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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  The Vue is good, the noise is too loud - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By spcljac - August 18 - 4:23 pm

  I bought my Vue brand new in 2004. The reliablity is good. The rear motor on the back window is going, the mileage is great 22 in the city and 27- 28 on the highway. The comfort level is good. The problem is the road noise is terrible. Even with all the windows up you can hear all the road noise, it is deafening.

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  Defective Vehicle Design - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By dinof - August 15 - 5:26 am

  After owning the vehicle for 6 months and having put less than 5,000 miles on the odometer, I have to say that the build quality is poor to say the least. Both of my underdoor plastic rocker panels are separating from the body creating large gaps thru which the fasteners and road surface can be seen. Neither dealer nor Saturn Customer Service have any fix. Both say the problem is occurring on other Auras.

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  Not too durable - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Bob - August 15 - 4:50 am

  While I have enjoyed the VUE, the durability of this GM product has left me thinking I should have bought a Honda! I have had 5 visits to the shop for front end issues in the last 6 months and all were right after the 36000 mile warranty expired. I was smart and you would be too to buy the extra warranty if you purchase a VUE. Front wheel drive does not handle as well in snow and wet as does a CRV for example.

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  Gotta love this car - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By yougie12345 - August 10 - 4:15 am

  mom bought this car two years old with 26000 miles on it. it now has 105000 on it and still runs great. since she has given it to me and the only thing i ever have to do with it is put gas in it, and it really does pretty well around town on gas (26ish) since we have owned it she has had to put breaks on it and new tires. thats it :) overall a great car, good job saturn

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  After One Month - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By Keith - July 31 - 10:50 am

  Not much experience yet but this gives insight into why we chose the VUE and our early impressions. My wife and I test drove the Outlander, Rav4, XL7, Vitara, Tuscon, Santa Fe, CR-V, CX-7, and two Kia models before choosing the VUE. The VUE felt more powerful and tracked and handled better. It felt more subtantial. The car simply feels different from the others which might be the European engineering (this is an Opel with a GM motor and rebadged as a Saturn). The interior materials and details are superior to others at this price. Acceleration is quick and effortless,the 6 speed trans is smooth,the ride quiet and smooth. Too soon to rate reliability but no problems to date.

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  Best Coupe in its Class - 2004 Saturn ION
  By Xanadu - July 28 - 2:00 am

  Exterior styling is excellent. Interior seating postion is great. By moving the gauges to the center and reducing the diameter of the steering wheel there is more room for tall drivers. Center armrest is larger than normal for this class of vehicle and slides forward. Engine is strong and CVT transmission is smooth and efficent. Very large trunk. Easy access to the rear seats.

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  Mixed Feelings - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By SaturnSuxs - July 25 - 2:33 am

  I think my car is beautiful. With exceptions of the interior plastic components breaking and the materials ability to soil easily I like my car and enjoy driving it. I however am very upset with the dealer who was supposed to fix some scratches I noticed when I first purchased the vehicle and after 7 attempts of taking it in still has failed to fix it. Although i love the look and feel of my car I highly deeply regret purchasing it.

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  Dangerous shifting difficulties! - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Anakala - July 17 - 10:00 am

  Extreme difficulity ""finding" gears ... especially downshifting to first after stop. Interior finishes and seat covers are poor materials and finish.

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  Great Car. Very Poor Mileage - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By CK - July 14 - 2:03 pm

  I did a review right after we had bought this car. Basically, it said that the car was great. Now that I have had the car for over a month, I am revisiting my review. The mileage on this car stinks. In city drive (basically home to grocery storer, etc.), the car gives 17 miles to a gallon. That is less than the 10 year old Mercedes E320 that I had (18 miles to a gallon) and less than the 10 year old Toyota 4 Runner that I have (18 miles/gallon for a V6). I dont know what GM is thinking, making a supposedly state of the art car with a mileage less than current day SUVs. I guess one reason is that the car weighs a bunch (it is heavier than the Toyota 4 Runner and almost the same as an E320)

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  Vue is all I expected, and more - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Chris - July 6 - 12:06 am

  Ive had the VUE for 4 years now, and about 48,000 miles. Bough it used with 10K, and other than oil changes, tires (Bridgestones wear horribly, but sick like glue!), and 2 sets of rotors and pads, the VUE has been flawless. With about 57K, I can honestly say this is a very solid vehicle. Ive used it for towing, and with the 3.0 6cyl, it can haul a pretty heavy load. Average around town mileage is about 20MPG, HWY I can get up to 25MPG. As a 5 year old vehicle, I think it still looks pretty sharp, and I added some chrome nerf bars, an against the black body, it looks pretty sporty. This car is also loaded with the leather package, which included seat heaters. Overall..very happy.