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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  So far, so good - 2009 Saturn VUE
  By Ryan - March 17 - 2:16 pm

  I bought my Vue after 4 months of researching SUVs. Having owned a 2001 Saturn SL1 I wanted to test drive the Vue. Im sure glad I did. My wife swears by her Mazda Tribute, but she quickly fell in love with the Vue. Fun to drive, ample power. Driver cockpit/instrument set up is great. Above all, I love the looks. All my neighbors cant believe their eyes when they see its a saturn. Fuel economy could be better, but nothing is ever perfect. Bravo Saturn.

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  Fun to Drive - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By Trekker - March 13 - 10:53 pm

  I bought my Saturn Vue Red Line this past Labor Day. Its fun to drive, great acceleration and smooth meshing of transmission and engine. Saturn did a good thing by using Hondas 250 horsepower engine and trasmission. MPG highway is about 26 miles per gallon, and city about 18-20. Not bad for an SUV with this type of get up and go.

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  Outlook buyers, look out! - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By LCS - March 9 - 7:45 am

  My car may have been a lemon, but I had issue after issue with my 08 Outlook. GM actually extended our warranty after we filed lemon law paperwork, which at least helped with the numerous costly repairs it needed. Oil leaks, fuel tank replaced, cylinder heads, power steering, A/C repair twice, and more. The XR model was comfy inside, however, and spacious enough for 3 kids and 2 dogs.

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  Great until something goes wrong - 2006 Saturn ION
  By Diane - March 8 - 1:50 pm

  I have only had my ION for 3 months. Needless to say when I was on the highway a deer decided that it liked my car better than me. So he took out the front end of it. looking at $6000.00 in damages. But my problem is that when it hit me my seat belts completly locked up and refuse to come loose at all. If it was anywhere near my neck it would have killed me. Now after most of the repairs have been done the body shop has had to order now 3 times seat belts and all of them have been defective. Needless to say all the other parts had to been ordered twice because they had cracks. This is not giving me a good opinion on Saturn at all.

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  Truckin Along - 2007 Saturn ION
  By huntermcc - March 8 - 10:55 am

  I have 120k miles on my ion 3 and its still truckin along just fine. At around 100k I had the infamous power steering glitch, it would go out till you restarted your car but after a week it stopped. Havent had it happen in 20k miles. Just keep up with your maintenance and change the oil every 3-5k and itll last forever. I havent had one thing go wrong since I got it at 65k. I am 64" and its not the most comfortable to get in and out of if your a big person, but other than that there is nothing to complain about.

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  I own 2 VUEs - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By Bobby Rawls - March 7 - 1:23 pm

  I have 2 and probably will continue to have at least 2. It does have a design problem when in muddy and wet conditions, but surely this will be attended by the next new model. I have spoken to Jay Wetzel (one of the original Saturn designers, now retired) and he is aware of this design flaw. I do have problems turning the key to start the car. The steering wheel locks, and the key will not turn without a lot of shaking and commotion.

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  Its turning heads - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By Kenne Dean - March 7 - 12:13 pm

  I live on a small island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and Im causing whiplash, the heads are turning so fast as I drive by. It is a totally impractical car, which is perfect for this island (Lanai, Hawaii). Im so happy I have chosen this car. The design is flawless, the execution less so. Already, after only a month of owning the car, I can see signs of wear on the rubber parts of the roof gaskets. Not a good sign. But I love the car, and wont trade it. Ive already gotten offers to buy it for more than my purchase price. Ive turned them all down, with a smile!

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  Initial Ownership Review - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By rpep1982 - March 7 - 8:56 am

  My initial experience with the 2007 Saturn VUE has been all positive. The VUE had 40410 miles on it when I got it and continues to satisfy. The interior appointments are classy without being gaudy and the exterior is smooth. The engine is quiet and powerful (3.5l V-6). The stereo is easy to use and the steering mounted controls limit the amount your eyes are away from the road. So far I am very satisfied with my purchase.

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  Ignition Switch etc - 2006 Saturn ION
  By Gary - March 7 - 3:23 am

  Saturn had always held themselves up to be a "different car company" and well, they are. Ive owned probably 20 cars in my life and never seen a company ignore a known severe problem (the ignition switch failure) leaving consumers to pay $700 or more to have repair work done. I marvel at the prior reviews - people posting here after they bought their Saturns. The fact is after a few years (we now have 45000 miles on our car) the thing begins to fall apart. Windows falling off, ignition wont turn off, bearings failing, its a real piece of you know what. I understand things fail but what is irritating is that known severe failures should cause the company to recall or reimburse.

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  Great car - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By dirtytoliet - March 6 - 2:26 pm

  We had a 2008 Saturn Vue and had problems so I took it back before the 30 day return was up and got an Aura. Best move I ever made on a car. The ride is great and if you turn the track control off you can leave smoke with the tires. Many people think its a Honda. And it cost many thousands less than a Camry.