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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  The Ion - 2003 Saturn ION
  By Ion Buyer - October 3 - 2:00 am

  I bought the new Saturn Ion in January, and I absoultely love it! It is cute, easy to drive, and fun. I am getting mixed reviews from my peers. They either love it or hate it. I have heard that the looks remind them of an Infiniti, Jetta, and Passat. Everyone agrees that the commericals are lame!! But, overall great car for the price.

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  Sporty XE For Me - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By JoeMerchant - October 2 - 12:56 pm

  The Aura provides the roominess my family wanted while remarkably providing the sporty feel of a coupe which I wanted. The XE is quick off the line, handles cornering like its glued to the road, and can be configured to turn heads. My Aura is Midnight Blue with the sporty 17inch twin-spoke alloys rims and a subtle fin on the trunk. I did not opt for the leather interior yet still find it fun to be inside.

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  VUE is a poor choice - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By drpassport - October 1 - 7:36 pm

  This is the 3rd Saturn I have owned. The quality of workmanship is poor at best. A month after I purchased this the rattles began. Just about every single person that has ridden in the vehicle has remarked about how loud the interior noise was on the road. I will never buy another. I am back with a Honda a loving everyday. Ah, the ability to have the windows up and not hear absolutely every sound is amazing. Mileage is not as good as they claim. I got 23 MPG on the highway. City driving was in the low 20s.

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  First time SUV owner - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Happy in Chattanooga - September 27 - 10:00 am

  After spending many hours on internet researching info on all current SUVs, we decided on the VUE. This is a quality vehicle, with great interior room for a mini-SUV. Also pleased with power and smoothness of engine, great visibility and style of the vehicle. Very pleasant and helpful staff at dealershhip.

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  Underwelmed - 2007 Saturn Outlook
  By Bob - September 25 - 2:46 am

  The mileage is way below what is advertised (17/24). I drive almost exclusively highway and am averaging about 16mpg. Geez, I got that in my 4WD Avalanche driving the same routes and speed. 6 speed transmission shifts out of overdrive on the mildest incline even at 70+mph on the highway. When going very slow the low gear pitches you around on wavey surfaces such as in a parking lot. It has that annoying accelerator lag, and it has a very pronounced shift lag when its cold out. Its free wheeled the engine (like missing the gear when trying to quick shift a stick?) when it lags and you take your foot off the gas. Gas gauge erratic, drops 1/8 in 20 mi or says on fumes with 1/4 left.

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  excellent - 2003 Saturn ION
  By Kody - September 21 - 10:00 am

  I just got this car about three weeks ago and I still love driving it. I fell in love with the style the first time I saw it, and after I drove it, I knew this was the car I wanted. It is very good on gas, it costs me about $17 to fill the entire tank. And the gas mileage is also very good. I only use about half a tank of gas in a week. Everything, the air conditioner, CD player, cruise control, etc., is very easy to use. The remote keyless entry is also very helpful. Overall, the car is very comfortable, drives very smoothly, and is a lot of fun.

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  Saturn - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By abbie - September 21 - 10:00 am

  I am a college girl and my Saturn is perfect for that. It is a cute and sporty SUV and has just enough room to hall stuff to and from college.

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  Love Our Saturn VUE - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By John Benoit - September 20 - 1:50 pm

  Have only had our VUE a couple of months, but are very pleased with its overall performance. We love the style, inside and outside. It handles really well, and we just love driving it. The gas mileage is very good, and thats a big plus. This is a vehicle anyone would love to own and drive from young to old. A great vehicle all in all!

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  Macs VUE - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By Bill - September 20 - 5:56 am

  I have been driving my VUE for almost two years now and I really enjoy it. The ride is good, the power is great, fuel economy could be better, but that is part of the price for the power.

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  Best Bang for Your Buck - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By JS - September 16 - 6:53 pm

  Redesigned for 2006, the Vue made some very nice improvements. The dash, front facade, and rear bumper are all redesigned. The engines are also quieter. The front seat folds flat (seems standard nowadays on most cars) and you get a free year of OnStar. There is also a passenger airbag display on the dash. The steering wheel includes radio controls and cruise controls. Electric/power locks and windows are also standard. Best of all, the price for the 2006 is actually less than the 2005. Moreover, the gas mileage is still good for an SUV (i.e., 22 city/27 hwy). Overall, I am happy with this purchase and enjoy driving it.