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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  My New Car - 2003 Saturn ION
  By Jim231 - November 22 - 2:00 am

  I just got my new car on Tuesday, and I just love it. GM sent me a letter saying that I could use my GM dollars towards a Saturn,and if I used them by December 31st, they would double them. Wow, that is $ 1,600.00 off my car. Thanks GM.

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  2004 Vue - Transmission Problem??? - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By nocal826 - November 16 - 2:00 am

  We purchased a 6 cyl FWD04 Vue from Saturn of Sunrise.If the Vue performs like the sales reps,then we hit a grandslam,we LOVE the Vue with one exception...the 5-sp auto trans hesitates when it is about to change gears,it seems as if it is not sure what gear it wants to be in.Weve brought it back to service.They have test driven it/hooked it up to the computer. They say everything seems normal.However,it is starting to bother us.After driving the Vue for another week we called the dealer and asked if they would drive our Vue for a few days tofeelthe problem.Saturn has been eager to assist.Has anyone else had this type of problem?

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  Bought w/ Salvage title - Great Car! - 2004 Saturn ION
  By dhallization - November 13 - 7:30 am

  I traded in my big SUV for this little thing 4 years ago. It had a rebuilt salvage title (flipped over in accident) and 75k miles. Im up to 120k and we still love it. 30+ mpg and minimal repairs. The only things weve had to do are: keep relays on hand for when the electrical steering goes out. At first this was a monthly occurrence, it has been 2 years since weve had to replace them. We did struts and brakes at 110k. A fuse for the cigarette lighter. Then of course the normal things, battery, oil changes, spark plugs, etc. We plan to drive this car until our family doesnt fit!

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  Disappointed owner - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By AlisonSLP - November 11 - 10:00 am

  I have had alot of mechanical problems, which I should not have for a two year old vehicle. It does handle very well and manuvers easily. It also does well in various weather conditions. The children can not see out of the back windows, even in booster seats. Overall I am very disappointed in the quality of this vehicle.

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  Best purchase ever! - 2003 Saturn ION
  By garrettham - October 31 - 10:41 am

  I purchaed this car around one year ago adn it has been nothing but a charm! The 2.2 has decent pep when you need it to, and even with my very agressive driving i still average 36 mpg! With 4 Blizzaks this car controls amazing in snow! My car is the 2 with no options but a spoiler in silver. The only bad things about the car are that with the manual mirrors the passanger side one is fixed, so you cant adjust it. Also the head lights are VERY dull, but some new bulbs will do the trick. The only other thing is it used to sometimes not start in the cold, but all you need is a good mechanic to cut some wire in the ignition. Over all if youre at all interested, purchase one, theyre honestly great

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  Saturn Dragonfly - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By vseaton - October 23 - 9:20 pm

  Vehicle is what I always wanted. Gas mileage not really as indicated by sticker. Around 280-300 miles to the 14.5 gal. tankfull. Overall, handling is very good. Heated seats are the bomb for those who have lower back problems as well as the electronic drivers seat.

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  not bad for its price - 2003 Saturn ION
  By rabbit2003 - October 23 - 10:00 am

  It is a nice car. But since this is a new design, it does have some defects, such as the interior parts. But I like the 2.2L engine, really powerful for such a small car. The 5speed auto tranny is a bit not smooth enough in low speed.

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  Engine with major pep - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By The Singer - October 20 - 4:00 pm

  Even though my wife and I love to drive the new 2006 V-6 with its 250 hp Honda engine, we have found that the comfort of the interior truly lacks creative design. I am 63 and i find nowhere to put my legs for real comfort on those long road trips. The floor is not flat but curves up so the foot cant rest in a normal plane. But overall, it is a great riding car.

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  Cramping my style - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By peak_rush - October 17 - 12:46 pm

  There is not enough leg room to stretch out. No excuse that its a small car. Even older GM designs, like the Saturn ION and Chevy Cobalt have enough leg room for a 62" tall guy to totally stretch out his legs. Maybe people overseas are vertically challenged.

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  My VUE Experience...so far - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By angelina7899 - October 16 - 10:00 am

  I bought my 2003 AWD V6 VUE in late January. I loved the way the car looked and drove up until May when my temperature gauge began to read erratically. I immediately returned to the dealership, disgruntled and dissatisfied that my brand new car with 3,000 miles on it was already having problems. No one seemed to care about that at the dealership I purchased my car from, making me vow never to purchase another Saturn again nor to have my current Saturn serviced there again. Since then, no other problems have arisen and I am overall very satisfied with my purchase