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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  Nice car for the money - 2005 Saturn ION
  By gary wagner - December 24 - 8:43 am

  Leased for $110 per month from GM and its a vary nice car. Fun to drive with plenty of power. Basic no power windows but has air and automatic.

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  Grand Cherokee vs Saturn view - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By Dennis Hyrkas - December 23 - 8:46 am

  Was amazed with the acceleration for a 4 cylinder. High RPM during acceleration sounds like a souped up go cart. Steering takes a little bit of getting use to. Handles much better than the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Traded my Jeep for the VUE, glad I did.

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  Love this SUV!!! - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By SandyOrangeVue - December 22 - 10:00 am

  Had a 2001 Ford Escape -- took a 2002 Escape to replace it when Lemon Law kicked in due to constant stalling. When the 2002 stalled, Ford wouldnt take it back, so we traded in with the 0% deal. Getting 22-23 MPG -- 6 MPG more than Escape. Love the drive, comfort and affordability of this SUV! Engine is a little noisy.

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  Two Differing VUEs - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Hot Turtle - December 22 - 10:00 am

  Drove an AWD and it sounded like it. The ride was rumbly, and truckish. Then drove the FWD with the V6. Completely different vehicle. Nice ride, quieter. Went with the V6, FWD, leather appointments, and got an excellent, high quality "station wagon". Excellent safety features, much better interior, and versitility. Best of all, 0% financing for 60 months, no payments until 2003! All this and Saturns outstanding dealerships. Delighted.

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  RedLine is the way to go - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By Mattia - December 22 - 7:03 am

  I had a base model for 2 weeks and traded it for the RedLine. I read other reviews complaining about no truck space. If you need a car to go shopping buy an SUV, not a sport car. Everything else mentioned seems to have been improved. Door locks, seat height adjuster and cup holders are present in the RedLine I picked up in December 06. The RedLine performs like the car looks like it would and the car is basically glued to the road. Great performance, great price and very fun to drive. I am 6 tall and have no problem reaching any of the controls on the doors or anywhere in the car.

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  Saturn Vue Green Line - Reliable! - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By Sally - December 20 - 10:48 am

  I bought my 2007 Saturn Vue Green Line new, right off the showroom floor & its been an extremely reliable vehicle for me. Ive got 158,000 miles on it & it still runs great. Had some repairs once it got over 100k miles (air conditioning fan housing & front wheel bearings, & at 150k miles the shocks/struts) but its been mechanically sound & had no other issues. The exhaust system is original & in great condition. And I love the "no rust" plastic outside - still looks nice. If Saturn was still in business, Id buy another one when this one quits on me!

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  Gotta love it! - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By saterry - December 16 - 11:20 pm

  Overall, I love my car. It exceeded my expectations (which are pretty high). The price is very attractive relative to the performance and appeal. I waited 10 months for my car and it proved to be worth the wait. It is a real head-turner. I get the same reaction I got with my first Saturn back in 1991, "Tell me about your car!" It looks different enough from its sister the Solstice, that people ask about it. The Solstices are more far numerous on the roadway

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  Saturn...never again... - 2005 Saturn ION
  By CAB - December 15 - 5:10 pm

  I have had my Saturn ION 3 for a while and have had many problems from the tires, brakes, interior ceiling, sunroof...I can keep going. The car is nice to look at but I will not buy another one. The customer service also was not what I expected. Overall not a good car and not a good feel. I really wanted to buy the VUE, something really big will have to happen to change my mind.

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  9 month evaluation - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By andrew dansereau - December 15 - 2:16 am

  OK no car is perfect. I can pick minor things on any car, but having had 60 plus cars, and driving the competition, this Aura xr is a bargain. It is quiet, powerful, well appointed, handles great. The Saturn has so many extras included in the price, how do they do it? Fast, sporty, good looking. My XR is a lot of car for the money !

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  Aura=Very Underpriced - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By Underfoot Designs - December 14 - 8:03 pm

  I just bought a 2007 Aura XR, and I absolutely love it. I had a VUE, and loved it, until I got my Aura. Saturn is doing so well, Im convinced their cars are the best value. On top of it all, insurance rates are low with Saturns!