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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  Fix the defect before selling anymore - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By hobie - December 1 - 10:00 am

  I have had my Vue for 3 months and the problems have already started. When I called the service dept., I was told that the Vue has a defective part that Saturn is still trying to fix. He also told me that they could only replace the part and in 3-4 months it would have to be replaced again. However, my sales rep. denies this claim by the service department. I do not feel safe driving this SUV anymore due to the defective part in the steering---I cant believe a company would continue (or be allowed)to sell these vehicles until the problem was fixed, or they should disclose the information to the buyer.

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  MY NIGHTMARE ..PC OF JUNK - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By edson - December 1 - 10:00 am

  I CANT BOLIVE I GOT THIS CAR ......TO START ,THIS CAR WHENT TO SERVICE 20 TIMES FOR THE SAME POBLEM;;; 1 - FRONT END SUSPENSION 2- AC COPRESSOR 3- LOOSE PARTS 4 LOOSE DOOR 5- PULING TO LEFT SIDE 6- STRONG RATTLE NOISE FRONT END 7- HAND BRK DONSENT WORK WELL 8- LOSE OF HP ,AND ABSOURD GAS CONSUPTION .. 9- ITS A PLASTIC CAR UNSAFE PLEASE IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A SUV ,DONT GO ON THIS ONE .....IF YOU GO GOOD LUCK.. YOU WILL NEED

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  RIP - 2006 Saturn ION
  By Surferjoemn - November 17 - 4:00 am

  When I first purchased my Saturn the seat cushions came off on both front seats and the windows fell off the tracks. It would randomly go into break down mode while I was on the freeway. Imagine dropping to 20mph in the fast lane. The engine blew up at 124,000 cause yet unknown - may have been via the transmission.

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  Would Not Buy Another - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By bing1 - November 11 - 12:53 am

  Our 2nd & last Saturn. Pricing very high for type. Too many things optional vs. Asian models, esp. with fixed price. Terrible depreciation (>25% in 2 yrs). Really annoyed we could not use their 0% financing. Had to order one to get side airbags. 0% expired by time we got car. Very poor interior quality. Too much plastic. Hazard switch and visor mirror broke. Carpets thin like paper. Carpet and seat fabrics stain quickly & dont clean up well. Plastic is porous and holds crayon and other stains, unlike my 95 SUV that I sold with 135K. Noisy engine but very powerful for this size car. Terrible torque steer. Poor mileage for a 6 cyl. Several other SUVs that year would have been better bet.

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  Dissappointed - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By Dawn Pike - November 9 - 12:26 pm

  I thought I had a dud, however it seems I have the same view as everyone else. Labor day weekend 2008 I spent 4hours at the dealership while they replaced sway bar (8 months pregnant with a two year old) never once offered a loaner to get to our cabin. Ive had it in 7 times for the noise and it has never been fixed. Driving on the highway you need earplugs! We have had wheel bearings replaced,breaks every 6 months, and the customer service is terrible. I am a mother of 2, the car is driving responsibly. It is at the dealership now as I pulled out of the parking lot from work yesterday, and it lost complete power and would not take her gas. Every light on the dash was glowing. Im frustrated!

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  2 Months in shop - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By Bad Vue - October 29 - 3:00 am

  Stay away from the Vue. We have had our Vue for about 18 months and it has sent over 2 months in the shop. 2 front wheel bearings, a strut, front linkage, air conditioner have all been replaced. The drivers and passenger doors and tailgate had to be repainted and we paid the the additional money for the paint and fabric protection. We talked to customer service at Saturn and they told us that the noise it is making now is a lumbering noise that is probably sheet metal flexing when you go over bumps. Nothing they can fix. Incredible! Something is wrong in the front end and it is definitely a safety issue and they wont do anything about it. We need help before bearings go out again!

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  Glad To Drive a Standard! - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By ifmullins891 - October 5 - 10:55 am

  My Saturn (which we purchased used) has been great...until recently. We put a lot of miles on the poor thing and use it for all that its worth and it still starts up! If youre looking for a car to get you from point A to point B with no particular thrills or any real "excitement," then I would absolutely recommend only this model. However, I highly recommend you DONT tow anything heavy with this car...it just cant handle it! However, I have no real complaints (didnt replace the clutch until recently and have only started to see some problems with the car). She has almost 168,000 miles and shes still going (fairly) strong. Go VUE!

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  Wont buy this ever again.... - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By Nicole0429 - September 26 - 10:00 am

  This car has been back in the shop so many times, that i lost count! Ive replaced so many sensors...and the gasket on the intake manifold already let go! Also, i had to replace the windshield fluid sprayers twice!!!! I definately wont be going back to a Saturn!!!

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  brokeTX lady - 2006 Saturn ION
  By disappointed lady - September 23 - 9:40 pm

  The first year I owned the car was great but, since have had numerous problems from car ignition not turning off to drivers side car door not opening as well as drivers window not working. Im not impressed with the inside cloth interior either. It stains easily. The outside sound is loud when driving. I am however happy with the mileage I get which is one good thing I have enjoyed. This was the first new car I purchased. Im still paying new car payments as well as repairs since the warranty has expired. This has surely left a bad taste in my mouth. I have not recommended this brand to anyone I know.

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  Shoot the Ergonomics Engineers - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By TomNmd - September 15 - 8:13 am

  The remote mirror adjustment is in the wrong place -- cant sit in final position and adjust mirrors accordingly. Put the compass and temperature in lower left & right of rear-view mirror -- cant see past rear headrests anyway. Heat the thighs - not just center of seat. Cant see any info when manually shifting (the tap shifter is a joke anyway). Cant get to pass- side rear seat storage (why is it recessed?) Itsy bitsy cruise-control and radio buttons and no cruise-control pause. Mirror dimmer doesnt dim enough -- manual would be better. HARD seats very uncomfortable. Wish I hadnt bought this thing -- I hate every one of the 150 miles I travel each day! Feel like Im getting bed soars.