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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  unhappy owner - 2005 Saturn Relay
  By saturn owner - September 2 - 2:00 am

  We have 2 powered doors and have had nothing but problems with them. They have opened while driving 75mph down the highway and GM is refusing to fix them even though we have a 16 page detailed service report of these on going problems. Put the doors aside and the other issues we have had with this very expensive vehicle and it is a great ride. It is a very comfortable and smooth ride. But I will never buy another GM vehicle again, we were sold a lemon of a vehicle and GM just tells us too bad. Hopefully not everyone is having the same problems we are. But I would not recommend buying this vehicle to anyone. The dvd screen is way too small for the kids to see it good from in back.

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  SATURN IS A JOKE! - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Brandi - September 1 - 2:20 am

  I just paid cash for what I thought was a reliable and "responsable" vehicle. 3 DAYS after i bought the car the transmission went completly out!! Ive contacted the Saturn company, the Warranty company and the dealer I bought from. Saturn says they are no longer rebuilding that transmission and are not at this time doing anythig for thier drivers. The warranty company tells me to find a transmission shop who will rebuild it for me (NO ONE WILL IVE CALLED!) and they are right now taking the Saturn Vue OUT of thier warranties!! I am trying to get the dealer to back me out of the deal and give me my money back! Saturn knows theyve screwed up and are not doing anything to make it right!!

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  Fun car to own. - 2004 Saturn ION
  By Papacat - August 30 - 2:00 am

  I love everything about it. Its costomizable and very fun to drive. Peppy engine.

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  my saturn - 2004 Saturn ION
  By kayk - August 30 - 2:00 am

  i have been a loyal saturn owner,my current saturn is my second and i love it as much as my first. i would recommend one to anyone.

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  Last GM junk that I buy - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Greg R. Hess - August 29 - 6:16 pm

  I purchased this nice looking suv with high hopes. Only to be disappointed once again by GM. This will be the last time I get burned by them. I have replaced a front left hub-wheel bearing that cost $455 and ever since 48,000 miles there has been a rumbling noise from under the hood and under neath the center of the suv. The dealership mechanic says that there are nothing mechanical to explain these noises! So I guess I have to be satisfied with paying $30,000 and having a problematic car. Unbelieveable! The big three wonder why the public is switching over to imports. They have lousy warranties, until of late but I bet theres a lot of red tape one goes through to have anything done!

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  Love my VUE - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By spring - August 27 - 12:03 pm

  I just got my VUE and I love it. I do however notice the wind noise while driving and the stainless steel pipe that ticks. I love the room and the height. I put less gas in the VUE than I did my Ford Taurus.

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  Best Car Ever! - 2005 Saturn ION
  By My_Shell - August 25 - 11:43 am

  Not only was the purchasing experience amazing but the car itself surpasses expectations! It is amazing to drive! Very sporty feeling on the road yet compatible with family needs. The back "suicide" doors are not only attention grabbers, but fun and functional. The center dash mount is easy to get accustomed to and is a great conversation piece. Love this vehicle. The $3000.00 in rebates right now make this vehicle more than affordable. What a great purchase!!

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  Worst car I ever owned! - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By cyoung430 - August 25 - 10:00 am

  This car with less then 20K miles has had to have numerous repairs which each took several trips to the dealer including a broken ac system, replaced the the canister vent soleniod, cracked driver mirror b/c of water leakage, the service engine light has gone off five times for various reasons, and other small repairs. After two trips to the dealer and over 3 hrs of waiting, the dealership would not give a rental car as promised in the warranty I purchased from Saturn because they can only bill for 1.2 hrs, not 2. I would recommend never to buy this car, but anyone purchasing a Saturn Vue should question the quality of this car.

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  Good Commuter Car - 2006 Saturn ION
  By epic_sandwich - August 24 - 6:36 am

  Ive owned my 06 Ion for 4 years, purchased used from a Saturn dealer with 22k on the clock. It just passed 80k the other day and thus far has been a good car. Average 33mpg, over 40 on trips. Issues thus far: AC compressor failed (replaced under warranty), power steering motor failed (out of warranty, dealer wanted $1300 to fix, I bought a used ps motor off eBay and did it myself for $80 bucks), ignition module failure (twice, $82 part at AutoZone), and now the front right wheel has a bad bearing and is causing excessive road noise. Most of the problems are easy and quick to fix, no car is 100% failure proof and I think this car is a good trade-off. People have unrealistic expectations.

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  Saturn Vue; Fun to Drive - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By LLM - August 24 - 4:53 am

  The Saturn Vue is surprisingly fun to drive and even with the 4 cylinder 2.2 engine it has plenty of pep. It gets approximately 29 miles per gallon on the road, and has a great sound system for a standard system. Naturally the "view is great and it has unobstructed side windows and rear windows for easy driving. All in all its an enjoyable driving SUV at an affordable price for those of us who cant afford a Lexus or Land Rover.