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:

• 

  Excellent small SUV - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By nmlobo - September 14 - 11:40 am

  Owned this SUV for 7 carefree months. The vehicle meets and betters all expectations. Fuel economy is excellent. It averages 20/21 MPG in all city driving and 30/31 with all hway driving. It even achieved 35 MPG on one leg of a long trip.

• 

  Fast and fun - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By LA Commuter - September 13 - 10:10 am

  I love my wifes car! This is best car I have driven in years and I am super jealous and want one for me. We got the bronze with black interior + woodtrim package. We get rave reviews from eveyone who sees and are consistently asked what kind of luxury car is it?

• 

  Little Hot Rod - 2004 Saturn ION
  By mytdawg - September 12 - 9:30 pm

  I always thought a supercharged 4 cylinder would be cool but nobody made one at an affordable price point. I saw one of the few advertisements for the Red Line and thought it would be cool. I found a demo model at 20% discount but I wasnt sold until I drove it. Most low end power Ive ever seen in a 4 banger. I was driving in 4th gear in a 25 zone and it wasnt lugging. They let me take it home for the weekend and I put 500 miles on it. I didnt want to give it back to get prepped. Stage 2 modifications made it even meaner. I drive it hard but store it through the winter. I have had no problems with it.

• 

  Good for the Money. Would buy again - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Josh - September 12 - 2:00 am

  I bought my 2003 Saturn Vue 4 cylinder with a 5 speed manual transmission. I read on this site that the CVT were garbage but the manuals were worth the money. I love my car. I drive back and forth about 120 miles per day working about 1.5 hours away from my home. I bought the car with 70,000 miles on it. I just passed 105,000 miles and it is still running strong! The car is fun to drive. The only improvements I would have is that create stain free carpets and a quieter ride. The car is a little noisy on the highway. Saturn Customer service could be a little better because when calling for a particular part, I was given the run around. All in all, a great buy for the quality and price.

• 

  Happy so far - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By ARETY - September 9 - 2:00 am

  Just bought a new VUE for my wife a week ago. I looked for a used lexus rx300 for six months but could not find the right one at the right price. Only have 200 miles on it so far but all is good. Very solid and quite capable in our latest Michigan snow storm. Smooth ride and no rattles yet. The Vue is not as well appointed as the lexus but it was under $26,000 out the door and the 2001 RX300s were around $28,000 with 40-50 thousand miles on them. The 3.5L honda motor is SMOOTH. With 70 more horsepower than last year this is a true 7 second second cute-ute. I would have bought the redline but my wife didnt like the stiffer ride.

• 

  A Saturn Convert - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By resQjim - September 9 - 2:00 am

  V-6 has great "get up & go".. Steering is no problem if you know a vehicles strong points as well as limitations. Interior is nice...Not a car for status symbol drivers but it looks like this is a "winner" as you get the best "bang for your buck"

• 

  You cant go wrong with this SUV - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By BlackOnyx - September 9 - 2:00 am

  This is one reliable SUV from Saturn. I think the 3.5L V6 motor and transmission supplied by Honda is the quietest powertrain on the market today. My friends cant believe the quickness, comfort, and quiet ride. It has a ton of storage space behind the rear seats.

• 

  UNBELIEVABLE!! - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By JT Kirkland - September 9 - 2:00 am

  Love it love it!

• 

  Black Beauty - 2004 Saturn ION
  By alex walker - September 8 - 2:23 am

  We just traded our 2004 ION 1 in for a 2006 VUE. The ION was a great car and served our family of five well. We got up to 40 mpg on the freeway and were able to fit three car seats in the back and a double stroller in the trunk. Ours was an automatic and had plenty of punch to it when needed. Overall a great car which will be missed.

• 

  Great Car for the Money - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By Bob Hernandez - September 7 - 10:00 am

  I purchased the vehicle in May and since then Ive been extremely happy with the suv. I looked into several other competing vehicles (Ford Escape, Hyundai Santa Fe and the Honda CRV), but nothing really came close to the price. You get the best bang for you buck and the sales people were extremely helpful and friendly. I love the power, but on a quick take off it, the rpms rev up quite a bit. Overall I highly recommend the Vue especially since not to many people drive it since its new. Its a great feeling being the only Saturn Vue on the road when you see at least 10-15 CRVs and Escapes all over the place.