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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  Great Car for teenager - 2003 Saturn ION
  By werDrD - November 7 - 10:00 am

  My parents just bought me the 2003 Ion 2... They like the price. Its very comfortable, quick, responsive, frankly the best economy car for the best price. Only problem is the seats. A little more support would be nice.

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  Switching teams... - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Mia - November 7 - 10:00 am

  Formerly a die hard VW driver (Passat) I took a chance in the SUV market. Researched like crazy and found the VUE to be best suited for my needs (single mom - 2 kids under 6 = lots of stuff to haul!). The VUE is fun to drive, econmical and the no pressure sales guys, got to love that. I refuse to go mini-van and this was the perfect solution. The kids love the rear seating (spacious with their own cupholders!) and I love the ease of turning (lower to the ground means less rolling). Totally comfortable. Spacious. Go for the sunroof, a MUST. Lots of bang for the minimal buck.

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  Best car that I have owned - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By Joe - November 3 - 2:33 am

  I bought this VUE after trading in a 2003 ION which I had a lot of problems with. It was worth losing a little bit of money to gain the VUE. I have had no problems with this VUE. This VUE has great looks, and performs really well. I got 30mpg on the road and about 19mpg around town. Just recently my wife was rearended and she hit the person in front of her and the VUE did great with only a few scrathes on back and a bent plastic chrome in front. The Blazer that hit her was in bad shape.This VUE is the best new car that we have owned for reliability and safety.

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  Satisfaction Driven - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By Erin Rich - November 1 - 4:53 am

  The Saturn Vue is my first SUV and after driving compact cars previously, Ill never go back! Sure, Ill miss the gas mileage that my old car had, but the Vue has more to offer: comfort, confidence on the highway, open space for vacation traveling, and not to mention it looks good on the road. Actually, it looks great on the road and in the driveway.

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  Saturn Ion Fun to Drive - 2003 Saturn ION
  By nealphd1 - October 31 - 10:00 am

  The sales process was different than anything I coud have imagined. That was a good thing. The car was fantastic, is fantastic, and no doubt will continue to be fantastic. I liked it so well I went to work for this Saturn Dealer. Now I sell SATURNS. Neal P

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  Great SUV - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Len1950 - October 31 - 10:00 am

  This is my first SUV and I really enjoy driving it. It handles very well and has a very comfortable ride. Almost a year now and no problems.

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  Fun to drive - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By Sandyfeet - October 29 - 8:43 pm

  Ive owned the car for two years and it is a lot of fun to drive. Very good handling, solid feel, good acceleration and very good fuel economy. My street bicycle fits in the back so it wont get stolen like it could with a bike rack. My remote control model airplanes fit in the back as well (even with the bike). Nice car.

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  Excellent Value - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By HappyOwner - October 22 - 10:33 pm

  I purchased this vehicle to replace my 1996 SL2. GM was running the employee pricing and 0% financing for my VUE V6 AWD with leather seats, Safe and Sound package and sunroof, which I got for about 25K. The AWD is fantastic, getting me through the worst of weather with confidence. OnStar has been a great feature, giving me directions, answering questions if a warning light comes on on the dashboard and with their remote unlock service. The car accelerates well, steers well, is comfortable for long drives and has a tremendous amount of cargo space for a compact SUV. Three years later, I still love this vehicle.

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  Near Luxury and Unbelievable Value - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By peter - October 19 - 6:53 pm

  Like everyone else we were hit by the gas crunch so I downsized from by 8 cyl Cadillac SRX which I absolutely loved so we could get one fuel efficient vehicle for our family. Checked out the usual: Acord (noisy and did not like interior), Camry (noisy and horrible handling), Malibu (surprisingly better than expected but still did not do it for me), VW - Jetta came close but too small and Passat too expensive for a VW, plus a whole lot more. Finally found myself in a Saturn dealer and was blown away with the VUE - near luxury drive, German engineering and design in and out, quality materials, handles well and 4 cyl.economy - no it is not a luxury car but comes darn close for the price!

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  My Vue Red Line - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By GBR - October 19 - 2:00 am

  This is an awesome vehicle! Im a diehard Honda lover, so when looking for a small SUV, really wanted a Honda, but they dont offer the bells and whistles on the CRV that I wanted. Looked at the Vue because of the Honda package and loved it after driving it! The best part has been the dealership; absolutely the best experience Ive ever had for buying and for service. I just may be a Saturn lifer!