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:

• 

  My Saturn Vue - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By bg51 - November 13 - 10:00 am

  I love my Saturn Vue. My Vue is my 3rd Saturn to own. My 1st Saturn was a 4 door purchased in 1992. After driving it for about 140,000 miles, I traded for a 2 door coupe which I drove until I purchased my Vue in July. If the Vue hadnt sold itself to me after test driving, my past experience with the Saturn personnel would have. Service with Saturn is outstanding. What few problems I did encounter were handled promptly and with courtesy. Reliability has never been in question with any of my previous Saturns and I dont expect it to be any different with my Vue. I highly recommend the Vue. Americans make a great vehicle.

• 

  saturn....good car - 2004 Saturn ION
  By ron nelson - November 13 - 10:00 am

  strong car, great colors, not too small, over 15 ft long, nice interior, large truck...excellent engine and power, hold the road great great family car or second car....should have got oneyears ago. saturn gives you lots of extras, and customer service and sales people are great...

• 

  Great little Car - 2004 Saturn ION
  By mitchell - November 13 - 10:00 am

  I love this vehicle it rides and looks great

• 

  Saturn is Success! - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By SarasotaSlim - November 7 - 6:13 pm

  I recommend this vehicle with the carry ability of a light SUV, gas mileage like a Camry, and handling like a lighter sedan car. Fun to drive. Smooth on the highway. Gs mileage is about 20-25 around town. The tote package in the trunk with the carry rack for groceries is a nice tip

• 

  Saturn VUE - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By zack - November 6 - 2:53 am

  I love my new car. Its great on gas and I feel safe driving in it. It gets amazing gas mileage and it is very big. It drives very easy.

• 

  my point of Vue - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Lorisue - November 4 - 2:00 am

  Great experience purchasing this SUV was a pleasure. I used my GM points and my GM loyalty bucks and the rebate. I did my homework on the net then did leg work. The Vue won. I love the polymer sides, no parking lot dings or scratches. Its zippy and cute, I love the bright red! Love the compass and the temp on the mirror, and the sun roof was a must. Great gas mileage. Seats fold down for my dogs.

• 

  Love it - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By nice car - November 4 - 12:56 am

  It has been a perfect vehicle for hauling around kids. It has been on many long trips. Only problems have been a bad heater core and a cd got stuck in the player. Both repaired under warranty. They require gas with clean additives. (stay away from the cheap stations) If you get ahold of bad gas or dont get the cap on right it will trip the engine light.

• 

  Best Sedan I Have Owned - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By legalbgl - November 3 - 9:43 pm

  The Saturn Aura is by far the best sedan I have owned. Compare it to the Camry, the Camry feels cheap and whatever. The Accord feels flimsy. Nothing sturdy to those cars. The Aura however, feels like a presence on the road. You feel like you have something substantial and safe. What a feeling!

• 

  Saturn ION - 2005 Saturn ION
  By ion - October 31 - 7:26 am

  A great car, and Im very proud to drive it. I like the slim line body and it looks great. It drives easily, handles nicely, and brakes very well. Great gas mileage. I like the inside, everything is so together on the dash, it is just so nice to drive.

• 

  Fun Car - 2005 Saturn ION
  By MDunne - October 26 - 11:20 am

  I put a lot of miles on a car in a year. I was really skeptical to buy a GM vehicle because of this. Im not sorry that I did. Extremely easy to perform routine maintenance.