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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  Macs VUE - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By Bill - September 20 - 5:56 am

  I have been driving my VUE for almost two years now and I really enjoy it. The ride is good, the power is great, fuel economy could be better, but that is part of the price for the power.

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  Excellent small SUV - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By nmlobo - September 14 - 11:40 am

  Owned this SUV for 7 carefree months. The vehicle meets and betters all expectations. Fuel economy is excellent. It averages 20/21 MPG in all city driving and 30/31 with all hway driving. It even achieved 35 MPG on one leg of a long trip.

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  Little Hot Rod - 2004 Saturn ION
  By mytdawg - September 12 - 9:30 pm

  I always thought a supercharged 4 cylinder would be cool but nobody made one at an affordable price point. I saw one of the few advertisements for the Red Line and thought it would be cool. I found a demo model at 20% discount but I wasnt sold until I drove it. Most low end power Ive ever seen in a 4 banger. I was driving in 4th gear in a 25 zone and it wasnt lugging. They let me take it home for the weekend and I put 500 miles on it. I didnt want to give it back to get prepped. Stage 2 modifications made it even meaner. I drive it hard but store it through the winter. I have had no problems with it.

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  Happy so far - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By ARETY - September 9 - 2:00 am

  Just bought a new VUE for my wife a week ago. I looked for a used lexus rx300 for six months but could not find the right one at the right price. Only have 200 miles on it so far but all is good. Very solid and quite capable in our latest Michigan snow storm. Smooth ride and no rattles yet. The Vue is not as well appointed as the lexus but it was under $26,000 out the door and the 2001 RX300s were around $28,000 with 40-50 thousand miles on them. The 3.5L honda motor is SMOOTH. With 70 more horsepower than last year this is a true 7 second second cute-ute. I would have bought the redline but my wife didnt like the stiffer ride.

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  Black Beauty - 2004 Saturn ION
  By alex walker - September 8 - 2:23 am

  We just traded our 2004 ION 1 in for a 2006 VUE. The ION was a great car and served our family of five well. We got up to 40 mpg on the freeway and were able to fit three car seats in the back and a double stroller in the trunk. Ours was an automatic and had plenty of punch to it when needed. Overall a great car which will be missed.

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  Great looking car-Faulty parts - 2008 Saturn Sky
  By drmechem - September 1 - 8:56 am

  Love the way the car looks, turns alot of heads and gets alot of compliments.

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  Awesome Car - 2004 Saturn ION
  By Dolphin Can - August 24 - 10:00 am

  The car is fun to drive. Great get up and go!! Ricaro seats! Beautiful wheels. Stiff suspension, amazing ahndling and cornering. The value for dollar is unbeatable! Love the doors on both sides. Mp3 Player is nice to have.

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  Great idea, hope it is here to stay - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By vksandsek - August 20 - 6:10 am

  The car is a domesticated version of the Opel Astra, made in Belgium. The amenities are too many to list and most are found exclusively on much more expensive autos. I dont know of any other vehicle that you can get with every option in the book at MSRP of 21965, including leather seats, giant sunroof, 6-disc changer, 6 airbags, 4-wheel disk brakes with ABS, sport suspension, stabilitrak, traction control, alloy wheels, computer, remote locks, windows and mirrors, steering wheel controls, cargo cover, theft deterrent system, fog lamps and so many more. I hope Saturn perseveres with this car because it is the only vehicle by GM that has the potential to become a Honda and Toyota slayer.

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  Former Jeep Owner - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By JIMBO - August 20 - 2:00 am

  The price is why I bought (Zero down & Zero interest) and with the options I wanted -- only $17,900 before taxes, title, tags, and $200 prep charge. I have had it for about 3 months and pleased. With two-wheel front-wheel drive handled very well in the snow and ice on a ski trip in January. As roomy inside as the Jeep Grand Cherokee (had 2 over the previous 6 years) but feels cheaper inside, but it is about $8-10K cheaper

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  Former Jeep Owner - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Jimbo - August 20 - 2:00 am

  The price is why I bought (Zero down & Zero interest) and with the options I wanted -- only $17,900 before taxes, title, tags, and $200 prep charge. I have had it for about 3 months and pleased. With two-wheel front-wheel drive handled very well in the snow and ice on a ski trip in January. As roomy inside as the Jeep Grand Cherokee (had 2 over the previous 6 years) but feels cheaper inside, but it is about $8-10K cheaper