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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  Excellent choice for the price - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By RJules - April 19 - 2:00 am

  Ive owned my Saturn now for a year and I love it. I went looking at other GMC brands and saw that you can get the same performance from my Saturn for half the Price of the GMC Denali. My only let down is that the nearest dealer is 70 miles away, so I do all of my own maintenance. If I had to do it again, I would buy 2 VUEs. I love this SUV.

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  New Car, Great Car - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By Toby - April 16 - 9:56 am

  This vehicle is very comfortale, with captain style seats in the front. Very appealing interior and sleek exterior. Very quiet engine with little wind noise, great acceleration and smooth ride

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  Bang for your Buck! - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By Angela - April 6 - 5:13 pm

  This has been a great starter family vehicle for my family. It has a spacious interior and a comfortable ride. Simple styling, not over done. With a 5-star crash test rating to boot, this is an all around great vehicle.

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  ONE YEAR LATER - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By LIBBY - April 6 - 2:16 pm

  I wasnt planning to buy a Saturn, but after test driving the competition (Honda CRV, Toyota RAV 4) I was more impressed with better ride and handling of the Vue. It has a bigger feel to it. I got the Sport package that gave me alot more for the price than the other vehicles. The gas mileage is great, and I have plenty of room to haul stuff around. Customer service is tops. I put on a lot of freeway miles, so the handling issue and safety rating was a key selling point. I traded in a little Sentra. What a difference for $7 more a month in car payment which includes the Car Care service.

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  I love my VUE - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By cxc7936 - April 2 - 10:00 am

  My VUE is my second Saturn. I chose the V6 for its additional power without giving up fuel economy- 20 city 26 highway. I wanted a larger vehicle because I now have a bad back, and the seat on the VUE adjusts to the perfect height to minimize the strain on my lower back. Also it is the perfect size for me and not too huge, like a Suburban or something. It handles very well for an SUV and I love it. Way to go Saturn and thank you for my VUE!

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  5000 miles - GREAT BUY !! - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By ACruz - March 30 - 6:50 am

  Just bought a great piece of art ! Astra XR Cpe. Well put together interior, fit and finish with high quality materials, very solid and firm ride & handling, on the exterior, I love the headlamps along with the chrome pieces on the upper and lower grilles and needless to say rear quarter & dlid outstanding style, plus 32 mpg...

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  Best small SUV out there - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By c1carroll - March 28 - 10:00 am

  This SUV has something for everyone. Its the perfect all weather vehicle. Heats up so fast in winter (get the heated seats too!) and a/c chills it fast in summer. Excellent for light towing and camping. Plenty of cargo space (get a roof rack..cheap). Sound system is excellent, fit and finish, ride quality all terrific after 20K +. Great in snow with AWD, and the mileage is still pretty good (20-26 MPG). The paint quaility is worth mentioning, and the polymer body panels have saved it more than once from dings and scratches. Ive recommended to MANY people. Im a Saturn convert.

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  power - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By A. J. Cupps - March 25 - 2:00 am

  My wife was looking for a SUV for the purpose of driving in the winter. We tryed a Honda, Vue, and a subura forester. We checked all the spects on the three vech. and test driven each one. The honda was a great vech., but she dicided on the Vue because of the power. She has a hevey foot for a 60 year old. We didnt like paying $2000 for leather on the Honda. The only draw back on the Vue was the noise of the V- 6. She liked the steering. We read that there was a prolem with it that we didnt find.

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  Great bang for your buck! - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By ex VW owner - March 18 - 7:06 pm

  I traded in a 2000 VW Golf TDI for the Astra and havent looked back. It handles even better than my Golf and when you account for the differences between a diesel and gasoline engine the performance is comparable. My husband is 64 and this is the only car of this category that an adult (mind you not one that is also 64) can sit comfortably in the back seat behind him. The sunroof is amazing- a definite must have. Before I bought this I test drove all the comparable cars on the market and the Astra absolutely blew them out of the water on comfort and performance, not to mention price.

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  This Saturn is to rival over any imports - 2006 Saturn ION
  By shane - March 18 - 7:53 am

  This is my first Saturn experience. Ive bought three new cars in the past and there is nothing like going into a Saturn dealer and being treated like a friend and not a dollar sign.. I bought a Saturn ION 3 Sedan with leather, 2.4 performance package with Saturn Advanced sound system. This advanced sound system package is definitely worth to opt for. The fuel mileage is well over 30mpg. I compared the Honda Civic, Toyota, and Chevy Cobalt.l The Saturn ION has better handling, more power, and good fuel economy to beat any import you put up to it. Especially for price, quality, and dealership experience.