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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  Fun and Reliable - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Saturnbug - November 22 - 2:00 am

  This car has been great. People say my car needs a saddle because of the way I drive. This car has been a dream to drive. It handles very well & pick up is fantastic. I am short and its 8" ground clearance suits me just fine. My husband is quite tall & doesnt need to climb out of it. The interior is really comfortable & well appointed. The added cargo carrier in the back makes carting groceries easy. The exterior design is attractive. The 17" aluminum alloy wheels give it a real sporty feel. The sales people at the dealership were excellent. They walk you through every aspect of the purchase. I will continue to purchase from Saturn.

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  Midsize Vue - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By BJATCN - November 22 - 2:00 am

  I just purchased a 2004 Saturn Vue. My first time as a Saturn owner, and I have to say that the performance and the overall style of the vehicle are great. I had a 2002 Chevy Trailblazer and I like that car with only 20,000 miles. But I trade my cars in every two years. I would greatly recommend anyone to buying a Saturn Vue. I like having a midsize SUV.

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  Great Deal, Great Car - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By mbb - November 22 - 2:00 am

  I traded in a 2001 Jeep Cherokee, and I havent looked back. The Saturn is well laid out, has great features, and is a steal of a deal. Dont pass up looking at this great car.

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  Saturn Vue product low quality - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By Rey - November 22 - 1:20 am

  Purchased 2007 Vue new and noise was experienced days after it was purchased. After several visits to the shop to identify and correct noise we decided to live with the noise. Two years later a vehicle started shuddering when stopping. After taking Vue to the shop 3-times we were told problem could not be identified. Shuddering is more prominent now especially when the reverse gear is on.

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  I love this car! - 2009 Saturn Outlook
  By Anonymous - November 19 - 2:00 am

  This is by far the most elegant and stable suv I have ever owned. Ive had a Chrysler Pacifica, a Jeep Commander and my last was a Ford Edge. They all pale in comparison to the Outlook.

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  Horrible, save yourself the hassle! - 2007 Saturn ION
  By CourtneyT - November 18 - 3:50 pm

  I bought this car in Dec 2007 for a birthday gift to myself. Ii am 19 and had never owned a new car. Well lets just say if I could go back and get a different car I would! At 3000 miles my car was in the shop 2 times for clunking while doing u turns, which they replaced the tire well and it still continues today, and also a chirping in the tires. They tell me there is nothing wrong with it, also still going on today. I have 8000 miles on my car & I have been to the shop 9 times for the reasons above and now clunking in the back of the car as well as brake clunking. My rotors have been replaced for being warped after 2000 miles. and the tire well, also things have been falling off the car!

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  Consider the VUE. - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By ITTech - November 18 - 11:53 am

  Wow, I never thought that Id seriously consider a Vue but here I am and I love it. The Honda V6 is great and actually matches the gas mileage rating of my old car (00 Pontiac Grand Am GT). Plenty of space for my job-related activities and for fun. The interior look, with the wood- grained panels, and clean finish makes the Vue look more expensive than it really is. Add on the GM [powertrain warranty, OnStar, and other incentives for all 07 models and this is a cant miss buy. Check it out before you give up on GM!

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  Impressed with this car - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By mmmaxheadroom - November 17 - 1:30 am

  Was looking for a new vehicle for my wife and found this gem. Only problem so far is giving up the keys to the wife, I wanna drive it waaahhh! This car has put the fun back into the small car GM lineup, that the ION, Cobalt, etc. took away from all of us. When I was looking at replacing our 02 Pontiac, the Vibe and Mazda3 were on the short list. I am 66" tall so I wont even discuss the Hondas, either Fit or Civic because at 66" those things are impossible. I wont say the Astra fits me perfect but it is relatively comfortable for me. After driving the Astra I can honestly say Fun car, with sharp handling and good fuel mileage to boot. This car is truly a euro car here in the USofA.

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  Great little car - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By PaFromFL - November 16 - 1:50 pm

  Im really enjoying my Astra. For its size, it provides a surprising amount of room and comfort. The driver gets generous legroom, plenty of clearance from the tilt and telescoping steering wheel, and a wide range of seat adjustments. The engine seems happy lugging along at 1500 rpm, and I have yet to stall it even though I hadnt driven a manual in many years. It handles very well in spite of the torsion rear axle (as opposed to fully independent). The Astra can be more fun to drive around town than my BMW 330i and Chrysler 300C because I can push its limits without instantly violating traffic laws.

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  2004 Vue - Transmission Problem??? - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By nocal826 - November 16 - 2:00 am

  We purchased a 6 cyl FWD04 Vue from Saturn of Sunrise.If the Vue performs like the sales reps,then we hit a grandslam,we LOVE the Vue with one exception...the 5-sp auto trans hesitates when it is about to change gears,it seems as if it is not sure what gear it wants to be in.Weve brought it back to service.They have test driven it/hooked it up to the computer. They say everything seems normal.However,it is starting to bother us.After driving the Vue for another week we called the dealer and asked if they would drive our Vue for a few days tofeelthe problem.Saturn has been eager to assist.Has anyone else had this type of problem?