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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  Pathetic Car - 2005 Saturn ION
  By SamT - October 26 - 12:53 pm

  I had to get rid of my ION at 48,000 miles due to it needing more in repairs than the car was worth. At 48,000 miles, my transmission died due to a factory defect. SInce my car was out of warranty, Saturn wouldnt fix it for free. In addition to my blown transmission, I also needed a whole new valve body. The cost of the transmission and valve body was more than the car was worth. Im not a car expert but I know enough to know that cars shouldnt be done for before they reach 50,000 miles. My ION had other problems too, such as a faulty ignition starter that wouldnt always let me remove the key. Saturn wouldnt fix the problem or admit there was one. Terrible car, terrible company. Beware!

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  Poor Mileage, Awful Seats, but its FAST - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By redcheese - October 25 - 11:46 am

  I was looking for something that could tow a 3500 lb. trailer, get decent gas mileage and could be parallel parked in downtown San Francisco. I chose between the Saturn Vue & Honda Pilot. The Honda was much more comfortable, had better steering, but was 1000 lbs. heavier, had special requirements for towing and was noticeably slower. In the end, I settled on a used 2005 AWD V6 Saturn Vue. Hate the seats & get poor mileage. 13 MPG city and 19 hwy. Towing, I get 17. Mileage-wise, I cant really complain though...it has the same engine/ tranny as the Honda. Did I mention how much I hate the seats??!

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  a kit car in disguise - 2004 Saturn ION
  By kurt w - October 25 - 2:00 am

  Despite the courtesy of Saturns sale staff and large rebates, the ION 3 sedan has proved the worst car Ive ever owned. Full of rattles and squeaks, poor fitting trim, a jerky transmission, and harsh ride over small bumps, the final insult are service departments that, while polite, damage the car while fixing it (wrecking trim or leaving grease and oil behind) or leave parts off. My last two Toyotas together had a third of the problems this car has. Bob Lutz, stop talking about sport cars and get GM build quality past Yugo class!

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  Saturn VUE - Not a Good Investment - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Andie007 - October 23 - 12:30 pm

  At 3 months a number of on-board computers were replaced. The drivers mirror cover hinges broke off at 20,000 km and replaced for $120.00 CDN. It broke off again at 66,000 km. Had a number of other recalls, which seems typical today for most new N. Am. vehicles. I kept telling my dealership about the "buzzing sound" coming from my VUEs front end. I said it was the tranny. My dealership is great, but I am still baffled by no one telling me the 2002 and 2003 Saturn automatic transmissions (the VTi) were big problems - and were discontinued after the 2003 model. Tranny blew at 77,000 km. VUE is worth $2,500 less now than what buy-out at lease-end in 9 months will be. Loud road noise too!

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  Excellent Value - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By HappyOwner - October 22 - 10:33 pm

  I purchased this vehicle to replace my 1996 SL2. GM was running the employee pricing and 0% financing for my VUE V6 AWD with leather seats, Safe and Sound package and sunroof, which I got for about 25K. The AWD is fantastic, getting me through the worst of weather with confidence. OnStar has been a great feature, giving me directions, answering questions if a warning light comes on on the dashboard and with their remote unlock service. The car accelerates well, steers well, is comfortable for long drives and has a tremendous amount of cargo space for a compact SUV. Three years later, I still love this vehicle.

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  Still going after 64K miles - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By burp - October 20 - 4:13 am

  We have 64K miles on our Aura. It has been in the shop a few times but GM is honoring the warranty. You just have to find the right shop. We were getting 27MPG until we put on new tires, now we are only getting 23. Try to replace the tires with the "low rolling resistance" models.

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  The best decision I made - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By Great suv, price - October 19 - 11:30 pm

  Ive owned tons of cars but I never thought I would own a Saturn. I thought they were kind of ugly and was not sure of their quality. Now I know Saturns are very reliable the side panels are a must and their performance is excellent in a great price. Dealerships super friendly and in the two years, 65,000 hard miles on my VUE, the convenience and spaciousness made it the best choice amongst others I tested. It might not be a handsome truck but with a few mods it turns heads. I am very happy with my purchase after all, me personally have never seen a Saturn stuck on the road.

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  Near Luxury and Unbelievable Value - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By peter - October 19 - 6:53 pm

  Like everyone else we were hit by the gas crunch so I downsized from by 8 cyl Cadillac SRX which I absolutely loved so we could get one fuel efficient vehicle for our family. Checked out the usual: Acord (noisy and did not like interior), Camry (noisy and horrible handling), Malibu (surprisingly better than expected but still did not do it for me), VW - Jetta came close but too small and Passat too expensive for a VW, plus a whole lot more. Finally found myself in a Saturn dealer and was blown away with the VUE - near luxury drive, German engineering and design in and out, quality materials, handles well and 4 cyl.economy - no it is not a luxury car but comes darn close for the price!

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  My Vue Red Line - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By GBR - October 19 - 2:00 am

  This is an awesome vehicle! Im a diehard Honda lover, so when looking for a small SUV, really wanted a Honda, but they dont offer the bells and whistles on the CRV that I wanted. Looked at the Vue because of the Honda package and loved it after driving it! The best part has been the dealership; absolutely the best experience Ive ever had for buying and for service. I just may be a Saturn lifer!

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  lkl - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By llawrence - October 19 - 2:00 am

  The VUE has gotten up my drive with no proble through every snow this season. I fell very safe in the Vue and even when going up my very very steep drive I feel very safe with no worry of tipping etc.