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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  My Sky - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By Jack - October 1 - 6:30 pm

  At 6 it is snug but not uncomfortable and very much a fun car to drive. Very stable on the curvy roads and for a small engine it is suprisingly quick and very fast. This is my fifth sports car and it is great. Using soft luggage you can pack for a week for two with the top up. Should have a six speed for lots of fun!

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  Great Vehicle - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By loopylav - September 29 - 10:00 am

  I like my VUE a lot. I have had it for just over a month and have enjoyed every minute of driving it. I have had a few warranty issues dealing mainly with interior build quality, but nothing to turn me off. The mechanicals (i.e. drivetrain, brakes, etc.) have been superb and are the reason that I am so happy. The VUE handles very well, this comming from a previous Civic owner. The dealership experience has been the best and most consistent I have ever had. No complaints there. I recommend checking it out, that is how we got into the VUE. We were just so impressed

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  Love the VUE! - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By cbarbee - September 29 - 10:00 am

  A great SUV for the money. Dealer offered a "Sport Package" for 160.00 which included:Alloy Wheels, CD, Sunroof, Power Package, Light Dimmer rearview mirror.

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  Severely Disappointed - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By Wendi O - September 24 - 7:46 pm

  Wanted to buy American and took a chance on the VUE Red Line. Owned it for less than one year and already it has been in the shop 4 times. It comes out worse than when it went in. A/C has gone out 3 times in the heat of Vegas. Weird cracking sound in the dash when you drive anywhere is annoying and the mechanics have been unable to fix it after taking the damned dash apart twice! Now they are trying to tell me that it is "normal sound" and to ignore it. Test drove one from the dealership just to prove them wrong. Gas mileage supposed to average 15-19 in city....lucky to get 15. And now the low gas indicator just stopped working

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  THE V-6 IS FLAT TOWABLE!!! - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By RICK CARTER - September 24 - 2:00 am

  UNLIKE WHAT IT SAYS IN THE INFORMATION AREA REGUARDING THE SATURN VUE, THERE WERE AND ARE SOME INCENTIVES WHEN FINANCING OR PAYING CASH ON THE SATURN VUE. WE PAID CASH AND WERE ABLE TO TAKE $2,000 OFF THE STICKER. IN MY BOOK, $2,000 IS A SIZABLE INCENTIVE ON A VEHICLE THAT NOT ONLY HAS A HONDA ENGINE BUT ALSO A HONDA TRANSMISSION. AND ITS FLAT TOWABLE!! WHAT A DEAL. THANKS SATURN.

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  Transmission bad - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Alan - September 23 - 8:06 pm

  This car was clean! Bought it used and 6 days later the CVT transmission went out. The dealership took it back because it was too costly for them to repair and they said the mechanics would not stand behind it if they did. The CVT transmission is junk!

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  vue - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By zoe - September 22 - 10:00 am

  Bad paint spots on gold vue 2002. Had rear cargo door replaced but still have spots all over the vehicle that they said is the metallic in the paint. It looks like a safari vue.

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  Very Comfortable Ride! - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Isis2883 - September 22 - 10:00 am

  WORDS OF ADVISE: TEST DRIVE TO FEEL THE DIFFERENCE IN THIS MINI-SUV FROM ALL THE OTHERS, YOU WILL BE PLEASANTLY SURPRISED! The new Saturn VUE is Sleek in design, Comfortable and head-roomy, and oh so smooth to drive!

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  not so happy vue owner - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By deehvue08 - September 22 - 6:57 am

  we have a 2008 vue-xe and its giving me headache lately. problems: wont start, key stucked in the ignition, no lights, battery dead, OnStar off... just sucks! hoping for a good suggestion from anyone who got the same issues as mine.

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  Would not reccomend - 2007 Saturn ION
  By inpeaces - September 22 - 5:33 am

  This car has been nothing but trouble for me, in the 1yr of owning it I have had to replace the headlights (apparently they had cracked and there was about a cup of water in each), the electrical system is very touchy (not fun having your seemingly brand new car stall at a light) and to put the icing on the cake my right side mirror fell off, no I did not hit anything, it simply fell off while driving.. Also it gets no where near the estimated gas millage, I might as well be fueling a truck for as much gas as this car eats up. It will take a lot for me to buy from Saturn again.