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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  Love my Vue - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By darbo - March 21 - 10:00 am

  I love the comfort of my Vue. The seats are a good height for easy entry into and exit from vehicle. Dont have to step up or slide down into it. I really like the white gauges and the easy alignment of them. It rides more like a car than a truck. It has great pick up power that makes getting onto the highway so much easier. I think overall it handles good and offers a comfortable ride.

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  2004 Saturn Vue - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Joel Moon - March 21 - 10:00 am

  The Saturn Vue is an absolute blast to drive!!! The V6 is fast and nimble. 250 horsepower pushing this light weight vehicle will allow you to humiliate any Jeep, Tahoe or Explorer in your path. The exterior design is beautiful. The Vues distinctive design is both modern and unique. The interior is a disappointment compared to the rest of the SUV. Although I like the design of the interior, the materials used make it look cheap and "plasticy". Also the "fit and finish" of the passenger areas needs much improvement.Youd think Saturn could have spent a couple of bucks on better quality plastic. The switches, gauges, A.C. and stereo all work well and are easy to access.

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  Its the Color for Me - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Sonja Pasa - March 21 - 10:00 am

  Though this may seem shallow in the purchase of a car, I guess I am a typical woman as color always matters to most of us I understand. However, when the Lime color came out in 2004 I was so hoping to get it however I was not ready to not ready financially to do it. Then I decided to buy the 2005 in hopes the color was available, it was not. I decided on the Pepper Red, however, as I was walking out of the dealership, I spotted the Lime green one and purchased it instead, though it was only a 4 cylinder. I am so happy with the color and constantly get told its such a great color! You should bring it back! Get more good comments on it.

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  New to Saturn - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Happy2be - March 21 - 10:00 am

  I love my Vue, its perfect for what I need a car/suv for. Im in the homehealth field, put a lot of miles on a vehicle and travel in desert areas. The Vue seats me high enough for the dirt roads, handles well, gets great mileage, has plenty of space for my supplies and perfect for taking the kids to soccer practice, grocery shopping, ect. I feel very safe in my car.

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  My retirement vehicle - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Biker Bob - March 21 - 10:00 am

  Im an old fart moving south for retirement. Didnt like any of the colors offered so settled on white. It actually looks better than I thought and it is easy to keep clean. Was looking at mini vans but decided on the Vue because it had a higher horsepower engine, 5 speed auto, (both by Honda) side curtain air bags, was a bit more compact, and has good towing capacity for my soon to be purchased Aliner camper. Gas mileage was also important and the Vue does come close to the sticker estimate. The Vue could be quieter at highway speeds but considering my previous vehichle was a Lexus LS400 its no wonder I feel that way.

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  I love my Vue - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Eldugoutmom - March 21 - 10:00 am

  As the owner of 3 other Saturn Vechicles this one is my 4th one, the first was a 96 Saturn coupoe which mind you has 170,00 miles on it and my daughter is still driving, when the Vue came out, I loved the look right off the get go and I knew that there would be one in my future for sure, after a trip to cheerleading camp and having to borrow my brothers Z-71 pickup truck and paying for the gas on this trip , as soon as We returned home from Panama city I told my husband that it was time to check on trading my coupe for the vechile, the first long road trip that we took in it was to Orlando last thanksgiving, WOW, what a traveling machine it was, could get so many things in it with no effort

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  Dens Ion 1 review - 2004 Saturn ION
  By Ion Den - March 21 - 10:00 am

  I purchased my Ion July 13, 2004 and have logged 12,000 miles to date (10-9- 04). On a recent trip to PA, I managed to get 35mpg wich is above the 32 rating, which made me very happy. I havent had any problems as of yet with the car and am more than pleased with my purchase.

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  This Is A Great Car - 2004 Saturn ION
  By valleyme - March 21 - 10:00 am

  I love this car. Its fun and easy to drive. Very peppy. The dealership was easy to work with. When my youngest is old enough to drive Im going to give her my Ion and buy another Saturn.

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  saturn sucks - 2004 Saturn ION
  By glori970 - March 21 - 10:00 am

  bought a saturn ion in march 2004, never ever again will i purchase or drive a saturn. brand new car with fuel pump issues, catalytic converter problems, engine has a tendency to stall while in motion. when another car hit mine in a parking lot, the quarter panel was literally torn apart. can only be grateful that i had no passengers at the time. car is advertised as being dent-proof, cant prove it by the hail damage sustained. gas guzzler, i got better mpg with a 94 s10.

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  Noisey Vue - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By bob0029 - March 12 - 10:00 am

  Vue looks great cant complain about that. As far as noise the engine sounds like tin cans rolling around the engine compartment. Brakes and steering are great. Ride is also great. The Vue feels a little light on bumps. The only and real complaint is the V6 Engine in the FWD 2003 Vue. Have to keep the radio on to not hear the engine.