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 Car - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By Wes - June 14 - 2:00 am

  Unlike the title says, this is the FWD, not AWD Anyway, acceleration is very quick, not torquey but still quick. The engine approaches the red line very quickly (7000 rpm). The speed can be deceiving, when going 50 it feels like about 30. Braking is good, since it is such a light vehicle. The car handles beautifully, without much sway at all. It feels stable at all time. I was especially surprised by the ride, it was very smooth, much smoother than i was expecting. Back seat space is very limited, people over 6 feet would have problems sitting in the back.

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  Great Car - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By wes - June 14 - 2:00 am

  Unlike the title says, this is the FWD, not AWD Anyway, acceleration is very quick, not torquey but still quick. The engine approaches the red line very quickly (7000 rpm). The speed can be deceiving, when going 50 it feels like about 30. Braking is good, since it is such a light vehicle. The car handles beautifully, without much sway at all. It feels stable at all time. I was especially surprised by the ride, it was very smooth, much smoother than i was expecting. Back seat space is very limited, people over 6 feet would have problems sitting in the back.

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  Great Car - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By Ms Fran - June 4 - 9:06 pm

  I drove a 93 Acura Legend for 12 years and wanted another Acura but I saw the Aura and fell in love with it. (To me the Acura had a smoother ride; but it had a lot of miles and to expensive to fix up.) The morocan brown leather in the Aura is awesome. Didnt think I wanted the XM radio, was going to get my free 3 months and cancel, but I love the stations, especially the jazz stations.

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  So far so good - 2007 Saturn Outlook
  By Tim - June 4 - 2:20 pm

  I have owned this car for two months. It has nearly 9,000 miles on it. I have received a recall for the air bag system, but have had no other problems. I have carried 7 men in the car, fairly comfortably, they tell me, on a 300 mile round trip. The car has performed well, and has been excellent in snow. Overall I would reccomend this vehicle.

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  Saturn Ion - 2003 Saturn ION
  By mima - June 4 - 10:00 am

  Great car for the money

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  Hybrid Goodness - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By YankeeHybrid - June 2 - 2:16 am

  My VUE Green Line has been a smooth, miserly ride for these couple of months. The hybrid actions took very little to get used to, and the fuel economy has been very good. My last tank full came out to about 30 mpg!, not bad for an SUV of this size.

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  2003 VUE - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By mrstwh - May 28 - 10:00 am

  Our new Saturn Vue is a delight to drive, it handles very well with no nonsense steering. Being on the short side (411") I must admit I was at first a bit intimidated with the overall size of the vehicle, but I quickly became accustomed to it and now drive like a pro. The drivers seat, mirrors etc.... are all very easily adjusted to accommodate me. It is a bit noisy on the road but I find that the overall performance of this vehicle makes up for any of its short comings.

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  Hit or Miss - 2005 Saturn Relay
  By Bsrice - May 23 - 1:33 pm

  Bought my 05 Relay new, great price (I thought till depreciation hit)DVD player was a must have. Did good on gas mileage 28-30. Had problems from the start with molding, carpet, auto door, cupping tires every 8 K miles. Put 3 sets on, told no problem with car, yet camber set so off by Saturn specs, rotor issues, lights flickering. Ended up eating the depreciation and buying a 06 Jeep Liberty. Was a good little van if they spent more time in testing, could have had a nice price nich in the market.

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  I like Mine! - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Telaine - May 22 - 2:00 am

  I like my 2003 Saturn Vue. I like the large doors and sunroof. It rides smoothly and handles very well. I have a V-6 which my husband suggested and I am glad I did. It is powerful enough to get on the freeway and get moving quickly.

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  Good Car for the Money. - 2004 Saturn ION
  By defsuave - May 22 - 2:00 am

  I just bought my Saturn Quad 3 Coupe yesterday and thus far I am very impressed. First off, the car buying process from a saturn dealership is far better than any other dealership that you could imagine. That right there is almost enough to just make you want to buy the car. No pressure, just good cars and good people. Now for the car itself, I am very pleased with. Now not as fancy as some of its competitors, it does give you a lot for the money and saturn has a great incentive combo going right now. I got 2250 in rebates and 1.9% financing. If you just started driving or if your just looking for a fun A to B car, then I highly suggest the 04 Ion.