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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  Overall a great car - 2004 Saturn ION
  By dagda567 - May 5 - 8:10 pm

  We bought the ion for a nice, cheap car with good gas mileage. My fiance loves the styling and the interior, although to me the exterior looks kinda odd. The seats are fine for around town but i wouldnt want to take a road trip in it. The dash console position is strange but I actually kinda like it. Controls are all very easy to reach and the gas mileage is great. For an economy car it actually rides very nice. And GMs 2.2 Ecotec engine is absolutely flawless. I feel very safe with that engine because of its reliability record.

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  Its my VUE - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By Renee - April 30 - 12:50 pm

  1st time Saturn purchaser went from a Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer Ed. to a VUE FWD 6 and I Love, Love, Love it. Gas mileage is great Its fun and comfortable to drive I have put 2300 miles on it since the end of August. The interior is really nice and I feel that I can actually pack more into this vehicle than I could the ford. The wind noise is a little loud at times and the passenger seat isnt as comfortable as the drivers but its definetly better that my old SUV. I have the comfort package and love the dual temp heated seat(usually only have 1 temp in other vehicles) This is a fun vehicle and I can plug my IPOD right into the dash which I havent seen on any other vehicle(even high end)

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  Great Family Vehicle - 2007 Saturn Outlook
  By txsoldier94 - April 26 - 3:20 am

  The Outlook is a great vehicle for families. 8 Seats is large enough for most families and then some. It does not have as much interior cargo space as some of the other full-size SUVs, but it can still carry quite a bit. All-in-all a favorite in our family.

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  Underrated - 2006 Saturn ION
  By GL - April 24 - 11:50 pm

  I bought an ION 3 Automatic and have been very impressed with it. My wife loves the European look to it & are very happy with it so far. The performance is excellent, even as an automatic, noise levels are low & highway driving is calm & quiet. Ive driven 03 IONs & Saturn have made major steps with this model since then. 1 year of free OnStar is also a major bonus...Great peace of mind. This & the 5 star safety rating contribute to low insurance rates. All in all, were very satisfied with the car & the Saturn dealer experience.

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  1st Hybrid, So Far, So Good - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By tex - April 22 - 1:03 am

  We were instantly interested in the Green Line when we first saw it. We moved from a mini-van to the VUE to keep with the good mpg and cargo capacity. We ordered the car the way we wanted it (with all the options) and find it to be comfortable, practical, and economical. Mileage has been as advertised, running 26 mpg on the first tank in the dead of Wisconsin winter, to between 29 and 33 in early summer - mostly rural driving. The options have been worth it, especially the sunroof, heated seats, and XM radio. Drive it like a hybrid (easy does it) and be rewarded with good milage and decent handling - like a sports car (its *not* one) and be disappointed. Looks nice outside, OK inside.

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  Reliable and Safe - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By wgpenguin - April 20 - 5:40 am

  I bought my Vue used in 2004 with 16,000 miles. I have had a couple of big things go wrong (transmission control module, water pump), but thats to be expected in a 9 year old, lower end car. I bought an after market extended warranty for $1,500 that is still in effect even now, and its been worth it. I now have over 120,000 miles on it and I still feel like its very reliable. My sister in law also had one - rolled it 9.5 times on the interstate and walked away with just bumps and bruises. Very safe!

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  Great to Drive but failure in warranty - 2008 Saturn Sky
  By Bonnieb4 - April 19 - 6:46 am

  This car does turn heads everywhere I go. Kids walking to school give me a thumbs up. People stop me to ask about the car... still! The handling in the mountains is awesome. It corners with plenty of power, no need to downshift with this machine.

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  VUE holding up OK - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By relantel - April 16 - 12:56 pm

  The 2004 VUE has held up well over the 3+ years we have had it. (69k on it in 39 months) No major complaints other than Saturn reneging on a warranty repair to the radio (it would not keep time) earlier this year. The 04 has a Honda engine - about the only reason we havent traded it in given our other difficulties with Saturn of late. Rear seat legroom is a bit cramped in the VUE. The audio system (6-disc in-dash changer) is a good one, and the original tires held up a full 60k before being replaced. It could use more than the front airbags, and the rear drum brakes, even though ABS, are a drawback as well.

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  4 Year Review Of the Vue - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By DC270 - April 10 - 5:13 am

  This vehicle replace a 2000 Toyota Avalon with 118k miles. This car was bought new. It was quite good on styling and the comfort level was good for a vehicle this size and type. Ebgine performace was exceptionally good for a V6 type. The quality started ear;y on with the windshiled washer motor going out twice and some of the interior harware coming apart or just breaking with normal use. This was aggrevating and a dissapointment. We had the typical 65k brake job but did not expect the rear main seal of the transmission to go out after 65k miles11 This required the trans to be pulled and was a $600+ expense. I am not so much impressed with this vehicle now- the reliability is BAD!

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  Pleased overall - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By harperfam - April 4 - 6:36 pm

  Purchased the vehicle about four months ago as a cheaper form of transportation. We had owned an SUV prior. Overall the vehicles appearence and quality seems good. The interior has a Audi-esc appearence but not Audi quality. It is not bad quality it could just have a little better materials. However the fuel milage has been disappointing. It actually is getting worse mileage than the Honda CRV it replaced. In mixed, conservative driving it is only getting about 21.5 MPG. Very disappointing.