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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  Worst Saturn Built - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Jessica - November 24 - 6:36 am

  Ever since I purchases the VUE, I have had nothing but trouble with the transmission. I had so much trouble that they had no choice but to extend my warranty for the transmission. I have been back and forth to the dealership at least 10 times. Every time I go in, the problem does not get fixed. If they do "fix" the problem, it stays "fixed" for about a month before the transmission starts to act up again. I have had at least 3 loaner cars while they tried to fix mine. Since I did have to have the loaner car, I am not going to buy a model from another dealership that I drove while my Saturn was being "fixed".

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  S - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By awd - November 22 - 10:00 am

  Have had to take it to the dealership 4 times because of steering column noises..Vehicle is not heavy enough for the engine it has..Not fun to drive in the city..Doesnt shiled outside noises very well.

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  Love my Vue - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By lwhiteley - November 22 - 10:00 am

  I havent had my Vue very long, but so far I love it! I bought the red line model right off the show room floor and wouldnt trade it for anything! It looks good and drives excellent! In five years I hope to trade it in on another Vue.

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  It is about time - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Cook911411 - November 22 - 10:00 am

  I have always been a domestic car buyer. Why? I could have spent less in repairs if I bought a Camry or Accord 5-10 years ago. Then I hear Saturn is using Honda 3.5L motors and trannys. It is about time. Obviously U.S. autos lack the refinement and reliability (GM still puts a pushrod V6 in everything.) Remember Pontiac? Cavalier, Sunfire? Why is it so loud and creaky in American cars after a few years? As an unsatisfied owner of a 96 Impala SS (the pinnacle of American rear wheel drive cars) with 85K miles on it and $6K in non-maintenance repair bills, I vowed to never buy American again. Now I am an owner of a Saturn. My mom has had a few SL1s w/ 120

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  coldmomma@aol.com - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Geraldine M. Taylor - November 22 - 10:00 am

  Ilove my Vue and its fun to drive

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  BEST OF THE BEST - 2004 Saturn ION
  By BEANIEMAN - November 22 - 10:00 am

  SATURN IS THE BEST FOR DRIVING EXPERIENCE...FOR GAS, (MPG) AND AUTO INSURANCE..ITS RATED AS ONE OF THE LOWEST TO INSURE BECAUSE OF SAFETLY AND POLAMER PANELS THROUGHOUT

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  Owner since 1991 - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By neal - November 21 - 5:06 pm

  Have owned Saturns since 1991. This is no. 5. Each with over 100,000. They just keep getting better and better. Especially like the tap/shift in icy conditions. Like having all the accessories added in the origional vehicle build.

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  Aura: nice mix of GMs best stuff - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By Steve Hedke - November 21 - 11:53 am

  Our Aura XR is our fourth Saturn, and shares garage space with an XK-E, TR3, and a 29 Ford hotrod. This car combines great performance, style, and reliability with super dealership support. The XR is a fine daily driver, but great for motoring trips. Quiet, really quick when using the Allison 6 speed paddle shifter in manual mode, and sticks to the road like no sedan weve ever owned. Directly compares to the Lexus ES but the Aura handles better. The Caddy 3.6 with VVT is silky smooth and hard to tell when its running: the tach is necessary. If this car is indictative of the new models Saturn has in store, with their excellent dealerships the marque will be more popular than ever.

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  Very Happy Vue Owner - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By dwweiss - November 21 - 8:30 am

  Drove from Little Rock to Virginia the day that I bought the vehicle. The first trip was a total of 1950 miles at a average MPG of 25.5. A steady delight on the highway. Since then have mainly had commute and round town experience. Just as pleased with local driving. Now have around 3000 miles on the odo. V6 is peppy, smooth, quiet. Smooth shifting 5speed automatic. In town mileage has been between 15 and 18 MPG. Recently had snow/ice - was able to go where others slid. I am very pleased with this purchase.

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  Economy - 2007 Saturn ION
  By ed - November 19 - 10:30 pm

  I researched compadible vechicles, and either the price for what I needed and the fit for size and comfort was not met by these other options. This vehicles runs great, handles nicely and even though it is not a stick, the 2.2l engine still gave me 34.6 miles per gallon for highway driving on its first road trip. This is impressive considering it is larger than the Saturn SL2 that I could squeeze as much as 40 miles to the gallon under certain conditions, but was to small for taller passangers. I will keep an eye on it to see what overall performance will be in the future, having owned a Saturn in the past, I believe it will be impressive.