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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  36 mpg & comfortable for a tall guy - 2004 Saturn ION
  By Stilwell - April 28 - 10:00 am

  36 MPG in cruise control. Fun and comfortable to drive. For both the economically and performance minded, this is a good buy.

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  Nice car to drive - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By kuda1 - April 26 - 10:36 pm

  Love the drive. It hugs the corners. I traded in my 2005 Vue for the Astra to save on gas mileage. I miss the Vue. The Astra averages 9.0 L/100kms with most of my driving on the highway. I have 3000 miles on it now and each tankful has been identical. I would love to get other peoples impressions. Especially tell me how many miles or kilometers you are able to get to a tankful of gas.

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  Do NOT Purchase this vehicle - 2006 Saturn Relay
  By Julie - April 25 - 12:13 pm

  I have had this van for almost 2 years now and it currently is in the shop for the 5th time. The driver door is always broken and you cannot drive the van with less than a half a tank of gas on an incline - the fuel cannot get to the engine and the car dies or will not start if parked. Ive had a rental for over a week and was just given a document from gm stating they couldnt fix the problem - its "just the way the car was designed" and that I would have to live with it. Very unreliable, interior plastic is cheap and breaks, the brakes squeal constantly, I had to replace tires at 15k. Horrible gas mileage - about 15 mpg!

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  My baby! - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Shanon - April 25 - 2:00 am

  I was debating on a Grand Cherokee or a Lexus RX300. Being that I am only 23, the Jeep dealership would not give me the time of the day, I was going to buy a 99 RX300 and had the paper work going. I took my 96 Saturn SL2 with 195,000 miles to the dealership for its last oil change before I sold it and decided to test drive the VUE. I was impressed how the things I liked about the RX 300, the Vue had! IT was a similar drive and same price...but the saturn was brand new, I was worried about buying a used car. I also loved my old saturn and was a great car! I drove home in the Vue the next week.

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  Happy in Rhode Island - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By Happy in R.I - April 24 - 7:20 pm

  I enjoy my VUE. It is fun to drive and it doesnt guzzle the gas like most SUVs in its class. I couldnt decide between the AWD and the FWD. I decided on the FWD and I am very pleased with its performance in the snow and it saved me a couple thousand dollars. I recommend the V6, it has good get up and go!

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  MGP Review - 2006 Saturn Relay
  By m Pratt - April 24 - 12:20 am

  I have nothing but good things to say about this vehicle. Never a problem quality of car is very good and I love the styling. It gets good economy and is very reliable

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  Excellent - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By J. Mead - April 23 - 8:20 am

  The Saturn VUE is a very comfortable and fun car to drive. Reliable, while not intimidating like some of the larger SUVs.

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  aviod variable transmissions and 4cyl - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By overitnow - April 17 - 9:10 pm

  Ill sum it up. At 60K miles, our engine blew up (literally). Saturn claimed it was our fault for missing an oil change. The car has had the transmission repaired under warranty four times. Twice it had to go back immediately after the drive home. Its my belief that the 4cyl VUE is severely underpowered, and the transmission was a failed experiment. The car hasnt been reliable, turns like a semi, has no acceleration, and doesnt get good gas mileage for what youd think a tiny engine should.

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  Love this Car - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By Juan - April 16 - 7:53 am

  I got this car since new, it is so much fun to drive. Yes, I have put some money in it but just to keep in "AA" condition, I have about 150,000 miles and I have changed 3 wells bearings, 2 Struts, 3 times brakes pads 3 times new tires & 1 time motor mounts & of course bunch of Oil Changes. As you can see all those are normal things to change for the age and millage. Beside that, there were only a couple annoying little things as water reservoir tank & Gas Cap ( I think they were defective items for this model) I normally change car every 2-3 years but I never been so happy with a car as I am with this. I may keep it for another 2 years.

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  Third Times the charm - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By STRN30 - April 16 - 7:40 am

  This is my third Saturn in 6 years, and I am very happy with my VUE. Easy to drive, not too big, Seats are comfortable, pick-up is great. Miles per gallon is very much like the L200: about 26 highway/20 city. Traction control with ABS makes me feel very safe on the snow covered roads. Sideview mirrors that fold in-such an added bonus. Love the space and the leather/cloth seats. I read that a lot of owners thought the engine was too loud. I am not finding that to be an issue. Love the compass, temp gage/dimming rear view mirror. Overall, for me- it is a great vehicle. Gives me the room I need for me and my dog on trips. Recommend this vehicle to anyone. I feel safe, and love driving in it.