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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  Dont buy one - 2007 Saturn Outlook
  By Tami Vitali - September 9 - 6:53 am

  I had my 2007 in the shop over 90days the first year of ownership. They were really nice until I decided to file the lemon Law on it. The leaks were horrible and the milage was never what they claimed. I believe that there are electrical issues now from all the water that it had.

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  BEWARE of Saturn ION - 2003 Saturn ION
  By Nickelback Rules - September 6 - 2:00 am

  I have had this car less than a year and it has been in for repairs nearly a dozen times. In fact, it is in the repair shop right now waiting for a new fan motor to be shipped in and replaced. We just got it out 8 days ago for a faulty pass code sensor (I coulnt start my car). THIS CAR IS A NIGHTMARE!!!!!!

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  If you plan to buy one, take mine please! - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By addicted2mickey - August 22 - 9:03 pm

  Ive owned my VUE for 14 months and plan to get rid of her ASAP. Ive been a loyal Saturn owner for 10 years but I think thats coming to its end. Read other owners reviews and youll see this model is plagued with problems beyond 40,000 miles (conveniently just after the warranty expires). The high ratings and good reviews are mainly before the 40,000 mile mark. The vinyl on the dashboard has been flaking and currently she is just sitting in my parking spot undrivable. It started as an occasional thumping under the hood and has progressed to a blinking check engine light and no acceleration. No one knows whats wrong. Parts and labor are extremely expensive for a Saturn. Buy something else.

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  LEMON!! - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By mquinn97 - August 8 - 6:23 pm

  This is my second Vue and I wish I had heeded the quality issues I had with my first. This one has simply been a nightmare to own. 6 weeks after purchase the clutch cable broke and it had to be towed back to the dealer. Now Ive had it just shy of 1 year and its been into the dealer for a recurring problem with deceleration at least 5 times, each time they keep it for almost a week!! I think I am almost qualified for the lemon law. When coasting to a slower speed while exiting a freeway once it drops below 50 mph if I try to accelerate again I get nothing - the pedal can go to the floor and there is no response. Speed drops, RPMs drop. Dealership cant seem to fix it.

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  What a LEMON - 2006 Saturn ION
  By Ron - July 11 - 10:30 am

  I bought my 2006 Saturn Ion in July of 2006.Ever since I bought this car it`s been a problem.First week I own the car I had to get a new radio installed.The second week a spark plug had to be replaced. Six months later the car shook badly every time I stopped and still does to this day (7- 10-10) had it at the dealership countless times for the shaking.they claim nothing wrong with it. I recently had to get a waiver from the state of Pennsylvania because my check engine light won`t go out even after it was re-programmed by a authorized dealer. This car is nothing but a LEMON!

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  Still crying......................... - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By Still Crying........ - June 12 - 6:46 pm

  I now need to replace the transmission for the 3rd time in my 2002 VUE. GM will assist with 30 percent but the transmission will cost more than what I owe on the car. It is hard for me to understand the cost of the transmission because GM is well aware the transmission was not designed well and there have been numerous failures of the transmission. Go figure I wanted to stay with American made. I will now have to park and pay for a car I can not drive but still responsible to pay for. Just shoot me!!

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  Lots of little problems - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Craig - May 26 - 2:30 pm

  Bought our 03 4cyl FWD new in Mar 03. Traded it in Dec 05 with 30,000 miles. Ok acceleration for a 4 cyl although gas mileage was disappointing (20 city/25hwy@75mph). CVT transmission was always sluggish/erratic and two different Saturn dealers couldnt notice any problems, even with the letter about 6yr/75K CVT trans warranty due to problems. Overall noisy powertrain/ride and lots of little problems. Probably had 8 different warranty claims (rattling spare tire jack on delivery, failed engine ignition module, rattling exhaust shields, sun visor that flopped down, broken seat belt holders, etc) Traded for a Ford Freestar that has similar gas mileage, more room and much quieter ride.

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  Nice car...bad example - 2008 Saturn Sky
  By Sean - May 17 - 11:35 am

  So...most reviews on these cars are great. I would know since Ive wanted one the day they came out. That was in middle school. I saved and saved and finally bought a very nice condition Sky Redline. Looks immaculate. Being a college student I took the safe road and purchased a sports car with realiability to back it (according to numerous reviews). WRONG! At least in my case. This car has been in the shop longer than its been in my driveway (unless we count the time it isnt running). The Chevy dealer I bought it from cannot locate the issue. It stalls, the fan stops working occasionally, my blinkers dont work when they want to...its an electrical problem. DO NOT do what I did and automatically figure its a sound car...test drive it multiple times, have it inspected and be skeptical. Obviously my car is the one in a million with severe problems (and none of which documented in multiple different VIN history reports) but just be aware so you dont end up like I did. I kmow these cars are great cars...mine just happens to be junk! I dont want this to happen to anyone else. When I read reviews I never once saw a post like this...it gave me a strong sense of security. I just want possible buyers to realize its possible for these cars to be junk. Im not sure what the previous owner (there was only one) did to this vehicle but it must have been pretty bad. Unfortunately they knew how to upkeep appearance and make a wolf in sheeps clothing and I got the short end of the stick.

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  A doom with a vue - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By brian - April 16 - 2:26 pm

  Should have been and still be recalled due to computer failures in all or most vues sold. Poor repair info and no gm dealer is willing to touch it. Power steering fails and makes it like driving a tank. Poor info for self repair work. Recall these cars.

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  Disappointing - 2004 Saturn ION
  By MeOhMy - April 15 - 10:00 am

  One really wants the US to build a better economy car, but ION is merely another failed attempt. The car handles very poorly. Foremost, beware of the shoddy steering, which has an electric assist motor rather than a vacuum. This means the steering mistakes a bump in the road for the driver turning the wheel and pulls you off course with sudden and alarming frequency. What control you do have is administed through a shrunken steering wheel which was miniaturized in consideration of easing the 3 seconds spent getting into and out of the car rather than the hours spent driving it. The wheel has a slippery texture and no indentations for a sense of grip. Taking the car in bends is harrowing