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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  Great features vs. Not so Great!!! - 2005 Saturn ION
  By what does this mean? - March 20 - 1:46 am

  The horn is very hard to locate in a moving emergency. This was dangerous to me and my vehicle initially. The driver in front of me attempted to back up, claiming afterward that he couldnt see me thru his darkened windows. He damaged the front of my 3 day old car. I had to look away from him to precisely locate the two little horn symbols which werent too loud!! This cost $1200 to repair and five days of rental cars! The car is too low when approaching parking curbs and also when trying to judge turning radius. The radio designations and clock are impossible to view in daylight.

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  Its been a good car to me... - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By KAC1111 - March 16 - 8:43 am

  Ive loved having this car over the past 5 years. Its been reliable and has held up in looks and performance. Ive been extremely pleased with the aesthetics of both the interior and the exterior. I could never be happy with a car that lacked in either of them. The size has also been great. But now I have 2 large dogs and a child and sadly, there is not enough space when we go camping, etc. But Ive really loved this car even with its imperfections, i.e. the noises and the steering wheel stereo controls that change function from day to day. This will make a great used car when its time for me to sell.

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  2008 Saturn Outlook XR 4dr SUV (3.6L 6cy - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By Best ever! - March 14 - 5:20 pm

  The best and most comfortable, quiet car I have ever owned. We drive to Fl over 1500 miles, and I usually spend about eight hours behind the wheel! With this car I feel as though I could keep on driving all day and night. My only gripe is the gas mileage. I am hoping as I drive it more, that it gets better.

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  good so far - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By grobby - March 12 - 5:03 pm

  I bought this car new a year ago. Its the 2.2 engine. Leather seats and sunroof. So far this has been a great car. I have 22,000 miles on it. I know others think that it is load inside, I actually dont. The car handles well and gets good gas mileage. I think that 06 Saturn was the best small SUV on the market at the time. The 06 had a make over both inside and out. I think it looks much better than the earlier models. I drove them all and settled on the Saturn. I really enjoy it

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  So far so good - 2006 Saturn ION
  By Puck - March 11 - 1:06 pm

  Just purchased the 06 and so far were happy with it, for the most part. The sticker said 26/32 for the mileage, and through the first three fill-ups were only getting about 18.8 MPG. Our driving is about 50-50 local and highway travel, so I certainly expected better... Time will tell.

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  new 2008 for 2010 - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By reignpua - March 1 - 7:23 pm

  I just bought an 08 2dr auto new 74 miles on it two weeks ago. I have drive 700 miles thus far and love it . i did notice some wind noise from the windows on the freeway like they dont seal well. The car is very impresive overall. Handelling is better than my celica! weird!?

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  Happy to be rid of it - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By finally free - February 25 - 10:46 am

  At 32K the transmission went. Are you kidding me? I was initally worried about the strenght of the 4cyl as I do a lot of on and off highway driving. I was assured that I wouldnt notice the difference from the V6. I was wrong. More often than not the car would stop as I was pulling out on the hw....not very safe. Very disappointing for the amount you pay and the fact that this car depreciates at an unreasonable rate.

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  5 Saturns & the best is the new Vue - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By Steve - February 24 - 9:26 pm

  Since 1996, I have owned 3 S series, an L300 and the 2008 Vue. I have experienced the Saturn evolution firsthand and, overall, am very satisfied with the brand. The new Vue is my first SUV and, so far, I have nothing but praise for the experience. I have been driving it for a week and the ride is very comfortable and the styling, both interior and exterior, is the finest Saturn has offered. I bought the 4 cylinder model for economy and drive 60 on the freeway and have averaged 22- 27 combo. Coupling this engine with a 6-speed transmission would improve the driving performance, though. The increased storage and bigger/better glove box are definite pluses.

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  Not so happy - 2007 Saturn Outlook
  By Rhonda - February 18 - 12:46 am

  Have had problems with the brake fluid leaking. On 3rd time taking it in, they found a leak in the master cylinder. First they told me they must not have topped it off at the factory and they added fluid. Next they said its hard to see the fill line so they added more fluid. Next they found the leak. There is something broken in the vent and Im waiting for parts (its been 3 weeks). The middle right seat squeaks though they cant seem to duplicate it. The acceleration is sluggish especially on a hill. The automatic start is terrible! You may as well get in the vehicle you have to be so close for it to work. The gas mileage is very low.

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  Vue put the fun back in driving - 2009 Saturn VUE
  By Ljames - February 17 - 2:53 am

  I traded in my Lexus RX 330 about 2 weeks ago for the Vue Redline. While the quality of the interior materials cannot compare - the Vue certainly did put the fun back in my commute. The Vue is sporty to drive, quick response, easy to maneuver(u turns, tight parking spots). The interior headroom is better than my RX, but the front legroom is a little tight. Sales experience was good, financing with incentives made it easy. Hopefully the quality holds up and Ill be driving my Vue for many years.