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:

• 

  Good car - 2007 Saturn Outlook
  By Bashir - December 4 - 10:23 am

  The car handles and drives very well. The safety and comfort is beautiful. It is a lot better than my Ford Expedition 2005. That car robbed the gas I put in it. The Outlook saves me about 100 dollars a week and I have to drive to work which is about 75 miles away

• 

  Its fun to drive this "family car!" - 2007 Saturn Outlook
  By Big Red - December 2 - 6:26 pm

  I did a great deal of research on this vehicle and its competitors before we bought. The Saturn was the one that had the size we needed and the look we wanted. Finally I am driving a family car that I feel is meant for a young, active and fun family! This car is comfortable, durable, gets great mileage for the size that it is and looks fantastic! I am a 1st time Saturn owner, and Id say Ill be a Saturn owner for life now! I am so glad that we chose the Saturn Outlook!

• 

  Great Vue. - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By Ronbo - December 2 - 8:10 am

  We really love this car. It is very comfortable, quiet and very fast. The interior space is very roomy, especially for such a small vehicle. The AWD gets you where you need to go and gives you a very secure feeling. This is just simply a very fun car to drive.

• 

  Awesome ride! - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By Redline Sky - December 2 - 12:13 am

  I love this vehicle. It feels so good to drive, makes me want to drive it. I have a 2001 Miata that is a dog compared to this and other than a few interior quibbles, this car is awesome! The looks are fantastic, seems put together well, and its fast! Have only had it for a week but have already put 600 miles on it. If you want an inexpensive sports car, this is it and its worth the wait!!

• 

  Saturn ION is awful - 2003 Saturn ION
  By Tim - December 1 - 10:23 pm

  Well my car is great......oh wait I have an ION. Lets see, the blinker went when I first got it. Also the little thing called the valve body inside the transmission went bad. Oh you ask what is a valve body? Its the little thing that helps the transmission shift properly. Brain of the tranny. Ive had the valve body looked at 6 times since Ive had it. At first it was fun going back to the dealership but now its not so fun. Also, at 50 grand the left axle went which is ok seeing how the warranty covered it. The lack of testing with this new transmission was evident and I believe they should have sticked with the 4 spd automatic. I wont buy another and the Trade value is AWFUL!

• 

  Yip Yap - 2003 Saturn ION
  By yamen - December 1 - 10:00 am

  I went in to only test drive an Ion 2, and ended up buying an Ion 3. Due to good timing and stroke of good luck I bought the Ion 3 w/ ABS for less than the stock Ion 2s cost. Everything on this car is an upgrade from my previous 1994 Toyota Tercel. I love the looks inside and out. It has great acceleration and handling and I really enjoy all the little extras(anti- lockout, auto headlights, power everything, etc). Overall, Im very satisfied with this car.

• 

  Interior is cheap - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Genevieve - December 1 - 10:00 am

  I love my Vue, but the interior is cheaply made and doesnt stand up to two dogs.!

• 

  Problems, problems, problems..... - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Just Me. - December 1 - 10:00 am

  Had my VUE for about 8 months now and have hard a lot of problems with it considering it’s new. To start with there is this constant “MATALLIC SOUND” that comes from the engine after you drive it for 15 min or more. Sounds like a chain rubbing on something. Then the dealership in Delray Beach, FL had to rebuild the transmission about ‘2’ weeks ago because it just went. That should not happen with such a new car!!!! I think the VTI transmissions are JUNK and Saturn has no idea how to fix it. I’ve heard of other people having problems with them too!

• 

  Fix the defect before selling anymore - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By hobie - December 1 - 10:00 am

  I have had my Vue for 3 months and the problems have already started. When I called the service dept., I was told that the Vue has a defective part that Saturn is still trying to fix. He also told me that they could only replace the part and in 3-4 months it would have to be replaced again. However, my sales rep. denies this claim by the service department. I do not feel safe driving this SUV anymore due to the defective part in the steering---I cant believe a company would continue (or be allowed)to sell these vehicles until the problem was fixed, or they should disclose the information to the buyer.

• 

  MY NIGHTMARE ..PC OF JUNK - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By edson - December 1 - 10:00 am

  I CANT BOLIVE I GOT THIS CAR ......TO START ,THIS CAR WHENT TO SERVICE 20 TIMES FOR THE SAME POBLEM;;; 1 - FRONT END SUSPENSION 2- AC COPRESSOR 3- LOOSE PARTS 4 LOOSE DOOR 5- PULING TO LEFT SIDE 6- STRONG RATTLE NOISE FRONT END 7- HAND BRK DONSENT WORK WELL 8- LOSE OF HP ,AND ABSOURD GAS CONSUPTION .. 9- ITS A PLASTIC CAR UNSAFE PLEASE IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A SUV ,DONT GO ON THIS ONE .....IF YOU GO GOOD LUCK.. YOU WILL NEED