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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  Best small SUV out there - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By c1carroll - March 28 - 10:00 am

  This SUV has something for everyone. Its the perfect all weather vehicle. Heats up so fast in winter (get the heated seats too!) and a/c chills it fast in summer. Excellent for light towing and camping. Plenty of cargo space (get a roof rack..cheap). Sound system is excellent, fit and finish, ride quality all terrific after 20K +. Great in snow with AWD, and the mileage is still pretty good (20-26 MPG). The paint quaility is worth mentioning, and the polymer body panels have saved it more than once from dings and scratches. Ive recommended to MANY people. Im a Saturn convert.

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  Saturn Sky - A Winner - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By Shagguy - March 28 - 6:33 am

  Excellent vehicle. Very satisfied. Corners very well, average pick up off the line. I was not looking for a racing vehicle. I wanted a fun car and I got it. I have owned Corvettes and RXs. This rates right up there in the fun to drive category. Thanks Saturn !

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  The Air Conditioning Stinks! - 2005 Saturn Relay
  By Scrapmetal - March 27 - 11:06 am

  Living in Arizona, you use a/c year round. The a/c in this platform stinks! During the summer I was unable to cool the inside below 90 degrees! We have had it checked. I could drive 50 miles at 65 mph before the cabin started to cool down to the upper 80s. I was given several reasons why this was, but each service visit am told "it is cooling just fine" because they read the center vent with side vents closed and the air temp coming out, not what it feels like! Dont buy it!

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  10000 Mile Alternators - 2006 Saturn ION
  By stony - March 27 - 3:26 am

  Ive only got 10000 miles on my car and have already replaced the alternator. I bought it because I know Saturns are very safe, but this thing is so slow and *ugh* Im over it. This car is not very comfortable, has poor visibility, slow acceleration, poor turning radius, is not agile and when driven after driving a Honda Civic (even the base model) its slow-ness becomes extremely annoying.

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  Saturn VUE - 2002 model - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By jhs0463 - March 25 - 2:00 am

  The Saturn VUE 6 cylinder AWD vehicle handels like a car. Front seats are comfortable with easy access to controls.

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  power - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By A. J. Cupps - March 25 - 2:00 am

  My wife was looking for a SUV for the purpose of driving in the winter. We tryed a Honda, Vue, and a subura forester. We checked all the spects on the three vech. and test driven each one. The honda was a great vech., but she dicided on the Vue because of the power. She has a hevey foot for a 60 year old. We didnt like paying $2000 for leather on the Honda. The only draw back on the Vue was the noise of the V- 6. She liked the steering. We read that there was a prolem with it that we didnt find.

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  Saturn VUE - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By Richard - March 23 - 11:16 pm

  The car on smooth surface is really nice, no excessive road noise. When driving on bumpy surface it rattles like an old car. Fuel mileage was the reason I purchase the VUE. I am disappointed. The best miles per gallon that Ive gotten on the highway is 4 miles per gallon less than the sticker, 24 vs the stated 28.

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  Saturn got it right. - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By DOK - March 23 - 11:43 am

  All in all, a well balanced package of performance, practicality, and value. The 3.5 V6 has yet to leave me wanting for power while maneuvering in traffic, but the smooth 4 speed transmission to which its attached is not the most willing participant in more enthusiastic driving. Handles well and rides comfortably. 70-80 mph freeway cruising with 2-3 passengers yields about 27 MPG at the pump, dropping to the lower twenties with more city use. Driver seat comfort is good with fully adjustable seat and tilt/telescoping wheel. Rear room and comfort are also good, but the abrasive plastic on the front seatbacks could leave shorts/skirt attired passengers with scraped knees if not careful.

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  Nice, reliable vehicle - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By altomi - March 20 - 2:53 am

  A few issues, but nothing too serious. Had to replace strut (making noise again after replaced), drive-shaft bearing, wheel bearing. No issues with Honda engine or transmission. Performance is fabulous, but there are some minor issues, such as; wind noise, quite a bit of road noise, radio cuts out intermittently - although sound system sounds fantastic. Overall, I have been very happy with performance and comfort.

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  Great bang for your buck! - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By ex VW owner - March 18 - 7:06 pm

  I traded in a 2000 VW Golf TDI for the Astra and havent looked back. It handles even better than my Golf and when you account for the differences between a diesel and gasoline engine the performance is comparable. My husband is 64 and this is the only car of this category that an adult (mind you not one that is also 64) can sit comfortably in the back seat behind him. The sunroof is amazing- a definite must have. Before I bought this I test drove all the comparable cars on the market and the Astra absolutely blew them out of the water on comfort and performance, not to mention price.