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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  Dont ignore these reviews - TRANSMISSION HELL - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By lilpinkzombie - December 25 - 5:01 am

  I love my car, that is no secret. Everyone who knows me... knows I love my 2003 Saturn Vue. I purchased it for way over its value because I needed a reliable vehicle and I was not looking too hot in the credit realm. Within two weeks, the transmission went out. I called the dealership, they had to fix within the 45 day guarantee. They gave it back and it just hasnt been the same since. I have also dealt with the module going out and other various transmission issues. As much as I love my car, there is no way anyone can own a Saturn and not spend more on repairs than the actual value of the vehicle. Period.

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  The price is right - 2003 Saturn ION
  By Kari - December 23 - 2:00 am

  The Ion has cheap cloth seats. My fabric does not even fit properly. I have bubbles in it. In the winter the rearview mirror when ice is on it will takes forever to defrost. I also am having a problem with the key getting stuck in the ignition. The only way to get it out is to pop open the little box underneath the steering column and push a button in. The only thing I wish is that it had more room in the back, but the price was right and I really do like the style.

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  My VUE is a lemon - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By paul b - December 22 - 8:00 am

  I like driving the car. It has pep and is comfortable. The 40 feet turning radius makes it hard to park and turn around. The V-6 burns more gas around town than I like. I sure wish they had an engine size midway between the 4 cyl and the V6, about 3000cc. On cold mornings the car will not start correctly; it "searches" for an idle speed which it cant find. It will not accelerate until it is warmed up. The dealer and Saturn engineers cannot find the problem. It is 33 days in the shop and remains there. They keep throwing more new parts at it, but the problem persists. It meets the Virginia criteria for a lemon. GM says no other Vues have reported this problem. Its now a sour experience.

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  Dont make the same mistake we did! - 2005 Saturn Relay
  By Saturn Relay - December 15 - 8:50 pm

  This is our 5th Saturn purchase. The battery died at 2900 miles in a gas station I am no longer welcome at. The bolts that hold the windshield wipers on were not properly tightend at the factory and came off during a rainstorm on a major interstate while I sat for 28 minutes until the state police could nudge my car off to the next ramp. Both abs chips on the brakes/hubs have been replaced within 35 days of each other, the left ball joint has been replaced, the power locks go on and off by themselves at mysterious times when your just sitting there,t he doors stick. Did I mention that its 2 years old with 14,000 miles on it. I walk a lot..its safer than being trapped inside or having no brakes.

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  Quad Coupe - 2007 Saturn ION
  By Fran - December 13 - 8:23 am

  It is amazing what you can squeeze into the quad cab, such as a giant air conditioner that would no way go into the trunk. Its pretty, good color choices inside and out, and those flexible panels are nice.

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  Trading it in Tomorrow Just 3000 miles - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By Tom - November 8 - 4:53 pm

  The last time I bought an American made car was in 1986. At that time I swore I would never buy one again due to the lack of quality craftmanship. And I made it twenty years until I saw the 2006 Saturn VUE. Love is blind! This vehicle, although it gives a comfortable ride, when it goes over a bump you get the feeling something is going to fall off, the dashboard is constantly creaking, and the road and wind noise are horrific. I brought it back to the dealer and was told that the road noise was pretty much a characteristic of the VUE. You cant use OnStar while the car is moving no one can hear you over the road noise. And oh, the gas mileage is awful.

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  Good on gas, thats it - 2003 Saturn ION
  By wosko - October 24 - 11:10 am

  After 2 months of owning this car, the car wouldnt shut off because the key wouldnt turn or come out. I had to have it towed and the ignition solinoid replaced. A month later it happened again. The dials on the thermostat dont rotate properly. The remote trunk unit has to be reset every so often. The brakes are already going bad. You cant spill anything in the car because cleaning the material will leave moisture stains. Worst buy ever.

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  No spin review - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By No spin review - October 8 - 10:10 pm

  My V6 AWD VUE looks nice on the outside, but exterior look is strictly for those that are looking. Chrome package is OK. Forget running boards. They look good but mine actually get in my way. Get mud flaps. The VUE kicks up a lot of dirt and the interior of the doors gets pretty nasty. Get the sunroof air deflector; it eliminates horrendous noise when the sunroof is opened. Rooftop cross rails are pretty, but not sure if they are needed. Some VUE accessories need to be installed by the dealer. Mine tried to whack me with an additional $300.00 over quoted but agreed to eat the cost. Order the extraÂ’s online and install them yourself. 180 watt upgraded stereo is a waste of money.

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  Disappointed soon after purchase - 2006 Saturn ION
  By SaturnDriver - October 8 - 2:43 pm

  I purchased this vehicle to remain a domestic car driver and enjoyed the hassle-free purchase at a decent cost. Since then, Ive continually been disappointed by a brand that used to be so strong. Most recent issues that has caused me to post this review is the failure and consequent $1000 cost to repair my power steering. I have learned that hundreds of 2006 Saturn Ion owners have had the same issue and hope any who read this will lodge complaint in order to encourage official recall (and reimbursement for cost of your repair).

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  Great little SUV - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Ian - October 1 - 1:00 pm

  This car was even more than we thought it would be. We bought this to replace our gas guzzling Crown Vic, and we have loved it ever since. Our model is a standard transmission, so I find it is actually quite peppy for a 4 cylinder. It doesnt really ride that well, but you cant beat that the car as 145,000 miles and its still going strong. I also find that the fuel economy is great, usually a typical 27 MPG combined. A standard changes everything about a car, so when people say the 4 cylinder (which is NOT a V4...those dont exist) is sluggish, you can guess that theirs is an automatic. My only gripe is that it isnt great in the snow, but four snows fixed that in a jiffy!