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:

• 

  BAD TRANSMISSION - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By warair - March 22 - 12:41 pm

  Just like others has said. Do your Home work before buying one of these cars. At 130.000 miles the Transmission Went Out. Cost Around $$$5,000 said too said can not addord to put this much money into it.... They are really safe Cars... Went Air-Born On InterState 10 last Summer due too Another Car pushing my Wife off the Hwy.... State Troopers said, they have never seen a Car go 65ft Air-Born on two wheels and not Flipp Over. Only damage was busted air lost from driver side rear tire.... God Was With Us Mainly....

• 

  Few problems, but great buy - 2006 Saturn Relay
  By TTC - March 22 - 7:10 am

  Excellent experience with this, my first Saturn. It handles well, convenient features (cargo trays, sliidng doors, DVD. Mileage 16 city, 24 hwy. No fit or finish problems. Only problems were flickering lights (fixed by dealer) and a radio that refuses to get any AM station (all FM stations are perfect!).

• 

  LOVE MY SATURN - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By dchali - March 19 - 2:00 am

  A little skeptic when trading in my Honda(very reliable), My husband and I wanted an american vehicle, looked at saturn, I sat in the vue and knew it was for me. We get hard winters in NH, we wanted something to get us through.Best vehicle I have ever driven in the snow. Great stereo too. Hasnt given me any problems yet.Love MY SATURN!

• 

  Bad gas mileage - 2007 Saturn Outlook
  By badgasmileage - March 18 - 2:16 pm

  I drive 600 miles a week for work. I switched from a F250. I need to carry a ladder. Fits nicely. Advertised 26 mpg. I figured 24. The mileage has never gone over 21.5. I keep a record on fueleconomy.gov. A lot of space. A lot of cup holders. I have 2 kids, work out of my vehicle, fold down the rear seat and still fit a ladder, work products, golf clubs, and more. But the fuel economy is awful. I got 18 with my F250. And that was 4x4 and loaded. I wish I would have got a Escape Hybrid. But I felt cooler driving this. Its a nice looking vehicle, but crap miles per gallon. In town, 17 mpg tops.

• 

  2004 Redline - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Paul - March 16 - 2:06 pm

  We switched from a 2003 Nissan Murano to the 2004 Vue. Many ask why? True the Murano styling is gorgeous, yes the standard Nissan features are impresive, and more luxurious, but dollar for dollar, the Vue offers significant improvements in performance, gas mileage, and handling. While the Vue is more conservatively styled, I purchased a Redline edition that was a dealer demo - loaded with the exception of the DVD player and onstar, the dealer installed an interior trim package that is colour matched to the exterior - electric lime. This SUV stands out.

• 

  Good - 2003 Saturn ION
  By CharlieBuerger - March 9 - 10:00 am

  So far the car has turned out to be a good buy. It has plenty of power for its size and hasnt given me any problems whatsoever. Dont know what the other people on here are crying about, LOL.

• 

  Whats good and whats not - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By New Owner - March 5 - 8:00 am

  My wife and I considered just about every SUV and crossover on the market. We were both surprised to find ourselves in a Saturn dealer. Rightly or wrongly, we still considered Saturn to be a car company for first-time car owners, and especially not for high-end cars. We were very pleasantly surprised. Weve only had the Outlook for a few days but are very happy with it so far.

• 

  Pretty decent car for the money - 2006 Saturn ION
  By stiehler - February 27 - 10:13 pm

  We purchased this car used with about 30,000 miles on it about 2 months ago. It seems to be a pretty decent car. We have only had a few minor problems, such as the locks not wanting to turn if its cold outside.

• 

  Bring back the Poly - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Very Happy - February 23 - 2:16 pm

  The Vue is a practical utility vehicle that provides much comfort and fuel efficiency. I traded a civic for it as I needed more room for the weekend projects. My kids love it and it has a great ride. The 2.2 liter-4-cylinder motor provides enough power and cruise stays locked on regardless of the hills. I average 25mpg with mixed driving and dont notice the road noise mentioned by a previous review. It is likely the noise from the previous review is due to the tires.

• 

  Wish I Kept My 04 VUE - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By choozy1 - February 22 - 9:50 pm

  I traded in my 04 VUE, 4cyl/5sp, for the 4cyl/auto 08 VUE. It was nice at first, but the more I drove it, the less I liked it. The 4 cylinder is not strong enough for the heavier version VUE. It chugs up hills and gets bogged down while the cruise is on. Also, the vent makes a strange noise off and on. The windshield defroster does not work very well. I miss the better gas mileage of my 04 VUE.The sun visors are still as puny as in the older VUE models. Pretty worthless. As far as good things about the 08, the interior looks much better and classier than the older style. But thats about it. I sure miss my 04....