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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  Good bang for your buck - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By Vue Dude - September 27 - 11:56 pm

  I never in my wildest dreams thought of driving a Saturn. Then I took my last test drive of the 8 SUVs that I was looking at and fell in love with the power and smoothness of the V6. This SUV looks great in black and the interior is basic, but looks pretty good. The upgraded stereo has a good sound and the controls are simple and easy to use. It handles great in the snow and has enough power to get me up some steep hills while doing so. The dent resistant panels have also saved me some parking lot dings and dents living in an area with strip malls and shopping centers galore. Im sad to see Saturn go and that is a concern for me whether I keep my car long term.

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  Quite Pleased - 2007 Saturn ION
  By Devon - September 25 - 5:56 am

  I bought this car as my first new car @ age 23 and have never had an issue. The first winter (in Maine) the tires were fairly new but it did give me some trouble on hills and with stopping. Ive liked a challenge but the 2nd winter I got studded snow tires mounted and the car went like a tank. 6-8 in of snow on a non-plowed highway and I was braving through without a care. Practically plowing myself. I did have an issue with snow building up in the wheel wells but who wouldnt. Overall, car has been great. Good fuel econ and nice sporty car for summer.

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  Second VUE in 3 months - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By Vermont - September 22 - 9:23 am

  Over-all we love the Vue, but have just had a wheel bearing failure on the newest Vue after only 12K miles. A coworker has a 2006 Vue and has had to replace the left front wheel bearing twice. Symptoms appear as road noise that you think is tire noise on pavement as they wear. I knew I had a problem when I went form pavement to a dirt road the pitch of the noise never changed. Dealer has confirmed its a bad bearing. A dissapointing run of bearing failures that appears to be ongoing into the 2007 model year.

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  Nice car - 2009 Saturn Aura
  By straydogger - September 20 - 8:46 am

  I bought my 2009 in 2010 with 33000 miles. The only problems Ive had are the trunk light has never worked for me. Ive checked the bulb and fuses and no go. Ive replaced the windshield wiper linkage twice. Not the motor..just the linkage. Its not a very good design I think. A metal ball in a plastic socket that is packed with grease. A rubber boot keeps the grease in but when it wears out it dries out and then the linkage falls off. Need to buy motor and linkage to really fix the problem. Drivers door speaker doesnt always work. Left rear door lock wont lock/unlock with the key fob. Small problems. All in all the car starts everyday and gets me where I want to go. Thats what counts.

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  Great Value - 2004 Saturn ION
  By Paul - September 15 - 7:03 pm

  Coming from a line of luxury German Brands, a Saturn was purely and economic move that I honestly resented. I bought it for looks and price, but love it for the way it treats me. In the nearly 75k miles in nearly three years, it has not needed service at all other than normal maintainance and a persistent squeak from the rear seat, despite the heavy footed daily commute I put it through. The dent resistant panels have keep looking virtually brand new despite spending most of its time in a cramped busy garage. There are more comfortable, faster, and maybe better looking cars out there, but not at this price and reliability.

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  Consider VUE on your list as number 1 - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Tazulica - September 13 - 2:00 am

  Just parked a V6 Vue last night in the driveway. Great dealership experience. What you see is what you get! Salesman drove almost 100 miles to 2 different other dealerships to bring us the silver V6 that we wanted . He delivered the car to my home with a full gas tank. Try this in a Japanese dealership...Other two options were Honda CRV and Xterra. Honda - too pricey for a 4 cylinder/160 hp car; Nissan - pricey, poor built, bad design on the rear seats if you want to fold them down. VUE have a kick-a$$ V6/181 hp with plenty of power, designed in Germany by Opel/GM. 5 Speed auto is smooth. Car drives like a sedan. Plenty of cargo room. Great looking design.

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  New 2 week old Aura XR - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By Bob - September 10 - 6:40 am

  After turning in a 2004 Caddy this car is lots of fun. Very surprised so far. Gas mileage in town is not good! Highway was much better. Only problem, rear of XR should have rear seat armrest and also a AC duct for rear A/C to get to! Minor additions but great value to rear passengers. Sound system is great! Only interior part that looks cheap is the interior door panels, other than that great car for the money. Cant compare that to anything out there.

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  3 days with ION - 2003 Saturn ION
  By cdavidhess - September 7 - 2:00 am

  The ION is frisky and fun to drive. The ride is very composed---even at 80 mph. I achieved 30 mpg on my first tank of gas (half were highway miles). I was initially put off by the interior, particularly the center mounted instrument panel. It took me about 5 minutes to get used to it. I visited the Syracuse Auto Show yesterday and sat in a lot of cars. I was struck by the fact that I found myself thinking over and over again: “This car’s instrument panel is really strange. It is hidden behind the steering wheel.” I actually find myself preferring the center mounted instrument panel. It gives you a clear view and is kind of funky.

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  Great Deal - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By Great Deal - August 28 - 6:33 pm

  This is our second Saturn. We previously had a Relay. Although it was reliable it had many small nagging issues. We are hoping that the VUE will be a step up from the Relay. The 4 cylinder provides ample power and the gas mileage is around 22 mpg. We expect this to get better as the vehicle breaks in. Time will tell if this was a good choice. At the price we paid, it seems we cant go wrong. The only option we ordered was the Prefered package.

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  First Time American Car Buyer - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By carfanatic - August 28 - 5:06 pm

  This is my first ever American car. I have been accustom to high end European cars as I enjoyed their speed and performance. I decided to add the Saturn to my list and I have to admit, the ride is smooth, quiet and very comfortable. It has all the bells and wistles I need and more space than I can use. There is a delay in acceleration which is tolerable for now. The fuel consumption is good compared to my RR which I am giving up. After a month of driving the Outlook, I now find my 5 series and 996 a little too rough to drive. I feel a road trip coming up this summer!