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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  Surprised - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By wingman - September 28 - 8:03 pm

  Weve driven this car in town and on a 10 day trip. Never owned a Saturn before but we are surprised at our pleasure with the Vue. Has plenty of power and the ride is more comfortable than my Toyota Camry. Gas mileage is 20 mpg in town and 24 mpg on the road, which is lower than I like. Id definitely consider a newer one next time I buy.

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  My first Saturn. Still in love with It - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By RedStorm - September 21 - 2:10 pm

  I have to say our 2003 Saturn VUE is a fun SUV to drive. Only issues have been, NONE! New set of tires and regular maintenance. It is now a secondary car for my husband to drive in the winter. I have been driving it lately due to issues with our 07 Outlook. Cannot believe that we have had it 7 years and it still looks as good as the day we drove it off the car lot. Was ticked off the day I heard GM was stopping production.

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  One thing after another - 2007 Saturn Outlook
  By Ric - September 10 - 6:13 pm

  My wife and I researched vehicles for months and finally decided on the Outlook. Since purchasing last July the vehicle has been in the shop 8 times. I didnt expect this for the amount that we paid. The list includes everything from a leaking sunroof to a series of rattles and vibrations throughout the vehicle to shorts in the electrical system. Given the choice to do it again, we would not buy a Saturn.

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  I LUV MY VUE - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Dave305 - September 6 - 2:00 am

  By far a superb SUV. Service of the Vue is superb and the service departments of all Saturn dealerships is far above anyone else.

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  Larger than life - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Skiipole - September 6 - 2:00 am

  Have you ever had to chane a childs diaper in the backseat of a car? I did with room to spare! I was just about standing in the backseat with plenty of rrom for me and my child to do the task quickly, safely and warm (it was a Buffalo WINTER!) I had a L200 and the vue cost less and is beeter! If you had a Saturn than all the features are familiar places.Comfortable (leather heated seats) fun (5 speed trans and sunroof) sharp to look at (nice alloy rims) easy to driv (same ride as L series but higher and better visablity)

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  Not all is perfect - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By award42 - August 26 - 6:26 am

  This is a great car. However, there are three areas worth consideration: 1) it is very difficult to pull out of the front seats while exiting the vehicle, (2) the front doors swing out so wide it is extremely difficult to reach the handle and close the door, 3) while backing out there is a major problem seeing what is behind you when you look over your right shoulder (blind spot between right rear window and back window).

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  Not my best car purchase - 2006 Saturn ION
  By Stephen - August 23 - 1:16 am

  At the time of purchase, I needed an inexpensive, fuel-efficient car. For those requirements, it has fit the bill but I sadly cant say it has exceeded my expectations. It replaced a 1995 Saturn SL-2 with 130,000 mostly trouble-free miles, so at the time I felt confident in the purchase. Since then, Ive been plagued by a significant number of "little problems" that would have cost me upwards of $1200 to fix had they not been covered under the warranty. None of these problems were "normal wear" items. The dealer is great about fixing them, but the many problems in the first couple of years have convinced me to sell before the (extended) warranty expires. Pity, as I do like the car.

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  Vue Review 4U - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Fall04Vue - August 21 - 3:36 am

  Got an awesome deal on the Vue! Was dealer driven and bought it w/4000 miles and received all the new car discounts plus the extended 100,000 mile warranty. Have had to take it for minor parts repaired that were covered under the warranty. Previous vehicle was a S10 Blazer. Honda engine and 6 cyclinder has good get up & go. Drives great in MN winters. Plenty of room to cart around others and equipment.

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  Mostly Great After Three Weeks - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Dave O - August 18 - 10:00 am

  Overall, it is a nice vehicle. The maintenance seems relatively simple. It has practical cargo features. It is comfortable for tall people and passengers. It performs well and has good fuel economy for a SUV, although it is a little noisy.

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  A new VUE - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By stu - August 16 - 12:40 pm

  I went to the dealer expecting to buy a 2007 hybrid VUE. The hybrid had electrical problems so I tried on an 08 base VUE for size. The 08 had a superior ride to not only the 07 but every other small SUV I had tried. I bought a 4 cyl so the performance is sluggish but it still has get up and go when you really need it. Steering and agility is great for a vehicle of its size. Most of all its styling seems to be a decade ahead of the 07. The gas mileage could be better but keep in mind that its 08 EPA numbers wont look so bad when we see all the other SUV 08 numbers. All in all the 2008 VUE is very nice ride for an SUV.