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:
Showing 21 through 30 of 3,767.00-
Fourth Saturn - 2003 Saturn ION
By RevJLS - October 16 - 10:00 amThis Ion replaced 2 SLs - one with 155000 miles. These are durable, fun cars. I look for the Ion to be equally durable. Fit and finish show an improvement over the SLs. Fun factor is high, and I love the center instrument cluster.
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Pleased Ion owner - 2003 Saturn ION
By flinch - October 16 - 10:00 amHave had it for 3,00 miles and cant find anything not to like.
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Love my Saturn - 2003 Saturn ION
By psugrad - October 16 - 10:00 amThis is the first car I purchased. I had been looking for several years for a new car when this came out. Knew exactly what I wanted and found everything in the ION. As always the Saturn staff were excellent. Frequently travel on long business trips and dont have any problem with being in the car for the duration.
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I love it! - 2003 Saturn VUE
By Jan Brooks-Long - October 16 - 10:00 amIts great! I love that Im a mom with a car that my daughter can get in and out of (shes 3)and I can transport alot of stuff, but I can still have my funky steering wheel cover, and my fabulous little SUV. The seats fold 40/60 style in the back & you can fit anything!
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could be better - 2003 Saturn VUE
By shady95 - October 16 - 10:00 amgreat little car, but slightly expensive when fully loaded considering the interior looks pretty cheesy compared to its competitors.little noisy,peppy 6cyl eng. great looking outside. they need to offer a sport package w/ larger tires/wheels,better dash and spare change and cup holders.Have heated leather seats that need better adjustments and should be electric for the price.
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VUEto economy - 2004 Saturn VUE
By Saturn Vue - October 8 - 2:56 pmI have the VUE AWS 3.5 which has the Honda motor and also the Honda Auto Transmission. I also pull a Jayco tent trailer and on oru last trip from California up to Montana and Idaho (mostly hills) I got an average of 20 miles per gallon pulling the trailer with it On normal commuting mostly stop and go I average around 21mpg The vehicle as plenty of power with 250 hp and accleration is very smooth as is the ride compared to mostt SUV vehicles. Handling is pretty good and stable, and the VUE is easy to get in and out of. Saturn really thought this one out and really did a good job with
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Great Value - 2003 Saturn VUE
By John H. - October 4 - 2:00 amThis is my third Saturn. I previously owned an SW2 and an L100. I was in a serious accident with my L last year, but came away unscathed. Im sold on the safety and reliability of Saturns, but wanted more car around me. Hence, my move to the larger Vue. Ive had the car for 15 months, and love it. I went with the 4-cylinder, to get better mileage. The acceleration and power are adequate. Ive read reviews from owners unhappy with various aspects of the vehicle, but my experience has been good. Ive had only one mechanical problem - a front rotor that was defective. No drivability problems.
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Needs Refining - 2007 Saturn Outlook
By King - October 3 - 3:50 pmWas very excited about initial purchase and like most buyers, noticed areas that can be improved upon. I expected fuel economy to be higher than 21 -still better than 17/18 with my 2005 Explorer. Im having issues with slack in the drivers pwr seat and all 4 of the function buttons on the mid dash suffer from intermittent operation. The sound system is worst than my 2003 Focus - I suspect the speakers are sub-standard. Overall I love the styling and comfort -especially the dual exhaust tips. Forgot to mention the service on the transmission after 2 months- leaking fluid due to a defective gasket.
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Amazing - 2005 Saturn ION
By DavePlaysDrums - October 3 - 1:16 amAdded the Stage II performance kit. Highly recommended. Well worth the money. This car performs comparable to the RX-8 (the other choice with the quad door configuration) but is more practical as a daily driver. 48,000 miles and still love it every time I get in!
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Terrible Road Noise - 2006 Saturn VUE
By Mary - September 23 - 11:50 amI bought my 2006 Vue new and have no complaints except for the road noise. I thought it was the tires so I changed and got new ones but it still is so loud. It sounds like a 4 wheel drive truck. It is a really loud humming noise and it about drives me crazy. I love everything else about the car except this noise. Excellent gas mileage, plenty of room. The seats could be a little more comfortable but not bad. The power it has is unbelieveable and when washed and cleaned up it looks brand new. If only I could cure the noise, I really dont think I could stand to go on a very long trip in it.
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Saturn Astra 133 Reviews
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Saturn Aura 381 Reviews
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Saturn ION 975 Reviews
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Saturn Outlook 266 Reviews
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Saturn Relay 111 Reviews
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Saturn Sky 171 Reviews
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Saturn VUE 1,730 Reviews