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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  Not a bad car - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By nancy - April 15 - 12:56 am

  Bought new in 2004. Hazard button fell into dash. Not crazy about winter driving performace. Manual transmission is ok. Just replaced front brakes, not bad for 60k. Dash light cluster went, the dealer wants 600. to fix. No way. Hood cable streached out 90. to repair. Had the rear wiper motor replaced under warranty. Weird flapping noise when I come to a stop, dealer said they all do it. This is my second Saturn, probably my last. I will keep it until it dies, then move on. Not totally againt the car, but would like something heavier for winter driving.

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  Mini Caddy-Corvette - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By JohnPBFL - April 14 - 11:43 pm

  This Red-Line is beautiful and handles like a dream. A little rocket ship. Designed with Corvette features and Cadillac style for half the price of those more expensive convertibles. Truly exceeds Honda, Porsche, and Toyota on style. Quality rivals all the top imports. A true collectors must- have.

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  Not a Mini Van - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By Jim - April 14 - 10:50 pm

  Driving this car is totally addictive. In my opinion the most beautiful car on the roads today. While consumer mags complain about the lack of trunk space, mechanicaly operated top, and poorly placed window and seat controls, they fail to mention that this is a roadster not a minivan. They sell those in the same lot by the way, at about the same price. After 13,000 miles I have adjusted to all of its so called "flaws". Of course, if you still want to put the top up with a touch of a button, SLKs are only $25000 more, of course, they dont look as good as a Sky, but then again, what does?

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  Forget the experts, Quad Coupe is great! - 2003 Saturn ION
  By opiesmom - April 14 - 10:00 am

  Forget the experts - talk to a Saturn owner. This is my 4th one and each one gets better than the last. The new quad coupe is roomier, faster, has a smoother ride and better suspension. Youll be amazed at the cargo capacity these little gems have. And its a littler power-house, a blast to drive! I dont know what the experts are comparing it to but there is NOTHING on the market in this price range that can match it, and htat doesnt even take into consideration the ease and pleasure of the buying experience.

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  new saturn - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By lbsdad - April 14 - 10:00 am

  very happy with the vehicle. purchased several options after market due to high dealer markups (racks, step tubes). vehicle is very nice to look at and fun to drive. quiet on the highway. a little rough on bumps/speedbumps. sales experience very nice, easy to see why people prefer the "no haggle" policy. basic sound system more than does the job, good power with no buzz/rattle. vehicle is bigger than it looks, first impression is a small SUV, but this is a true mid-size.

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  I just bought a second VUE Redline - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By fuzzyfacegang - April 13 - 5:20 am

  After my wife was injured in an accident (totalling a 2003 Toyota Corolla S) I did my research for 5 star crash ratings. I eliminated everything that did not rate 5 stars. We drove up from Atlanta to Spartenberg, SC two days before Christmas ans bought "Chili Pepper". My wife loves it. She loves the pep of the 250 HP engine, as well as everything about it. The Vue had a 5 star rating front and side impact. (This side impact rating was without the side airbags.) We picked a chili pepper red one with cloth interior (No leather products) We also got the side airbags. Saturn VUE isnt the interiof for the snooty but is a clean simple interior. Weve had Porches,MB,Vettes, BMWs but Saturn now!!

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  frustrated 2 - 2007 Saturn ION
  By junk07 - April 11 - 6:56 pm

  My fiance got the car in April of 07. Bought it off the showroom floor with 43 miles on it. Started off getting 24 mpg, and slowly dropped off to about 16-18 mpg. The car has 23k on it now, and we have replaced both headlight assemblys twice due to moisture. The rotors got warped for no apparent reason last month, with hardly any wear at all on the pads. Everything inside the car started vibrating at around 5k miles, and at the same time around 5k miles, the transmission was acting up. Theres a constant knocking noise coming from the fuel pump, like we have a person locked in the trunk. And the cheap hankook tires were dry rotted before 12k hit. To be a brand new car, it sure has had a lot of issues!

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  A Fair and Balanced Opinion - 2003 Saturn ION
  By Dulse - April 8 - 10:00 am

  Did not care for this car before purchasing. Similar priced Corolla and Civic were much more appealing. With incentives and higher trade-in, total cost was $3,500.00 less. Lack of right leg room and goofy speedometer became less important. Ride is smoother than Corolla and as smooth as Civic. Engine and wind noise are low, consequently road noise more noticeable. Handles well and has a good sound system. A lot of bang for the buck. I am glad I chose the right car.

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  I love my VUE! - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By Mandice77 - April 6 - 11:53 am

  I love my Saturn VUE and am so glad I decided to purchase one! It rides so smooth and I feel so safe in it. I love the Honda motor in it making it drive so much better! The service Saturn provides is also wonderful and I would recommend a Saturn to anyone!

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  Still surprises me everyday - 2005 Saturn ION
  By RL-2005 - April 5 - 3:33 pm

  Ive had this car for two years and it still puts a smile on my face to drive it 40 miles to work everyday. GM had the injector and pulley kit and catback exhaust that made the car even better for very low cost. I love having a fast, reliable car that handles great and did not break the bank. GM should make all their cars like this one. I may have to upgrade to the turbo Cobalt SS next year.