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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  2004 VUE REDLINE: LONG TERM - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By RobO - August 18 - 12:13 pm

  I bought this car off the showroom floor in 2004. I commuted with it for 5 years in San Francisco, CA. traffic. I drove it across country in 2009, going up to Seattle, all the way up in the mountains of Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and so on across the USA. It currently has 119,000 miles on it, and the only thing that has ever gone wrong with it is the pull cable for the hood release, and the light cluster panel above the driver needed a new switch. This is a reliable, fun to drive car with plenty of room, great performance, versatility and excellent fuel economy. On the cross country trip, fully loaded, with a pod carrier on top of the car, I got an overall 24 miles a gallon.

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  06 Blue Ion3 - 2006 Saturn ION
  By 06BlueIon - August 18 - 10:33 am

  I bought this Ion new, a little over two years ago. For my first brand new car I was very pleased with my purchase and remain pleased as the miles add up. Utilizing a 5 speed manual and the 2.4L engine this car can handle itself with ease on the highway and throughout the city, I also average about 34mpg with a 50/50 mix of city/highway driving. The vehicle has been relatively trouble free with only 3 minor warranty claims. Besides that, Ive just kept up with regular maintenance. Excellent car overall that doesnt deserve the amount of negative reviews it receives. ery happy with my Ion!

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  Stalling Problems - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Jodi - August 16 - 5:40 am

  When we first bought our VUE I thought it was a really nice vehicle for a great price. However, I would never buy another one. Shortly after we bought it, it started having acceleration problem. There were times I was pulling from a residential street onto the highway and it sputtered and stopped--as another person said--very dangerous!!! I took it to the Saturn shop 5 times for this same problem and they said each time they could not find anything wrong! When I said "there has to be" the mgr was rude and said "we cant have someone drive your car around all day to find out"! Also, hazard light fell into dash. VUE is good in many ways, but not the important ones!

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  Awesome little car. - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By travis - August 14 - 5:13 pm

  Just traded my 2006 Civic in for this little car. I went with the 4 door XE version, but in the 5-speed manual. I love the car. It is one of the best looking cars on the road today. The first day I had it, four people came up and asked me what it was! The car feels more solid, and is more European then most of the "European" cars being sold in the US... it was built in Belgium. Ive only averaged 27 mpg so far, which is short of the 32 I got consistently in the Civic. But the build quality smashes the Civic. I was stunned with what I could get with such little money! The buying experience was amazing and so far no problems with the car at all.

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  Saturn VUE - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Ted Burke - August 12 - 10:00 am

  ON long trip was very impressed with ride and handling. Road noise not as bad as expected, ride more comfortable than expected. Gas mileage better than average. Engine has plenty of power.

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  Multiple problems, GM Doesnt Care - 2007 Saturn Outlook
  By mherold - August 11 - 7:50 pm

  Love the seating for 8, overall driving performance, handling, and fuel economy. Dislike that by 45,000 miles the struts were bad, the steering column was bad, brakes, and several other electical issues. At 78,000 miles the transmission went out and the timing chains where stretched. The 5yr/100,000mile powertrain warranty was up by 3 weeks and GM said they would "goodwill" it. Then made me pay for have of it. I understand no car is perfect. Due to the way GM handled this, I will stick to Toyota and Honda products.

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  Outstanding Surprise - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By dstick1 - August 11 - 1:33 pm

  I am profoundly pleased and surprised at how wonderful this vehicle is to drive and own. This is definitely worth a look and drive if you want a great SUV.

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  Not 100% - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By Not 100% the best - August 11 - 10:40 am

  The exterior is awesome! The interior looks fantastic and is very functional. However, I am on my second one....I used Saturns 30 day return policy. The first one had huge transmission issues and shipping damage I found after delivery. THe dealership stepped right up and provided an exchange, no questions asked. My second one seems fine, just dont expect to step on the gas and go anywhere quick. The transmission is also extremely sluggish. If you can afford the v6, this would be a fantastic SUV. But if youre like me, you have to live with the 4cyl.

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  Not so happy - 2006 Saturn Relay
  By rob - August 10 - 12:23 pm

  I have owned my Relay for two years now, and it has seen its fair share of shop time. The steering pump has been replaced once and they have put tow steering columns and a new set of tie rods. The gas mileage isnt near what I expected either, it is worse. The kids do love the dvd player though and it looks sharp for a mini van.

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  Dont buy this vehicle - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By I drive a lemon - August 10 - 8:03 am

  I owned mine about 5 months when the engine needed to be replaced, 3 months later the transmission went. Only the Saturn dealer has access to Saturn parts so you pay dealer rates for repairs. Saturn has reviewed my case and promised to send reimbursement for transmission repair. Check is over 3 weeks late and all I hear are excuses about a new system...blah blah blah... other department...blah blah...working on it..blah blah blah. Before purchasing look into the class action law suit against Saturn for putting out this piece of junk.