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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  Vue - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By Liza B - April 9 - 2:10 pm

  This is my fourth saturn. I turned in a 2003 ION as it was a terrible car. I am so happy with my VUE. Its what you expect from a new car, reliable, fun, and no headaches!

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  Great Vehicle - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By HPRET - April 8 - 10:00 am

  I have been a Saturn owner for a total of 4 years. This paricular Saturn was an exchange for the 4cyl model. I turned the CVT model in within the month exchange period due to bad press on the transmission. I ended up with the V6 Honda and it seems like a completely different vehicle. We took the car on a cross country trip. Climbing through the mountains is effortless.

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  A great combination - just quiet it down - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By TTAABOC - April 4 - 2:00 am

  Love the vehicle - is outstanding in snow and has plenty of room. Not having to worry about small dings and rust is very nice - they should really play that angle up more. Cars like the Acura are just wide expanses of soon-to- be-damaged sheet metal.

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  Luxury of a Minivan without the stigma! - 2009 Saturn Outlook
  By Lexi - April 2 - 5:16 pm

  We bought this car after doing a lot of research over the past year. We needed a car with 7 passenger seating, and we didnt want a minivan. Yes, the gas mileage needs to be improved, but isnt much less than a minivan. For the money, this car has it all. We got a back-up camera, cargo rails, a sunroof, and 7 passenger seating...a must when 2 car seats are installed to insure access to the back row. Speaking of the back row, there is enough room for a carseat (latch in the middle seat) and a normal sized adult on both sides, with out feeling too squished. Overall, I would recommend this vehicle to anyone who needs more than 5 passenger seating and is hesitant to but a minivan.

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  Tough to beat - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By gvreid - April 1 - 3:03 pm

  Bought the fully loaded version. Absolutely love this car, particularly on long highway drives. Effortless power and great passing ability. Great value for the money. Very classy and sporty at the same time. My wife wants to trade cars with me. No deal.

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  Try to find another area - 2006 Saturn ION
  By Razer - March 31 - 2:23 pm

  This car is great, I still haven`t driven to it`s maximum, it gets the heart racing especially when down shifting, real smooth, and with those seats, you stay in place

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  New VUE - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By Bill - March 31 - 10:46 am

  I just purchased a 2007 VUE back in October of 06 and have been very pleased with it thus far. I needed something that had a lot of cargo space and still got decent gas mileage. I got all that plus a nice looking, comfortable ride with all the amenities I could have wanted. I do a lot of in-town driving in my job and haul a lot of sizable equipment on a fairly regular basis. The fold down seats are great, I thought Id never use the cargo organizer but now I use it all the time. Gas mileage has been pretty consistent at about 22 mpg with a blend of city and highway driving. Im driving an SUV and filling up once every two weeks! Almost the same frequency as with my 2003 ION 4 cyl automatic

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  My 28th car - 2003 Saturn ION
  By 1st Saturn Buyer - March 30 - 10:00 am

  Een though I have had my Saturn for only 2 weeks, I feel that it rates a review. I rated it as a 10 because it is a great value. You get a lot of car for the money. I traded an Olds Alero for the Saturn. The ION 3 had more standard equipment than most other cars. The only options I have are ABS/TRAC and the Travel Package. For those of you who want more standard features on the ION 1, why didnt you get a 2 or 3? Then, you would have had your goodies as standard.

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  5th Saturn and Still Happy - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By amazingchop - March 30 - 10:00 am

  First thing I did after purchasing the VUE was a 2700 mile cross country trip and she performed exceptionally, even loaded to the max. Actual mileage 25- 27 mpg. Added trim kit to dress up console. Seats are very comfortable for long drives(2700 miles in 3 1/2 days is proof). She looks great,blue is great color. Sunroof noise with the cross rails are a bit noisy at high speeds, recommend the sunroof wind deflector. Turns on a dime, very manuverable in tight spaces. Cargo organizers and compartments are great to keep things from floating around in the back.

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  Fine With Me - 2003 Saturn ION
  By Smookiepooch - March 30 - 5:03 am

  I bought my Saturn at the end of 02 and at 133,000 its still going strong. Ive had some problems recently but with that many miles its bound to happen. My blinker went out but that was a recall item so it was fixed for free. The only 2 major problems I had was my key got stuck in the ignition and my fan went out, fixed both for under $200.