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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  Former GM Engineer buys 1st GM car in 18 yrs - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By John Callister - September 29 - 3:50 pm

  All I can say is, Saturn is the future of GM, and this car seriously rocks. I thought the comments on this site were overblown. They are not. This car is excellent. My wife tried to talk me out of this and get a Honda CR-V. Well, now this is going to be her car, and I have to drive the 2006 Ford Explorer. When we get rid of the Ford 12 months from now, we will get another Saturn, either the Outlook or another Aura! This car handles better than my stepsons BMW 325i, and rides better. The handling is sharp, and the ride is firm but very comfortable. Front wheel drive. Big deal, it still rocks.

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  I cant believe I love GM now - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By tgresla - September 29 - 6:06 am

  I pulled into the Saturn dealership in my Sienna just to see the Skye parked out front. I couldnt wait to get rid of the minivan but still had 5 months left on the lease. The salesman asked if he could get me out of my lease for no additional cost would I be interested? Sure, why not. I ordered an Outlook XR AWD loaded with every option. As a long time fan of Honda, my Toyota minivan was a big reliability disappointment. Ive always hated GM since the 1980s when they built really crappy cars, but I feel the Saturn brand really had the right approach. I love this car! They really got it right, unfortunately a little too late. Drives well, solid, quiet, no problems in 2 years.

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  Surprised - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By wingman - September 28 - 8:03 pm

  Weve driven this car in town and on a 10 day trip. Never owned a Saturn before but we are surprised at our pleasure with the Vue. Has plenty of power and the ride is more comfortable than my Toyota Camry. Gas mileage is 20 mpg in town and 24 mpg on the road, which is lower than I like. Id definitely consider a newer one next time I buy.

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  Enjoy The Vue - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By Jackie - September 28 - 12:43 am

  My husband works for the Saturn dealership that I bought my car from, and he said that Saturn is one of the best cars he has ever worked on. He is a collision repair tech,and he said that the VUE holds up well to crash tests, and its a fun sporty car. So we went to test drive one, and I was instantly hooked. My VUE has the 6 cylinder engine so its really quick, and it has electric assist steering and shift which is really cool. I am in love with my VUE. Not only is it fun to drive, but it looks cool and its very safe. I love it so much, I hate to leave it out of my sight. My husband has a beautiful, brand new, full size truck and he would rather drive my VUE.

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  ION Red Line, what a car - 2006 Saturn ION
  By Michael - September 28 - 12:33 am

  I purchased this car used with 7500 miles on it 3/07. When I first drove this rocket I was amazed how much power it had for a I4. The handling and the out of box thinking from Saturn is solid. I will know how this engine and car perform because it will be 250,000 mile before I hand it down or even think of selling it.

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  Grossly Underrated SUV - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By GNickles - September 26 - 6:23 am

  This is the first Saturn that my wife and I have owned. The experience has been beyond our expectation. I dont know about any other years or models, but the 2006 V-6 FWD has a Honda engine in it. It has more raw horsepower than most sports cars that I have driven. It is rated in the low-mid 200 HP. Driving this thing is like an SUV on steroids. The traction control coupled with the engine performance makes this SUV a must-own. If anyone is looking for a mid-size SUV with performance, this is it! We have had it for two years and have put over 82,000 miles on it. Love it!

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  My 2008 Saturn VUE - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By John - September 26 - 2:33 am

  I have had my VUE since June 7, 2008. I love it! I had an incident with my AC button that was fixed by my dealership. I also was involved with the recent recall. It was also fixed and had my oil changed at the same time. I really do love my VUE, highly recommend it, and have been stopped numerous times in parking lots to answer questions about it. I have no regrets, especially since I got in on the zero down and 0% interest Im really only paying cash for this car. I also love the OnStar and XM radio that came with it. Did I mention that I love my VUE?

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  MY IONU - 2003 Saturn ION
  By MY IONU - September 24 - 10:00 am

  We loved the ION 3 so much we bought a second ION 1. We have had no problems with these cars and we love the style and handling. The center instrument cluster is a Godsend since we have a lot of deer on the island where we live. We can watch the road and the sides of the road as well as watch our speedometer all at once. We were also treated with so much respect by the people at the dealers we felt like royalty!

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  Best Car Ive Owned - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By Indy or Bust - September 21 - 9:23 pm

  This is easily the best car Ive owned. This vehicle handles great, is very comfortable and feels like a luxury car. We went with the Cocoa w/ black leather. Everyday we comments on this car. We cant get over how much room there is. It really does seat 8 comfortably.

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  My first Saturn. Still in love with It - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By RedStorm - September 21 - 2:10 pm

  I have to say our 2003 Saturn VUE is a fun SUV to drive. Only issues have been, NONE! New set of tires and regular maintenance. It is now a secondary car for my husband to drive in the winter. I have been driving it lately due to issues with our 07 Outlook. Cannot believe that we have had it 7 years and it still looks as good as the day we drove it off the car lot. Was ticked off the day I heard GM was stopping production.