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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  Not a top 10 - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By Dave H - September 4 - 7:43 pm

  Before 1000 miles the check engine light came on - bad oxygen sensor. Flapping noise in the dash when the fan is turned on to higher settings...not fixed after pulling the dash apart...drivers seat squeeks like an old box spring...not fixed either...a lot of wind noise. Poor fuel economy for the size of the vehicle 15 - 18 MPG is all I have gotten even driving mostly expressway.

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  Yes, I love my Saturn - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By DM - September 4 - 2:10 pm

  This is my second Saturn. My Vue has 97,000 miles on it and has only had one expensive problem. Other than tires/oil changes/routine maintenance the only problems have been a leak around the front passenger door (fixed by Saturn easily) and currently the gas gauge has stopped registering correctly. I have driven hundreds of miles in a day and been comfortable all the way. I am still getting 29 mi/gal highway and decent mileage on in town driving.

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  Love my Ion - 2003 Saturn ION
  By savannahlady - September 4 - 2:00 am

  Well, I have had my ION3 going on two months now and I absolutly love it! I did alot of research on several vehicles before making my decision and I am pretty proud of myself for going to saturn. I got used to the center IP in a few hours and I love the smaller steering wheel.

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  Do not buy this vehicle - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Scott - September 1 - 3:23 pm

  We bought our 2003 AWD V-6 because my wife liked the styling, the AWD, the 4 doors and heard Saturns were good cars. Please take it from me, its junk. The front end rattles and shakes. We have had brakes replaced, tires replaced, it still shakes. The transmission just went out, a $5,900 fix, more than the car is worth! The Saturn dealer said it would cost more to rebuild the transmission than to replace it with a new one. To me, that is simply crazy. Buy a Ford or a Toyota but stay away from this piece of junk!

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  Disappointment - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By Katie - August 30 - 9:33 pm

  We are very disappointed. Since I first bought the vehicle Ive had a weird rubbing sound coming from the front left wheel well. Its been in at least 5 times in two years & they never could re-create the problem. When they finally did they tell me it is the traction control sys and ABS kicking in. Hmm, why is it only turning left & going down a hill? The A/C system is awful. Sometimes blows hot, when you want cold, takes forever to switch from hot to cold & vice versa. There is no comfortable temp. A/C controls are now wiping off (the paint/display). Now my steering wheel constantly squeaks & would cost $800 to fix. 3 out of 4 headlights went out, they had to fix some wiring, another $200

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  Never Again - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Kirk - August 30 - 1:53 pm

  The front suspension is poorly designed. The transmission gives you whiplash every time you put it into drive. The valve covers leak like Niagra Falls. Tried to fix valve cover leak, found you had to take the intake off to replace the valve covers and spark plugs. Would cost $500 - $600 to have Saturn replace these parts. What a joke, who approved this design. Tranny clunks into drive. This issue started very early on and was defined by the dealer as standard operating procedure. Oil filter cover had to be replaced, overpriced at ~$30, should of been free (had a design issue which was fixed) the attendant just laughed at this sug. You will never ever find me at a Saturn/GM dealership again

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  A Great Idea - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By annalr - August 30 - 5:50 am

  I purchased my 2005 Saturn Vue V6 FWD after owning a Volvo 240 for 10 years. I chose the car for its interior room, practical design and compact size. I bought it with 109k miles on it and love it. Its a great passenger vehicle with solid metal buckles in the back for car seats, which are very useful. The cargo space is great and despite its looks on the outside, there is plenty of people room on the inside! The V6 will pick up and go when you need it to and ride smoothly on the highway. The suspension can be a little rigid but is tight and has given me no trouble. All in all, I would recommend it to anyone who needs a car with cargo room, fuel economy and enjoys a simply designed car.

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  Nice Car - 2005 Saturn ION
  By Juhgail - August 30 - 1:13 am

  I never thought about a Saturn, but I was strapped and needed a car. I LOVE the car. It a little bigger than what Im used to (Honda Civic) but I really love it. Handles great, fun to drive, and I feel very safe in it.

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  GREAT.....But - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By FirstNewCar - August 27 - 1:23 am

  First let me say that I love this car! It is the first new car that I have purchased and I am so happpy with it! For the most part. It looks great! I love the styling on the exterior and interior. It is fun to drive, responds well and looks way more expensive than it is. I wasnt able to find the color of car with all the features that I wanted so maybe if I did I would give it 100% but as it stands I can really only give it 92%. And here is why. Now depending on what you are used to the interior materials will look cheap or ok. I think the hard plastic looks cheap. And there isnt a gear indicator anywhere. The interior lights are orange which is hard to see when sunlight hits it.

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  LOVE MY SATURN - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By PAWSBMW - August 24 - 10:00 am

  I Love my Vue. I looked at other SUVs and was turned off by the fule milage they offered. I am very found of front wheel drive. I really dont need 4WR, and I dont care for RWD in the snow. Saturn was one of very few cars who offered FWR.