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:

• 

  Overall a great car - 2004 Saturn ION
  By dagda567 - May 5 - 8:10 pm

  We bought the ion for a nice, cheap car with good gas mileage. My fiance loves the styling and the interior, although to me the exterior looks kinda odd. The seats are fine for around town but i wouldnt want to take a road trip in it. The dash console position is strange but I actually kinda like it. Controls are all very easy to reach and the gas mileage is great. For an economy car it actually rides very nice. And GMs 2.2 Ecotec engine is absolutely flawless. I feel very safe with that engine because of its reliability record.

• 

  Love my Outlook - 2007 Saturn Outlook
  By SUV BUYER - May 5 - 7:46 pm

  Had a 2002 ford Explorer 6 cylinder. I feel this is a far better SUV. Getting better gas mileage with a much roomier car. And it has far better interior layout. The 3rd row seat is a dream to get into compared to other SUVs. I test drove I believe every car in this catagory. And found this to have the most practical layout inside.

• 

  I Love my Vue - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By jjufon - May 5 - 4:30 pm

  IÂ’m very much enjoying my new 2008 Redline Vue! I traded a 2004 ford Cobra so this was quite a difference, but I couldnÂ’t be happier! My mileage was better in the Cobra but the fit and finish and options more than make up for that. IÂ’ve been in much more expensive SUVÂ’s and IÂ’ve got to tell, ya, youÂ’d be hard pressed to find a better interior and fit and finish anywhere close the this price. The NAV system works flawless and the way it handles MP3Â’s burnt to a disk is second to none too. If Saturn continues to offer this level of vehicle and price, IÂ’ll be driving another new Saturn in three years.

• 

  Awesome - 2008 Saturn Sky
  By steven - May 2 - 12:06 pm

  This car left the idea of the trunk to the wind but who cares? No spare tire. Car is comfortable for small car. It was built for fun not a family and it is fun and fast. Love it!

• 

  Great VUW - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Trmx2 - May 2 - 10:00 am

  A solid value in the small size SUV catagory

• 

  Love my VUE! - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By cmw123 - May 1 - 11:36 pm

  I absolutely love my VUE (V6, FWD)! I had a minivan prior to my VUE & I was afraid Id miss the cargo space & sliding doors, but I dont. I gained much better gas mileage from my van & the VUE is fun to drive. I average 21- 24 mpg, but on long road trips I average 26-28 mpg. I am thrilled to have something that has decent gas mileage, but still has plenty of room inside for my husband, myself & our 2 kids, who are both in car seats. The doors have large openings which makes it easy to get the kids in & out. The only thing I noticed is some wind noise due to the body design around the front windshield, but after driving it a few months I dont even notice it except for really windy days.

• 

  Pleasant Surprise - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By Jaysurf - May 1 - 7:20 pm

  The 4cyl engine has more zip than I expected, plenty for local traffic or entering the freeways. Seems as comfortable as most on the market. All cars seem to have a lot of plastic inside so dont see where the prior criticism has much merit.

• 

  Love the Styling - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By Sky Que - May 1 - 6:00 am

  My experience has been less than sterling. After having the car for the first 3 months, Ive had the car in the shop twice, rear end replaced and brake lever keeps coming apart. Gas mileage average. Only great thing I can say about the car is service has been great. Sales and service staff have been outstanding.

• 

  Its my VUE - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By Renee - April 30 - 12:50 pm

  1st time Saturn purchaser went from a Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer Ed. to a VUE FWD 6 and I Love, Love, Love it. Gas mileage is great Its fun and comfortable to drive I have put 2300 miles on it since the end of August. The interior is really nice and I feel that I can actually pack more into this vehicle than I could the ford. The wind noise is a little loud at times and the passenger seat isnt as comfortable as the drivers but its definetly better that my old SUV. I have the comfort package and love the dual temp heated seat(usually only have 1 temp in other vehicles) This is a fun vehicle and I can plug my IPOD right into the dash which I havent seen on any other vehicle(even high end)

• 

  Ride quality is exceptional - owned 1 yr - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By V6 XR owner - April 29 - 9:26 am

  The 2008 redesigned Vue has an exceptional ride quality. The comfort of the interior is much higher than several leading competitors we considered. The V6 XR is recommended over the V4 because of the vehicles weight. The 3.6 V6 is refined and smooth. Gas mileage could be better - but a steel unibody and a wealth of standard safety features are worth some trade off. A great vehicle, despite a couple irksome fit and finish repairs that were fully covered under warranty. Perhaps the best product thats come out under the Saturn label. Its amazing that a previous reviewer is trading down to a clunky Nitro rattle-box from this refined small suv.