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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  the best car I ever bought - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By bill mardavich - August 28 - 10:00 am

  This suv is a fun car to drive,easy to understand,smooth ride (on the bad new york roads). You really can see saturn tryes to build a great car(suv) and really put this one together well. I think when people understand what this truck is all about, saturn will have a hard time keeping them in stock..

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  Would do it again... - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By MaineWoman - August 28 - 10:00 am

  It is very comfortable and predictable to drive and I love my bright red one!! Not crazy about the interior design...but getting used to it. Handles well!

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  VUE for Grandma - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Larry Laudig - August 28 - 10:00 am

  We bought a 2004 VUE last week and have enjoyed the looks, performance, and economy of the vehicle. We have the 4 cylinder with the belt driven automatic and it moves along quite well. There is a bit of noise when you "floor it" but the best part of the ride is cruising along at a constant speed where everything is quiet and the view of the road is excellent. We also enjoy the appearance of the view. Our car was purchased with "CAR CARE" for 5 years which provides all maintenance during those years.

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  Excellent - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By encycloman - August 28 - 10:00 am

  Had the underside treated by Ziebart (a producr called Soundcoat) & the road noise is gone! The beast has a lot of power - and does get the 20 city, 26 highway mileage. Ran STP with the oil, finally switched to Amsoil 0W30, and that seemd to help the mileage. The dealership here (Saturn of Green Bay wisconsin) is awesome - they havent had to do much, since my Vue really runs & runs.

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  happy with saturns - 2004 Saturn ION
  By chandsant - August 28 - 10:00 am

  I have had 3 saturns now. I like the sc2 3 door design much better than the new saturn coupe. it is not as sporty. i am happy with the extra room though. go figure. over all, i am a saturn buyer for life.

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  A Great 1st Car - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By YoItsHawkes - August 27 - 8:00 am

  I just purchased an Aura XE as my first car (all the others had technically been Dads) and I couldnt be happier with my choice. The black with tan leather is incredibly sharp looking and the exterior design is sporty with class. It drives smooth as butter, and the interior design reminds me of many luxury European cars. I would highly recommend this car for anyone looking for quality and class at a decent price.

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  First Car after SUVS - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By Kerry - August 27 - 4:26 am

  I bought my 2007 Aura V6 with about 24,000 miles. I am extremely pleased with this vehicle. Where to start... I get around 28 mpg on the freeway and around 22 in the city. The V6 is a blast to drive, especially when accelerating at high speeds. I have received TONS of compliments about the interior of the vehicle. I love the wood trip, modern dash and ambient lighting. The car is very comfortable to sit in. I love the exterior look of the vehicle, it looks like an acura from the back, especially with the lights on. I am nervous about going domestic, but wow there is no need to buy a foreign car over this Aura, its amazing. Absolutely no problems of any sort.

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  Great Car! - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By LOVE IT! - August 26 - 9:13 pm

  I have owned my VUE for about 3 months now. Its my first Saturn and I am so happy with it! GM gets an A+ for this one! I get so many people looking at it and commenting about how nice it is. I love the chrome package on the front and rear of the car.

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  Wonderful - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By AWHEEL - August 26 - 10:00 am

  Ive had my Vue for over a week now and I love it. The back seats have plenty of leg room and the front seats are very comfortable. It has great pick up when you need an extra "punch" to get on the freeway.

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  Fast and fun - 2005 Saturn ION
  By tim - August 25 - 10:16 am

  I love this car. It is not only fun to drive, but it is a pratical car. The gas mileage isnt the best, but it is also not the worst. I would definitly buy this car again in the future.