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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  New Vue - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Melisse - July 21 - 2:00 am

  Had a 280ZX Turbo and this corners and handles sometimes better. Just returned from snow in mountain and it handled just as good or better than other all wheel drives on the same road. Very impressed.

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  Saturn SUV, Polar White - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By MistyTatianna - July 21 - 2:00 am

  The speedometer is not accurate. Everytime, it gets to 1,000, it clicks back to 0. It will not show the thousands. How do I know, if this particular SUV, did not have thousands of miles on it, because it just showed 34 when I purchased it. It doesnt have the amenities that my Saturn coupe had, such as fog lamps, which I depend on heavily, as I live in "fog" country. The defroster works great.

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  LKLs Review - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By lkl - July 21 - 2:00 am

  This was the most comfortable SUV I test drove in this price range. It is very easy to get in and out of even for my elderly aunts. It handles beautifully in the snow, and goes up my steep snow covered drive with no problems at all. I like the plain interior, but I do not care for the location of the automatic window buttons. I love my Red VUE, and I smile each morning I go out and hop into it to head for work.

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  summer car - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By little Mac - July 21 - 2:00 am

  I found that winter driving is not all that great. I put in two sand bags over the rear wheels. New tires on car, "all weather" do nothing for the car. Car is way too light with all the plastic in it. Rocks when cars/trucks pass. Fan squeeks when on low.. windows fog up and feet freeze as well as your rear passengers. Engine is VERY loud and outside sounds are like the door isnt even shut. Drink holder very awkward for driver. 8 cargo has to be on dash to fit.

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  AWESOME TRUCK - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By jim stone - July 21 - 2:00 am

  LOTS OF POWER! FUN TO DRIVE, NOT SURE WHY THE REVIEW SAYS STEERING SLOPPY. I FIND IT TO BE NIMBLE AND PRECISE.

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  Saturn VUE- - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By stpetegirl - July 21 - 2:00 am

  the vehicle is very nice- but when spending close to 25,000 I feel like the vehicle shuld be a little more nicer then what it is.

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  good car after 1 month - 2004 Saturn ION
  By danhurd - July 21 - 2:00 am

  i have owned saturns before and this one is the best so far. not disappointing.

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  Saturn ion 3 is a excellent car - 2004 Saturn ION
  By William A Comer - July 21 - 2:00 am

  We bought a 2003 ion 3 in March 2003. We were so pleased with the car that when my son returned from Europe and needed a car we bought another ion 3 in September 2003. So far, NO regrets. I would buy again and recommend this car. The Saturn dealership is the very best sales and service I have ever experienced in my 40+ years of car ownership.

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  Nice ride but gas is expensive. - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By Ajel - July 20 - 10:00 am

  The get up and go is really nice, there is a bit of torque steering mech sais that is because the turning rad is so short. Braking, snow handeling, & highway is fine, engine is a bit raspy, the auto trans can be jumpy. The Gas mi is 14/16city 18/21hwy, over 5400 miles. My 1989 Montero did 19city 24hwy. My VUE is gold, I recieve alot of great comments.

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  very happy - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By kansas5 - July 20 - 10:00 am

  I like the overall styling of the vue. It has a very comfortable ride and is fun to drive. I was surprised at the get up and go. the (2.2 liter 5sp manual) has plenty of power, I would recommened the saturn vue to anyone