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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  What a Champ! - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By Family Man - May 19 - 10:43 am

  I am in outside sales and I drive all over town and I havent had a single problem. Ive had the vehicle for 11 months and have just about 35k miles on it. The only items that needed to be replaced were the factory tires. There are no creeks or rattles and I love it. This was the best car I bought and the best thing is that I only paid $22K for it! I also get 23-25 mpg in town and in stop and go traffic.

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  What is with all the noise! - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By c. robinson - May 14 - 9:50 am

  Our Saturn VUE is a good but not a great car. Mileage on highway runs 34 mpg. Engine performance is excellent. Draw backs: Interior is cheap for the money. This is one of the noisiest cars I have ever driven. Have had it at the dealership 2 times, and still has problems. Sounds as though a train is coming in the drivers door. My 2002 F250 diesel Ford is much quieter than this car. And the resale value is horrible. Purchase a car for $24,000 and drive one year and get offered $12,800 for a trade on a new 2005 Vue. This tells me what Saturn thinks of there vehicle. Would not have purchased this car if I knew what it would be worth after a year of driving.

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  Lots of Problems with Sunroof - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By M&M - May 7 - 5:20 am

  Overall owning the Outlook hasnt been too much trouble except for the sunroof leak which has been present ever since weve had it. Its been back at the dealership a total of 3 times, soon to be 4, and its still leaking. Other than this little problem, no issues.

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  Better than I expected from Saturn - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By Michelle - May 3 - 3:23 pm

  Saturn suprised me. I am a newcomer when it comes to driving a 4 door sedan because Ive always had sports cars, but after driving my Aura that I purchaced 3 weeks ago, I must say that Ive changed my mind about sedans. Saturn has made a great sporty sedan with a great engine that will get up and go! Ive been very happy so far with my Aura and would highly recommend it to those who are looking for a change from there cramped sports car. Great job Saturn!

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  all in all great value - 2003 Saturn ION
  By mjmilam - April 21 - 10:00 am

  For the money I am very pleased. The interior appears too "plasticky", but other than that I love it.

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  New Vue - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By kurtcaid - April 16 - 10:00 am

  The most enjoyable buying experience I have ever encountered. No hassle - no haggle. It was wonderful.

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  saturn dealerships deceiving - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By martii scheer - April 3 - 2:00 am

  the vue rides beautifully and is very attractive inside and out. only MAJOR complaint is was not told that tire snow chains can only be purchased at the dealership and was caught in the sierras, donner pass without chains in a freak storm heading for reno on business and had to turn around as no one could sell us chains for a saturn car.

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  so far so good - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By geoff - March 29 - 10:00 am

  Nice vehicle, V6 very powerful in all situations. Getting on to highways is a blast-nobody takes advantage of this little truck. Surprisingly good on gas. Getting 22 mpg. on the road. Smooth shifting automatic! Plenty good A/C. Quiet ride. Roomy. Good looking.

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  Nice Little VUE - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By AH Sprite MK4 - March 29 - 12:16 am

  4 cyl 5 speed manual nice little VUE, good handling but little light on the power. Yet, not impressed with the MPG so far. 22-24 in-town and hi-way but have not had the Vue long enough, bought it coming off a lease at 25Kmiles, for the Lucas injector cleaner to work. I also own a 96 SE Coupe 5 speed manual and love it at 140K miles getting 30+MPG using Lucas Injector Cleaner. I used an engine analyzer and it appears the O2 sensor may not be working quite right as it should toggle between about 0.1V to 0.9V (pulse width modulation) which is between lean and rich. Might be more on the rich side. The dealership will look into this as it might be the cause of low MPGs.

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  I love it - 2007 Saturn Outlook
  By Mr. Adams - March 28 - 4:46 pm

  Its been almost a year and I have to say I still love my Outlook. I have only one issue, I really wish I got a little better gas mileage. I am averaging about 17 mpg city right now. Would love a couple of miles more. I have a baby and lots of god children and the Outlook carries all our stuff around no problem and everyone has their place. I have only owned Saturns and they are definitely getting better with age.