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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  My views on the VEW - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By WL Nelson - July 27 - 10:00 am

  At firstI was not to taken with the VEW however over time I have become quite fond of it. On the highway it holds the road well. I have not really had it of road enough to qulify it. I am not overly enthused with its gas milage and If you are runing around 50mph with the front windows up and the back down (so your dog can enjoy the ride)the vibration from the door panels flexing is deffening.[ this does not occure with all windows open or closed.] If you are planing to use it only in town you might consider the 4cyl. I have the 6cyl with AWD and am quite happy with it but will tell you more when I reach 100,000.

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  Fun Car to Drive - 2004 Saturn ION
  By Jessica - July 26 - 9:43 am

  This is my first brand new car. Also my first 5-spd. I love the power that it has and that its fun to drive. I feel very comfortable in it. I like all the features it came with: sunroof, cruise control, 6-disc CD changer w/ MP3. The only thing that we had to replace were the speakers...they were horrible! The CD player also seems to have some weird thing where it detects when the music is too loud and automaticaly turns it down. That can be very annoying. Other than that its a decent car for someone who wants something sporty, yet easier to get in and out of than a normal coupe. Also, had a leak under the door when it would rain that had to be fixed.

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  Great Minivan - 2005 Saturn Relay
  By dph414 - July 25 - 10:00 am

  Great Minivan. Almost no problems. Fun to drive, easy to drive. Have problems occasionally with the power sliding doors, and the rear windshield wiper also stopped working. Makes a "Groaning" sound when making sharp or tight turns.

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  The New VUE - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Obiwan - July 21 - 2:00 am

  Searching for a new family car, was a battle between pracitcality for my wife, and performance for me. Hondas CR-V, Pontiacs Gran Prix were on our list with the VUE. The VUEs Acceleration and handling was impressive. The fuel economy and overall price cinched the deal. There simply was no SUV on the market with all these perks, for this price. The newest version has had some exterior improvements that really made a difference. Overall, we love our new SUV. My wife feels safe, and can haul all her "stuff" around. Not that I do, but knowing I can go from 0 to 60 in 6.8s, does a lot for my performance needs!

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  Saturn SUV, Polar White - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By MistyTatianna - July 21 - 2:00 am

  The speedometer is not accurate. Everytime, it gets to 1,000, it clicks back to 0. It will not show the thousands. How do I know, if this particular SUV, did not have thousands of miles on it, because it just showed 34 when I purchased it. It doesnt have the amenities that my Saturn coupe had, such as fog lamps, which I depend on heavily, as I live in "fog" country. The defroster works great.

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  good car after 1 month - 2004 Saturn ION
  By danhurd - July 21 - 2:00 am

  i have owned saturns before and this one is the best so far. not disappointing.

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  Nice ride but gas is expensive. - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By Ajel - July 20 - 10:00 am

  The get up and go is really nice, there is a bit of torque steering mech sais that is because the turning rad is so short. Braking, snow handeling, & highway is fine, engine is a bit raspy, the auto trans can be jumpy. The Gas mi is 14/16city 18/21hwy, over 5400 miles. My 1989 Montero did 19city 24hwy. My VUE is gold, I recieve alot of great comments.

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  Great SUV - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Wolfman - July 13 - 10:00 am

  I just picked up my VUE a few days ago. So far, the vehicle meets or exceeds all expectations. The CVT transmission is glass smooth, and runs at lower RPM on the highway than even the manual transmission equipped VUE. Kudos to Saturn of Arlington. This is the first time Ive ever been allowed a 90 MILE test drive. Fuel mileage for its first fill up came in at 23.6 mpg - not bad considering the car had only a few hundred miles on the odometer. Fit and finish is superb. Im hoping that the same level of attention was given to the CVT. Acceleration is about average for a four cylinder vehicle this size.

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  my ion - 2004 Saturn ION
  By dab85032 - July 10 - 10:00 am

  so far has been great car

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  Great Value In A Sport Utility - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Dale Chesney - July 4 - 10:00 am

  I havent seen a better value in a SUV. The Saturn Vue gives you a good sense of security in all kind of driving conditions. Great road clearance, passenger room, cargo capacity and overall comfort. For my family, its our second vehicle, that usually gets picked as the first choice for those trips around town. The composite exterior suggest that my Vue will look like new many years from now.