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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  Electrical - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By cmeans - April 30 - 11:36 pm

  I have a 2008 Saturn Aura. I start having real problems with it once it got to 50,000. Steering problems, front end problems (constantly pulling to the right. Now I am dealing with locks the locks that started acting like it was possessed. The car locked me in. And then it would not stay secure. I had to remove the fuse I then found out the relay switch was bad. The car is just at 65,000. Did GM have a recall on the electrical issues?

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  Piece of junk - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By Julie - April 25 - 7:10 am

  I bought this vehicle due to Consumer Reports 2007 article. However,they are completely wrong about this car! I bought this vehicle in November of 2007, and not one week later, the car had to be brought back in for work. One month later, the same thing. They had to replace the paneling inside, replace the heater coil, and try to figure out why when I had my cruise control on, it would go from 70 to 78 going up hills. However, as I was told, it is stated on the Saturn description that this is normal. Really? I figure it is because they have no idea why the cruise control was not working.The next thing is the MPG. What a joke!!! I average, with going normal speed, 60-65, maybe around 21-22

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  got a lemon - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By hates vue - April 19 - 6:36 am

  I hate the saturn vue I have been to the dealer 8 times in as many weeks. I loved the vehicle for the first 6 months (13,000 Miles) then everything started to go wrong with the catalitic convertor, struts, suspension, axels, ignition cylinder and a few other repairs to the bushings etc. The dealer have been wonderful and helpful FORGET CORPORATE the person who I deal with knows less about cars than I do and their response is oh well too bad so sad we will honor the 36,000 mile warrenty thats it. AAAHHHH and things are still going wrong with it. NEVER AGAIN

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  Weekly Visits To Service - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Bill Merry - March 25 - 10:00 am

  I purchased a 2002 Saturn VUE AWD 3L 6cyl last November 2002. Since I purchased the vehicle has been in for service four times. Three of the four times for the same problem. The SES light and the Power Reduction lights come on. The dealer puts the car on the computer and gets the codes. They replaced the wiring, the ignition chip, and now the on board computer. I am very unhappy with the quality of my VUE. Fortunately, all the service has been warranty 3yrs/36k. The dealership have been great in getting me rentals while the VUE is in the shop. Just a frustrated owner, since Saturn inception preaching Quality and Reliability.

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  BAD TRANSMISSION - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By katie - March 19 - 7:16 am

  The VTi transmission in this car is prone to premature failure and there is a class action lawsuit agains saturn for it. My transmission just died at 100,000 miles, and costs 6200 for the part alone- and this is no exaggeration because Ive gotten 3 different quotes. Used is 2500 with 60k on it. I have 6500 left on my loan and am a 23 year old grad student now without a car and thousands of dollars in payments left. Dont waste your money. If you have this car, Get a warranty on your transmission!

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  Dont buy one - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By kevin - March 17 - 7:56 am

  I bought this car brand new, love the dealer hate the quality of the Vue. Here are just a few of the problems Ive had over the years. Struts went bad at 500 miles, car had to be towed at 1000 miles would not start burrs in the fuel rail bad abs the breaks stink, both O2 sensors are bad, crank case sensor went bad, gas guage works when it feels like it same with turn signals. Engine control module went out when driving 70 mph lost all control of everything including power breaks and steering. My wife was locked in the car not once but twice (how is that possible)? Car lost all power while driving in Atlanta on way to Florida, went to dealer was charged $85 for bad connection happened again.

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  Not happy with the Vue - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By JC - March 4 - 6:40 pm

  I purchased the 4 cylinder strictly for fuel economy and I am not seeing anywhere close to the 19/26 as promised. Even with the cruise set on the highway I am only getting 18 mpg? I am very dispapppointed in the vehicle overall!

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  Can I return it? - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By Unhappy Camper - March 4 - 2:46 pm

  Im very unhappy with this car, and sorry I bought it. It wasnt my first or even second choice. The car is 3 mos old, and has over 4500 miles. The driving is sluggish, even for a 4 cylinder. The drivers seat is very uncomfortable, and hurts my back. The wipers dont work well, and make that horrible scraping sound. The rear wiper button is located below the stereo and you have to take your eyes off the road to find it. My major complaint is that the sticker said it would get 26 mpg. Im only getting 21 mpg. I drive mostly highway. If I could return this car, I would.

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  Think Twice, and then some - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By chrisfromri - March 3 - 10:33 pm

  Weve had constant problems with the all wheel drive system. Subsequent repairs. Some twice. Stripped out bolts in door, causing window failure. Car starting problems. Thousand dollar stereo system, main unit replaced. Blown speaker. Plenty of squeaks and rattles. Leather interior is nice, but short, cheap plastic arm rests. We have a file folder full of repairs from 8 months of ownership. Saturn co. and the dealership feel badly. But will not buy back or swap. They feel as long as we have a warranty we can just keep using it.

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  Mechanics nightmare - 2005 Saturn ION
  By Three Saturn owner - February 24 - 1:20 am

  My 2005 Saturn ION is poorly designed. Hood pops open easily because hood latch is on the floor near my left foot. During cold weather the engine starts fine but after a few miles of driving it begins to race. If I put it in Park the RPMs stay at about 2000. I must shut the car off then restart to get the RPMs down to the normal 600-700. Saturn has looked at it numerous times but cannot find the problem. Also during high humidity the turn signals unexpectantly stop working on the front along w/ the daytime lights. This is my final Saturn. I love my 97- 5 speed SL1 with 215000 miles on it. My 2000 L-series came from the dealer without rear wheels being aligned.