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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  3rd Saturn - 2004 Saturn ION
  By brina_nightowl - August 19 - 2:00 am

  Despite the harsh reviews so called "experts" have given this car, I really enjoy this car. I also look at long term reliability when comparing it to it to its competitors. My husbands 96 SL2 has had no problems with almost 100,000 miles on it, while my grandmothers Ford Focus which is a 2000 with about 10,000 has already had 2 major repairs. I really like this car. I have always had a positive experience with Saturn, the cars and the people, and I see no reason to spend the same (or more) on a foreign car with shady, slimy dealers. Or substandard domestic cars like Ford, which you cant trust to work.

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  Fun Fun Fun - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By timo12 - August 14 - 10:00 am

  The Vue is fun to dive. Power off the line and when you need it. Its been great on gas and I love how it looks. No scheduled maintance for 100,000 miles..what could be better. Just cahge the oil & filter every 3500, air filter evrey 10,000, and your ready to go.

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  Watch for rocks! - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Bloomsday - August 14 - 10:00 am

  In general, I have few complaints, but the ones I have are bothersome; specifically, Ive been through 4 windshields in 1-1/2 years (full disclosure: I have 100 mile round-trip commute daily, on heavily travelled interstates). According to the Safelite windshield repairman, with whom Im on a first-name basis, this is a frequent problem due to the windshield design. If you can get it with a wind/bug guard that redirects the airflow, the problem will be lessened. I also have some strange squeaks and rattles, and a lot of wind noise in the cabin. In general, though, a good car that reliably gets me to and fro in all weather conditions.

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  Great SUV - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By Betz - August 10 - 4:40 pm

  I had had a trouble-free Saturn sport coupe and when I needed a bigger vehicle, I bought the Vue. It has been wonderful for my two large dogs. Ive had a generally good experience with the dealership, with the exception that they charged me $25 over the quote the last time I had it serviced, however, the oil change was a decent price rather than the $95 that had charged me previously. The plastic seat-mount cracked. Ive had no other problems with the vehicle. Before my Saturns, I drove a Jag. Hey, it is not a Jag, but for the money, I can afford to step down a few notches. Plus, the maintenance cost on the Jag was horrendous, and it was in the shop frequently.

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  2006 Saturn VUE 4dr SUV (FWD; 3.5 Vtech) - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By Ken on Bacon Street! - August 10 - 6:26 am

  We just recently purchased this Vue to replace our aging (11 yrs, 112K miles), lethargic, gas guzzling monster, a 1997 Mercury Mountaineer with AWD and the 5.0 V8. Killed us on gas! We wanted a reliable, economical, and fun new daily commuter. After one (1) month of tooling around, both in city and on the highway, we could not be more pleased and content with our new VUE! Shes got exceptional power and pickup whenever circumstances requires it. That Honda Vtech 3.5l Vtech V6 mill is simply amazing!! Yet, shes easily twice as fuel friendly as our old SUV. Our VUE handles and rides very well also. Surprisingly, loads of interior room for a compact SUV also. Easy to get in and out also.

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  Good ride except for brakes - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By anita king - August 1 - 3:40 pm

  I was so excited to get my 2004 Saturn Vue in December of 2007. Here it is March and now all of a sudden at the beginning of March I start having problems with the brakes. I couldnt buy an extended warrenty because I dont have the extra cash. I talk with a service manager and he told me to bring it in it would cost 85 dollars since my warranty was over by 3 days and 338 miles. But you are in such a hype to get a car you need that all you want to do is just get the car. I was at the gas station and heard this lady talking about her car with the same problems.

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  Good for the Money! - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By FatherOfThree - July 27 - 9:33 am

  Nice size for kids. Good performance & reliabilty with the Honda V6. Handling is so so and interior dash is not much to look at (very plasticly) Overall, a good value.

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  Good car for the money - 2004 Saturn ION
  By JW - July 24 - 6:23 pm

  Overall I have been satisfied with this car. Its fun to drive, looks good, and I got it for a very good price. Storage space is a big plus. The trunk is spacious, and you can fold the front passenger seat flat to accomodate something as long as 10 feet. Although this car only got average reviews, I bought it mainly because I liked the looks and wanted to drive something slightly unique. The interior quality doesnt bother me, nor do the seats. My only major beef is with the steering, as it seems a little touchy at times. But I like the power, am satisfied with the gas mileage, and have had only one mechanical problem and that was with a short circuit in my headlamp switch.

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  2004 Saturn Vue - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By VUEBYU - July 14 - 2:00 am

  Honda motor and transmission is smooth as silk. I purchased my first Saturn in 1992 and it has 230,000 miles. Saturn Vue is a pleasure to drive. Added head and side airbags and xm satellite radio. Look forward to driving. Vehicle cruises at 80 mph with Rpm at 2000...unbelievable. On first long trip of a little over a thousand miles, averaged 26 miles per gallon. Glove compartment is el cheapo...overall, so far, so good with just under 3000 miles driven.

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  WOW...what a pleasant surprise!!! - 2005 Saturn ION
  By Drum - July 6 - 4:36 pm

  I love this car!! Ive owned several sports cars and sports coupes and I immediately felt very comfortable in this car. It is a lot quicker than you would expect given the (under)stated horsepower and weight. A little cheap feeling in the interior, but hey, the price more than makes up for it. Hard to imagine a better performing car in this price range, even compares quite well to more expensive cars like the RX-8 (what I originally planned on).