to go. They have great service amongst the store and warranties.

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  Had it 1 day...feel like we struck gold (so far) - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By zionadams - May 12 - 12:39 pm

  I test drove a lot of cars, over about a one year period. I took them on freeways, up hills, even off-roading in one instance. This car was the winner. We bought an XE with 62k miles on it, thats got all the options of an XR with the smaller 2.4 motor. My sports car freak husband, who is 67" tall, loves it. We are not small people but this car fits our frames fine. Our needs for a good value combined with a solid feel were met, we hope, in the VE. The mileage estimates are 25/30. On the freeway, it does 85 without hesitation. No vibration, no lag in shifting. The engine is quiet, but not just because its small. Its just a quiet vehicle, even the air system is quiet when blowing.

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  I love my VUE! - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By robin simmons - May 9 - 2:00 am

  I shopped local dealers and dealers in the bigger cities, after test driving many various makes and models I just happened to stop by the Saturn dealership in Florence, SC. I had never really considered a Saturn before, but when I saw the VUE it really caught my attention, and when I test drove it I was completly sold! Proud Saturn Vue Owner:)

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  First 1000 miles - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By Pleased - May 7 - 1:10 pm

  So far very plesed! The silence was deafening at first. After driving a BMW I was taken back by the plush quiet ride of this American piece of art. Dont get me wrong German cars are made to drive where as Aura was made to relax and enjoy the ride. If you truly want to be pleased you will love this car. I am getting rave reviews from evrybody that sees it. Generally people are shocked when they learn that it is an American made vehicle not to mention a Saturn. This car is Lexus on the cheap. I have only driven this Aura 1000 miles but, I can tell you Accord Camry, Malibu, Mazda, Mercury, and Ford can not touch this vehicles many attributes! You owe it to yourself, try one.

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  1/2 a Honda - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By kaylie99 - May 4 - 10:00 am

  Aggresive exterior styling and an excellent powertrain made this the best choice in the segment. Huge dealer incentive made it impossible to say no.

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  36 mpg & comfortable for a tall guy - 2004 Saturn ION
  By Stilwell - April 28 - 10:00 am

  36 MPG in cruise control. Fun and comfortable to drive. For both the economically and performance minded, this is a good buy.

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  My baby! - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Shanon - April 25 - 2:00 am

  I was debating on a Grand Cherokee or a Lexus RX300. Being that I am only 23, the Jeep dealership would not give me the time of the day, I was going to buy a 99 RX300 and had the paper work going. I took my 96 Saturn SL2 with 195,000 miles to the dealership for its last oil change before I sold it and decided to test drive the VUE. I was impressed how the things I liked about the RX 300, the Vue had! IT was a similar drive and same price...but the saturn was brand new, I was worried about buying a used car. I also loved my old saturn and was a great car! I drove home in the Vue the next week.

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  MGP Review - 2006 Saturn Relay
  By m Pratt - April 24 - 12:20 am

  I have nothing but good things to say about this vehicle. Never a problem quality of car is very good and I love the styling. It gets good economy and is very reliable

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  Excellent - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By J. Mead - April 23 - 8:20 am

  The Saturn VUE is a very comfortable and fun car to drive. Reliable, while not intimidating like some of the larger SUVs.

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  Love this Car - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By Juan - April 16 - 7:53 am

  I got this car since new, it is so much fun to drive. Yes, I have put some money in it but just to keep in "AA" condition, I have about 150,000 miles and I have changed 3 wells bearings, 2 Struts, 3 times brakes pads 3 times new tires & 1 time motor mounts & of course bunch of Oil Changes. As you can see all those are normal things to change for the age and millage. Beside that, there were only a couple annoying little things as water reservoir tank & Gas Cap ( I think they were defective items for this model) I normally change car every 2-3 years but I never been so happy with a car as I am with this. I may keep it for another 2 years.