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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  Hybrid Plus - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By Michele - October 18 - 8:03 am

  Nice and quiet. Great mileage. Could have done more with interior and increased the quality, but for a mid-size SUV, it is acceptable. Great basic surround sound.

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  Saturn ION - A Better Small Car - 2005 Saturn ION
  By James C. - October 17 - 12:40 pm

  Recent purchase of the 2005 ION 2 has been most satifying. The last Saturn SL2 1997 model has proved to be trouble-free in over 175,000 miles, and I hope for the same with the ION. Fit and finish are several levels higher than the venerable SL2. it has avery quiet engine, and road and other exterior noise at highway speed is minimal. Like the SL2 this car is well-designed and very roomy, and very easy to maintain for the shade tree mechanic. Interior material looks Japanese/European in character. I really like the on-center instrument cluster and the white background guages. No need to expand the trade deficit, this is one domestic runner that will go the distance.

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  Love my VUE - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By Clara - October 14 - 7:13 pm

  I am very happy with my 2nd Saturn purchase. I can see myself always owning a Saturn. I still believe its the best kept secret around.

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  Saturn VUE - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By carman - October 12 - 10:43 pm

  The Saturn VUE is an affordable compact SUV. Its compact size allows for easy road management and drivability,in addition to the ease of transporting large items. The drivers seat I find to be quite comfortable with good back support. I would buy the VUE again, especially the green line with better gas mileage.

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  Awesome - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By Tom - October 12 - 6:46 am

  Just picked up our VUE last week and so this review is based on only 7 days of driving, but so far, this is an awesome purchase! Dealer was great to work with and we have no complaints about the vehicle so far. A 6 cylinder would have been in the running when we bought if the mileage had been a bit better. However, so far, the 4 Cyl has done well in both city driving and on the highway. This is not the engine if you want to run at 200km/hr, however, if you drive properly and are not trying to win any land-speed records, this is the vehicle/engine for you! We looked at the CRV, RAV4 and CX-7 and this was definitely the best-buy of them all! What are you waiting for, go test drive one!

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  Great Vue! - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By shawn - October 9 - 4:03 am

  The Saturn Vue is a great American SUV. 1 of the best I think. Great lines and looks and lots of standard as well as optional equipment. Give a Saturn a chance. They are great cars to own and American as apple pie.

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  Converted Volvo owner - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By jtweiss - October 8 - 4:03 pm

  We were looking for a vehicle that wasnt a minivan and could comfortably seat 5. Weve owned a Volvo for many years and looked at the XC90 first. The drive and room of the Outlook made far surpassed the Volvo. Drove a the big Toyota SUV and a Yukon- GM got it right with this crossover. This summer, a 1200 mile family road trip was the most enjoyable car ride in memory. Kids were happy with room, headphones, and plugs for games. Seats were comfortable, and we averaged about 20/gallon. I was hoping for a little better gas mileage (EPA states 24 hwy), but other than that, no complaints.

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  Packed with Power, Loads of Fun - 2008 Saturn Sky
  By RedOne - October 8 - 12:10 pm

  I shopped for several months before deciding on the Sky. I love it! Its a head turner, for sure. Its fun to drive and does not leave anything to imagination. Ive owned sports cars before and the Sky is awesome. The gas mileage is about 26mpg. Nothing but the turbo would do for me! I havent gotten a speeding ticket... yet. Driving with the top down is great but I bought a rear wind screen and its even better. I am a middle aged woman who just earned a Masters degree in Education. I am the coolest teacher on campus. My teenage daughters think its pretty cool to drive moms car!

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  I Love This Car! - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By lemianillo - October 7 - 3:23 pm

  This is the best car Ive ever had. It has a lot of space, gas lasts a long time (compared with other cars Ive had), and there is nothing better than driving the manual version. I really love this car and I recommend it to everybody.

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  Finally got a well made car. - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By jkb3852 - October 7 - 2:00 am

  Bought a 2002. 6 mos. old, 11,000 miles - PERFECT. No trips to the dealer for repairs. Love it.