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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  Strong engine. - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Devenie - December 3 - 2:00 am

  quiet, yet powerful engine. Saturns vehicle best yet. It drives great.

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  SATURN VUE - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By DON SHERIDAN - December 3 - 2:00 am

  NICE SUV,COMFORTABLE, GOOD LEG ROOM FOR TALL GUYS

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  Saturn Ion 2 - 2004 Saturn ION
  By OKOKO - December 3 - 2:00 am

  Fun to drive. Great highway gas mileage (34).Great leg room for 62" driver. My face must be at least 20-24" from the airbag.

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  saturn 2004 ion - 2004 Saturn ION
  By motherdestiny - December 3 - 2:00 am

  great car..... i love it... everybody stops and stares!

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  Best I have owned in a long time. - 2007 Saturn Outlook
  By John Layton - December 1 - 2:20 pm

  Looking for a SUV and were considering the Toyota Highlander, and the Saturn Outlook. Rather hard choice, until we saw that 100 % of the Toyota was made in Japan. Sorry Toyota. We saw each vehicle about equal in performance even thought the Outlook was new. Te ride was outstanding--Our last 3 vehicles were Ford Conversion Vans, and this Saturn topped them in confort, and cabin space. Could actually stretch out my feet instead of being scrunched up. Some options we did not want at first, but after taking them on the vehicle we wanted, I would not be without XM radio, onstar, and phone service ever again. I have been driving for over 55 years, and this SUV knocks my socks off. Excellent.

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  Second Saturn - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By freedomsbosco - December 1 - 1:46 pm

  Very smooth ride and reasonably comfy on trips, about as good as you can get for $18k. Still a saturn believer. I thought the 2.2L would be sluggish but has decent enough power for the size of vehicle. My ION had 90k miles when I traded and had the same engine and never had a problem with it, so I am glad to know GM made a good engine.

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  Exactly what I expected - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By Harpoon - December 1 - 10:00 am

  As a previous Saturn owner, I knew what I was getting. Yes, the interior is plasticky, but its a sport UTILITY vehicle. Most of the early problems seems to have been solve. No sqeaks or rattles. I got mine if black-silver, which looks great. Handling is very good for something this size. The engine is smooth, but a little loud when pushed. Are competing vehicles smoother and more refined. Yes. Would I consider another vehicle. NO!

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  Another great Saturn - 2004 Saturn ION
  By RACHAEL - November 29 - 10:00 am

  This makes the third Saturn in my family, I learned to drive on a 94 SL...came back to Saturn and have NO regrets! This car is great! Ive only had it for a month but already 1500miles. Performance is great, seats are comfortable, feels like a much more expensive car than it is. People smirk when I tell them I have a Saturn, until they see it or ride in it!

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  Almost a ten! - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By Fair-minded - November 29 - 2:03 am

  Could only hope that Saturn improves the standard model fuel economy. That is the only slot to not rate above excellent. I dont know what planet some of the other reviewers are from, but anything, no matter how slight, that appeared out of true was taken care of comletely. My seats are very comfortable. Handling is precise and powe deleivers with the promised punch. Great guns! This car rocks!

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  VUE goes VROOM!!! - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By Scelly - November 25 - 6:56 am

  We love it!. This was a replacement for a Grand Prix and its like a rocket on wheels. The Honda engine is a goer with 250 horses. Same engine as the Pilot or the Ridgeline. Drives like a sportscar with power to spare. Starts well in the cold, handles the ice and snow well also. Its in and out of AWD without skipping a beat. Only concern is mileage, best so far is around 34 mpg. Smooth and quiet to drive; a keeper and can tow a boat or a couple of snowmachines (it has the best tow rating of the small SUVs)