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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  So far so good - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Marshal - March 27 - 10:00 am

  purchased vehicle like most of us from reviews and opinions-Suv has power V6- a looks of interior room. But somethings you stop & thick what are the thinking--no under dash lights, map lights shine in your face, sun visors is too small, no dash board indicator for cruise control. Overall the Vue drive well and appears to well built.. Time will tell..follow up in a few months

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  AWD V6 - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By traffic - March 27 - 12:06 am

  The 07 Vue is a nice-looking car. Good pickup. It even seems more powerful than the V8 SUV I traded. I like the steering wheel radio controls, safer. It seems roomy enough, even though it is much smaller than my old SUV. I had to get used to it being lower than my old SUV as well as the window buttons not being on the window, but so far not a problem.

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  Love my Redline - 2004 Saturn ION
  By SpikemanII - March 22 - 4:40 pm

  I went to my dealership for routine maintenance on our VUE, and drove home with a Redline . Needless to say, I am not allowed to go the dealer without supervision anymore. I love this car. It is quick, handles like a dream, gets good gas mileage, and is fairly unseen on the road. Give this thing a test drive and you will want one too. Just go supervised.

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  Good Fuel Economy, Electrical Glitch - 2006 Saturn ION
  By Andrea - March 22 - 2:23 pm

  I knew I wanted a 4 door car with rear side curtain airbags, on a limited budget. Saturn ION was only one I could afford, plus it had good fuel economy according to the window sticker. It does have good fuel economy for American, around 28 with mixed use. I didnt own an MP3 player when I purchased the car but I do now and love the audio jack! The center console was an adjustment but I love it, it gets the eyes moving around instead of staring straight ahead, less strain. I have had horrible problems in winter with doors freezing shut, seal around doors is bad water gets into cavity and freezes at hinge, also leaks through window seals, and drips inside car. Electronic issues see below.

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  Good to us...watch the CVT - 2004 Saturn ION
  By skally - March 16 - 1:02 pm

  We bought this car brand new and overall it was a good vehicle for us. Here are the issues we had over 8 years and 140k miles. The remote start from the dealer never did work right. It engaged the PassLock system which left you waiting 10 minutes while the fuel system reset. We had the common issue with the ignition switch replacing it a few times before it was fixed for good. The biggest problem was the CVTs in these cars. They failed more often than they should and couldnt be rebuilt, only replaced. GM fixed a lot of them but ours never died. However at 140k miles it started act up a little which is why we decided to move on.

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  My first new car (2006 Saturn ION 2) - 2006 Saturn ION
  By firsttimebuyer - March 15 - 6:56 pm

  Well, I didnt like the positioning of the gauges on the dash at first, but, now I love it. I really like this car and I think it is a great car. I have only had it about a week but Im sure Ill love it for a goow long while to come. I recommend test driving one for yourself!

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  Not a bad Vue from here - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By 4norm78 - March 2 - 1:43 pm

  I purchased a 2008 Certified Pre Owned (CPO) Saturn Vue Redline a month ago with 47,000 miles on it. The five year, 50,000 mile warranty was done, but the 12 month, 12,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty tagged with free regular maintenance for 2 years or 24,000 miles made up for it. I’ve been averaging over 19 mpg driving on my 12 mile loop to work each day. I did get a rather curious mpg reading driving around Arizona. From Phoenix to Prescott, going up the mountain, the car was getting 19 mpg. Going done the mountain, the car registered 29 mpg, averaging just short of 25 mpg for the trip. Driving from Phoenix to Tucson, which is relatively flat, the car only got 19 mpg. I looked at the XR model, but I liked the upgraded Redline interior much better. The car rides rather firm, but smooth. The engine has adequate pick up, but the transmission does seem to hunt for the right gear from time to time. No problem with the A/C, but I did have to take the car in for repairs to the passenger side windshield wiper – twice. My car has the remote start and rain sensing options. I’m having no problems finding parts. Found a new cargo shade for less than the dealer price, delivered with no sales tax. When shopping, I looked at RX 330’s and 350’s, but the prices were just too high for a high mileage Lexus that uses premium gas and you see one of them every time you turn your head. The Saturn is out of production, but the current Chevy version of the car provides dealer service and warranty work options.

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  Nice Package - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By K2QO - February 28 - 8:26 pm

  Bought this Vue to replace a high mileage Buick Rendezvous that was having issues. Not as much interior space but I knew that going in. The Vue is fun to drive, the engine revs to make the power you need without complaining, the ride is quiet and controlled, and the controls are easy to use. I get 25-26MPG on the highway and 22 in town when the WX is above freezing. For winter, I bought four Pirelli snow tires with steel wheels and sensors. This combo on the FWD is awesome. The Firestone LE tires are crap on snow and ice. Winter MPG has not slipped below 20MPG and that is with remote starter use and lots of slow traffic on snowy road. So far at 13,000 mile, reliability is perfect.

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  Surprisingly Positive SUV! - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Rich/Jerz - February 25 - 2:00 am

  We tested the 6 at first, then the 4. If you need to race other parents home from soccer practice - the 6 is wicked.... Hence we sought practicality - landed the 4. Although it does not have the same cargo room as the Jimmy, the pasenger room is definitely larger, especially the front seating area, waist and head room. The ride is more stable than the Jimmy, especially in curves. The four cylinder is not bad. I especially enjoy the gas milage - I cant believe the needle doesnt move when I step on the pedal. My VUE is equipped with a sun roof, power package, floor mats, cloth int., CD - 6 speaker, and exterior mold accents on the lower quarter.

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  A cheaper Audi? - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By Patmajia - February 22 - 10:00 pm

  My family of 5 bought a 2.4 L Aura. With the 0% deal, it should cost less to buy, own, and drive 100k miles (incl. $5 gas) than a Camry hybrid. Outside, it looks a lot like the Audi A4; even the standard alloy wheels seem to copy those once offered on the Audi A4, a good car to copy. The red exterior with tan cloth and faux wood interior is gorgeous, but some plastic bits are low end. Only the Morocco leather (which you cannot get on the 4 cyl) is better. This car rides smoothly, and is quieter on the road at 70 mph than the 2008 Accord and is about even with the 2008 camry I test drove. Its quick enough for us. The 5 year 100k standard drivetrain warranty should make for low hassle ownership.