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:

• 

  At 2 1/2 Saturn ION Still Fun to Drive - 2004 Saturn ION
  By njame - October 12 - 4:40 pm

  After 2 1/2 years of ownership and 51,000 miles, I still get a lot of enjoyment and satisfaction from driving my Saturn ION 3 Quad Coupe. Its body is still shiny, sleek, and beautiful, it still has great pick up, and it still gets around 30 mpg for me overall. Ive had no mechanical problems, and only regular maintenance such as oil and filter changes, wiper blades, and two new tires so far. I really like that it tells me when to change its oil.

• 

  dont buy! - 2003 Saturn ION
  By Liz - October 12 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car about 7 months ago. Since then I have had nothing but trouble. There have been 2 recalls, the cd player skips constantly, a plastic piece inside was unattached completely and worst of all, the car never starts. Yeah, itll start once in a while, but most of the time I have to jump it or keep turning the key for 1/2 hour. Its been to the dealership twice for that same problem, no solution. Its a cute car, yet it feels flimsy. I got in an accident a month ago and the whole right side of the car needs to be replaced because its plastic, and there wasnt even that much damage. It does not handle well in snow.

• 

  2004 Saturn vue redline - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By johnny4 - October 12 - 2:00 am

  The red line is very good looking compared to the standard vue. The gas mileage is excellent for the power you recieved. The honda powerplant is excellent.

• 

  Great car - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By Michelle - October 9 - 8:36 am

  This car has been great, especially for camping trips with my two large dogs and boyfriend. Ive had only one minor problem with it. About one year in; the starter was sticking. I took it to the dealership to get it fixed (it was still under warranty) and I havent had any problems with the car since. Its fun to drive, and feels more like a car than an SUV. The gas mileage is also pretty good for the size of the car. The turning radius is amazing, which helps in small spaces. All in all, Im super happy with this vehicle. I plan to drive it until the wheels fall off!

• 

  No spin review - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By No spin review - October 8 - 10:10 pm

  My V6 AWD VUE looks nice on the outside, but exterior look is strictly for those that are looking. Chrome package is OK. Forget running boards. They look good but mine actually get in my way. Get mud flaps. The VUE kicks up a lot of dirt and the interior of the doors gets pretty nasty. Get the sunroof air deflector; it eliminates horrendous noise when the sunroof is opened. Rooftop cross rails are pretty, but not sure if they are needed. Some VUE accessories need to be installed by the dealer. Mine tried to whack me with an additional $300.00 over quoted but agreed to eat the cost. Order the extraÂ’s online and install them yourself. 180 watt upgraded stereo is a waste of money.

• 

  Disappointed soon after purchase - 2006 Saturn ION
  By SaturnDriver - October 8 - 2:43 pm

  I purchased this vehicle to remain a domestic car driver and enjoyed the hassle-free purchase at a decent cost. Since then, Ive continually been disappointed by a brand that used to be so strong. Most recent issues that has caused me to post this review is the failure and consequent $1000 cost to repair my power steering. I have learned that hundreds of 2006 Saturn Ion owners have had the same issue and hope any who read this will lodge complaint in order to encourage official recall (and reimbursement for cost of your repair).

• 

  Glad I got it. - 2007 Saturn Outlook
  By dhmga - October 8 - 10:03 am

  Got this car because we needed the room. (5 grandkids) Came out of a Mercury Grand Marquis and have been really surprised at how much quieter and more comfortable this one is. We have made two extended trips so far and I am not impressed with the gas mileage getting 21.1 overall on both trips. Being a realist, this is about what I would expect from a vehicle of this size. My problem with the mileage is it is too far off from the estimates for it to not be intentional in my opinion maybe to keep from scaring some people away. We have yet to find anything bad about the car. Take a serious look at this one if you need more than 5 seats

• 

  Right Car for me - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By rocket ron - October 7 - 10:00 am

  I have had my new VUE for over a month and have been very happy with it. I think the car is a great deal for the money. It has all the features (V6,AWD, 5A) that foriegn car makers are charging 10K more for. I had a problem with the exhaust that was fixed quickly by the dealer with no complaints. Would be happy to recommend the car to anyone interested. Much better than RAV4, CRV, Liberty, Escape.

• 

  just purchased - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By jpferg - October 7 - 10:00 am

  dont understand negative reviews on the 2004 v6 awd vue. looked at the chevy sister version without honda engine and has no comparison as to performance and style. never looked at 2003 version so maybe someone is confused on comparison. i traded in a buick rendevous with the underpowered 3.4 v6 as used in the chevy equanox suv and cannot beleave some one would puchase after driving the 3.5 honda engine in the vue. wake up you professional test drivers.

• 

  Great For The Price! - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By Paul - October 3 - 2:26 pm

  I tested this car against the Jeep Liberty and Honda CRV. Although the Jeep felt tighter and more refined overall, the Vue was much more comfortable and easier to handle. The Vue also offers more interior space than either the Jeep or the Honda. Although Ive only had the vehicle a short time, I expect that the Honda engine will more than stand the test of time. We also own a 2000 Saturn L200, which has given us five years of carefree service; we certainly expect the same of the VUE.