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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  Great family hauler - 2005 Saturn Relay
  By john - June 19 - 8:06 pm

  On paper, and in some of these reviews, the Relay doesnt look competitive. But once you drive it, youll see that the power is great, even at the low end. The standard features like the DVD player and OnStar are excellent. Stack that on top of the great treatment that you get from the Saturn retailer. This is a great van! My family really enjoys it.

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  The VUE from the Pacific - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By SeanF - June 19 - 2:00 am

  I have owned this car for one year. I love it. This is my second Saturn. It is always easy dealing with them.

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  NooNoos review - 2005 Saturn ION
  By NooNoo - June 17 - 3:03 pm

  This vehicle is reliable, affordable, and good looking. I met my newly married wife 2 months ago driving this car. Its one of the best things that ever happened to me. Thanks for making a car that got my wife.

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  review update by joey14 - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By joey15 - June 17 - 10:00 am

  creaking noise in steering column was solved by replacing front strut bushing.vehicle does not take ruts well,you can feel it in steering column.there appears to be paint de fect on roof.maybe i just got a bomb. vehicle looks great but not impressed with its quality.

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  FunDrive - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Hurryup - June 16 - 1:30 pm

  I have had the V6 FWD for about 38,000 miles and it continues to awe me with pick-up and highway comfort. The 17 inch wheels and tires create some low speed rumbles but they more than compensate on road trips. The finish in and out still looks new and the impression when clean is an impressive appearance. The recent shift I made from driving 30,000 miles a year to 10,000 showed poorer mileage in stop and go. The 6 likes to be run long trips to reach the 24-28 mpg I get on 60+ mile 75+ MPH trips. Overall I have been extremely pleased with the VUE.

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  Great car, even in accidents - 2005 Saturn ION
  By Courtney - June 14 - 8:20 pm

  I was in an accident with mine and there was damage, but the dent resistent stuff really helped. There was not much body damage for a 35-40 mph impact. Both airbags went off, and no engine damage in our case. Great car to drive and now I feel even safer in it, at least from a head-on colission

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  Still crying......................... - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By Still Crying........ - June 12 - 6:46 pm

  I now need to replace the transmission for the 3rd time in my 2002 VUE. GM will assist with 30 percent but the transmission will cost more than what I owe on the car. It is hard for me to understand the cost of the transmission because GM is well aware the transmission was not designed well and there have been numerous failures of the transmission. Go figure I wanted to stay with American made. I will now have to park and pay for a car I can not drive but still responsible to pay for. Just shoot me!!

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  Great car at a great price - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By Wedge - June 12 - 10:03 am

  I have owned this SUV for about 5 weeks now and have been very satisfied up to this point. The Honda engine is very quick and responsive. The gas mileage is so much better considering I was driving a Ford Explorer previously. The advice I would give potential buyers is to watch out for the upgrades that you can do yourself. I know hardly anything about cars and I was able to install mudflaps and the bumper protection by purchasing the parts online. The luggage bars on the room does add to the road noise, but I can tolerate it. In my opinion this is the best small SUV on the market and I test drove them all. Honda was too expensive, the Kia and Hyundai and too unreliable.

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  Great Buy - 2006 Saturn Relay
  By John - June 12 - 7:30 am

  If you want an SUV with the interior of a minivan, this is your car. Great gas milelage, plenty of room, and drives great. Our family absolutely loves this car.

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  A Bit Disappointed - 2007 Saturn Outlook
  By Outlook Review - June 12 - 4:13 am

  I was really excited when I purchased this SUV. But after 6 months and 4000 miles later, Im a little disappointed. There is a delay in shifting response with the transmission especially when going uphill. Delayed response even felt in the manual shift mode. The first update to the trany program was ineffective, no improvement. The fuel economy is really poor compared with the 17 city and 25 hwy. Its more like 13 city and 18 hwy.