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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  Overall Excellent - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By MYVUE - January 24 - 10:00 am

  This is my first SUV and I love it. Its great on gas, comfortable, very dependable and roomy. The service at the dealership is excellent too!

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  Saturn VUE, a best buy - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Michael Campbell - January 24 - 10:00 am

  I did the math to figure cost of ownership and the Saturn did very well. The plactic side pannels are great. No more of the ugly or costly minor dents. At 67,000 miles I have replaced wiper blades and tires. I expect to buy the same brand SUV next year.

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  2004 Saturn VUE (V-6/AWD) - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By SteelViking - January 24 - 10:00 am

  In June of 2004, I purchased a Saturn VUE. I had admired the exteror design of the VUE since first introduced. One of the things that I like about the design is the Saturn has taken the spare tire and placed it inside the vehicle, under the rear storage space. This small feature would pay large dividends in the unfortunate event of a rear end collision. While the tire is inside of the vehicle, there is still plenty of room. The rear seats fold down and the front passenger seat folds down as well. Prior to buying my VUE I test drove the 4 cylinder VUE, but found the V6 to be a more powerful alternative.

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  LOVE IT !!!!!!!! - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By dcraighall - January 24 - 10:00 am

  VEHICLE RIDES WONDERFUL. PLENTY OF ROOM

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  I luv mi nu vu - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Willy Johnson - January 24 - 10:00 am

  traded in a Bravada (my second) for the Vue. Terrific car. Fast, peppy, easy to drive, comfortable. Love the XM radio. Could get better gas miles.

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  red line is red hot - 2004 Saturn ION
  By budman - January 24 - 10:00 am

  I have owned nothing but pure Detriot V8 muscle and have always laughed at 4 cylinder vehicles. In the recent higher gas prices I decided to go ahead and try a fuel efficent vehicle that would be fun to drive. I shopped around all the dealerships looking for that perfect vehicle. Dodge SRT/4, Honda Civic Si, Subaru WRX STi, and Ford Focus SVT were the ones I was impressed by until I test drove the Saturn Ion Red Line. I fell in love from the moment I turned the key. The feel of the Recardo seats, the low roar of the supercharged engine through the beautifully sounding exhaust. And the best handling in its class.

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  2002 Saturn Vue 4 cyl 5 speed reliable - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By Jim - January 23 - 7:53 am

  At the ripe old age of 65 and having been involved with auto repairs and sales most all of those years I must say that the 2002 Saturn Vue 4 cylinder 5-speed manual is a great bargain. I have owned too many vehicles to count. At 120k miles it uses no oil and in the last 20k that we have owned it, 1-exhaust hanger is the only repair. It has had full synthetic oil since it was born. 5-speed shifter is a bit notchy but adequate.

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  After six months - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Careful - January 22 - 9:53 am

  After six months of mixed highway and city driving, we have come to appreciate this vehicle tremendously. Lots of room and flexibility for hauling stuff or people. Unusually high gas mileage for this type of vehicle -- averaging now about 24 mpg in mixed driving for us. (Started out much lower for the same type of driving -- have a little patience.)

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  One great suv - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By william mardavich - January 20 - 10:00 am

  I looked at many suv,and both the saturn for the great start at the dealership at first. Than as I am using my vue I found the car can be the best I have ever drove. It has great start speed and does not make noise on the in side of the car.Being a new york driver it great for when you ned to pass another car or slow moving bus or truck. The c/d player has great sound and easy to use. I feel this car does not burn as much fuel as some other suvs do,and yet gives great performance.I let a friend of mind drive it for he was looking for a new suv and loved the vue. He bought one around a month after I got mine and he just loves it.

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  Sweet car - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By Larry - January 19 - 8:06 am

  Its been a long time that an American made car company has produced such a sweet car. We picked the ocean mist color. Its so cool. It has the chrome finish inside. The wood grain was a bit cheap looking. I would only change two things, improve the turning radius from 40 feet to 35 feet.The other thing put a lght in the glove compartment. Other than that she rides similar to my BMW 330CI. Not the same but stiff and very little leaning in turns.The power plant is the same as Caddy CTS. In conclusion I would recomend this hot car to anyone interested in a new fresh design and a car with get up and go yet still gets 29 miles to the gallon. And it is made in America by Americans.