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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  Would not reccomend - 2007 Saturn ION
  By inpeaces - September 22 - 5:33 am

  This car has been nothing but trouble for me, in the 1yr of owning it I have had to replace the headlights (apparently they had cracked and there was about a cup of water in each), the electrical system is very touchy (not fun having your seemingly brand new car stall at a light) and to put the icing on the cake my right side mirror fell off, no I did not hit anything, it simply fell off while driving.. Also it gets no where near the estimated gas millage, I might as well be fueling a truck for as much gas as this car eats up. It will take a lot for me to buy from Saturn again.

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  Not a top 10 - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By Dave H - September 4 - 7:43 pm

  Before 1000 miles the check engine light came on - bad oxygen sensor. Flapping noise in the dash when the fan is turned on to higher settings...not fixed after pulling the dash apart...drivers seat squeeks like an old box spring...not fixed either...a lot of wind noise. Poor fuel economy for the size of the vehicle 15 - 18 MPG is all I have gotten even driving mostly expressway.

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  Disappointment - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By Katie - August 30 - 9:33 pm

  We are very disappointed. Since I first bought the vehicle Ive had a weird rubbing sound coming from the front left wheel well. Its been in at least 5 times in two years & they never could re-create the problem. When they finally did they tell me it is the traction control sys and ABS kicking in. Hmm, why is it only turning left & going down a hill? The A/C system is awful. Sometimes blows hot, when you want cold, takes forever to switch from hot to cold & vice versa. There is no comfortable temp. A/C controls are now wiping off (the paint/display). Now my steering wheel constantly squeaks & would cost $800 to fix. 3 out of 4 headlights went out, they had to fix some wiring, another $200

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  Never Again - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Kirk - August 30 - 1:53 pm

  The front suspension is poorly designed. The transmission gives you whiplash every time you put it into drive. The valve covers leak like Niagra Falls. Tried to fix valve cover leak, found you had to take the intake off to replace the valve covers and spark plugs. Would cost $500 - $600 to have Saturn replace these parts. What a joke, who approved this design. Tranny clunks into drive. This issue started very early on and was defined by the dealer as standard operating procedure. Oil filter cover had to be replaced, overpriced at ~$30, should of been free (had a design issue which was fixed) the attendant just laughed at this sug. You will never ever find me at a Saturn/GM dealership again

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  one problem after another - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By ajacs - August 12 - 2:00 am

  Have 30,000 miles. Needed a clutch the first week, then motor mounts, then stearing problems. Had zone in and they were no help. Just had steering noise corrected in front end then appeared in steering column, came back 3 days after repair. Hood release cable broke. Does not handle well on a windy day and if a truck passes you it rocks and the wheel turns in your hands.

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  Saturn VUE 2005 - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By Phillip S. - July 22 - 2:50 am

  So far, So Good. Big selling point is the HONDA V6 250hp ENGINE. the VUE AWD has some get up and go performance, handles well. Good 360 view. Recommend for the road warrior who wants to appeal to the soccer moms. However, big caveat is the poor gas mileage. So far under 20mpg combined city/hwy, sticker rated at 22-28mpg. Guess those 250 horses gotta eat! pay for the optional sound system, the standard radio/speaker combo is oh-hum at best.

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  No frills, A to B car - 2007 Saturn ION
  By danielmchick - July 14 - 3:19 am

  My father and I cooperatively own an 07 Ion 2; it currently has 72,000 on it and runs as well as youd expect it to. My main complaint with it? Its cheaply made, and horribly so. The road noise is unbearable, making you turn up the radio loudly enough to distract you on long highway trips (I travel 3+ hours for trips home & back for college). The interior is lacklustre: the seats are unconforming; the dash is made of cheap, low grade plastic, and the gear selector feels like youre going to break it when you depress the button to pull it out of park. I dont recommend this car for long trips, or in-city driving; short highway trips only. The gas mileage is sub-par for a car this size.

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  Not great - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By FredGil - June 23 - 11:50 am

  This car, an Aura XR, is provided by my company so this is an unbiased review. The car is "nice" but devoid of personality. On the highway, a lot of road noise finds it way into the cabin, and around town a lot of engine noise and vibration can be heard and felt. Handling is ok, but no better then a lot of cheaper subcompacts and most mid sized sedans. After playing with the seat, steering and pedal position controls I have found that it is not possible to find a comfortable driving position. I cannot drive the car more then 30 minutes without my entire body aching. Fuel economy is nowhere near what I expect, I have a 2006 Vue which has more power and gets 2-4 more mpg.

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  2003 ION needs work - 2003 Saturn ION
  By kurt w - June 19 - 10:00 am

  My experience with two 2003 Ions suggested Saturn put GMs new Delta chassis too early. A solid body and good handling were appreciated. Freeway cruising was quiet but nervous. Build quality was awful - both cars had tons of squeaks, rattles, ill fitting parts, and transmission and engine glitches two service centers could not repair. 24 mpg was the rule but acceleration not so great (5 speed helped on hills but often shifted harshly). The buying experience was pleasant, but the service was awful. Hopefully the 2004 and 2005 versions will be better.

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  Lots of Repairs - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By ddt - June 16 - 12:20 pm

  Ive owned the 02 Vue for 1 year. In that time, replaced / repaired: 1. Throttle Body, 2. Entire engine wiring harness, 3. SES light on every other month for something, 4. Leaks into cabin from sunroof. Total outlay: about $3,000. This repair work occurred during 46-56,000 mile period. The car has good performance overall. But the repairs just keep me from enjoying it. Now, weird noises coming from the drive train - dull roar. Like many in this column, I bought it for perceived value for the price. I wouldnt buy another Vue again. Recommend looking at the Ford Escape 4wd or a Jeep before looking at this vehicle.