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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  Performance - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Ben Zollo - February 10 - 6:00 am

  With three trips to Florida from Connecticut, I found the Saturn My VUE (Red Line) turned heads. I found the seats comfortable on long drives. Found the steering to be somewhat scary at high speeds and on rough roads. I feel that the VUE could use an overdrive function for long trips. No heated seats or heated mirrors was a disapointment when you consider that it is an SUV to be used in in the North country in snow. Why else would you want an AWD? I did not like the stock radio and replaced it with a real good after market one, but found the speakers to be sub standard. They too, had to be replaced. Overall, not too bad an SUV.

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  No problems yet - 2005 Saturn ION
  By callahan - February 9 - 3:46 am

  I bought my ion almost three years ago with 22k miles on it. Ive driven it every single day since then and have not had one single problem with it. the only time a mechanic touched it was to change the oil. its my first saturn and i have no reason to not buy another, my only complaint is that the suspension feels like its getting kinda mushy. Likes its not as tight as it was when i bought it.

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  Saturn Ion - 2006 Saturn ION
  By jodi neuberger - February 8 - 1:16 pm

  My experience with this car has been great except that it is very hard on gas and seems to be in the shop more than it has been on the road. The engine light is always telling me that there is something wrong with it. The dealers that have worked on it cannot find the problem. The only place you can take this car to is a Saturn dealer in the cities. This cost money! Overall the car is comfortable to ride in. It is smooth riding and turns nice. It is small and convenient with lots of drunk space. It doesnt use up any oil and for a person who has problems with parallel parking, this is the right choice.

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  My new Vue - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By Marji - February 4 - 7:53 pm

  Actually handled better than the Subaru models I tried (Forrester and Outback). Nice tight turning radius, smooth ride

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  2004 Saturn VUE (V-6/AWD) - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By SteelViking - January 24 - 10:00 am

  In June of 2004, I purchased a Saturn VUE. I had admired the exteror design of the VUE since first introduced. One of the things that I like about the design is the Saturn has taken the spare tire and placed it inside the vehicle, under the rear storage space. This small feature would pay large dividends in the unfortunate event of a rear end collision. While the tire is inside of the vehicle, there is still plenty of room. The rear seats fold down and the front passenger seat folds down as well. Prior to buying my VUE I test drove the 4 cylinder VUE, but found the V6 to be a more powerful alternative.

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  2002 Saturn Vue 4 cyl 5 speed reliable - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By Jim - January 23 - 7:53 am

  At the ripe old age of 65 and having been involved with auto repairs and sales most all of those years I must say that the 2002 Saturn Vue 4 cylinder 5-speed manual is a great bargain. I have owned too many vehicles to count. At 120k miles it uses no oil and in the last 20k that we have owned it, 1-exhaust hanger is the only repair. It has had full synthetic oil since it was born. 5-speed shifter is a bit notchy but adequate.

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  NICE PIECE - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By UNCLE RODGER - January 16 - 2:00 am

  I TOOK DELIVERY NEW YEARS EVE ON A BLACK FWD V6 5 AUTO. I HAVE PUT AROUND 1000 MILES ON IT AND ITS BREAKING IN FINE. IM VERY PLEASED SO FAR. THE ENGINE IS POWERFUL BUT NOT THIRSTY, WHICH IS A RARE COMBO IN A SUV.IT RIDES AND DRIVES VERY WELL. THE OVERALL SIZE OF IT SEEMS PERFECT,AND OF COURSE THE SATURN DEALER DEALERSHIPS ARE UNSURPASSED. IT TRULY IS A NICE PIECE.

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  Great Car GM! - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By Techman - January 15 - 2:43 pm

  I looked at most of the competitorÂ’s products over a 1 month period and kept coming back to the Aura. I wanted the XR but ended up choosing the XE. I got the XE fully loaded and itÂ’s essentially the XR with a very few exceptions. I couldnt justify the extra $4K for 28 more HP and a 6 speed auto transmission. The XE performs very well in all areas. The build quality is excellent, the styling is eye catching, and the drive is wonderful. Im back in a domestic automobile for the first time in over 10 years. If this is any indication of where GM is heading then its a good sign. Think most fellow import buyers will feel the same if they give it a chance.

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  Disillusioned in New York - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By Disallusioned - January 5 - 5:23 pm

  I had researched the Acadia and Outlook for months and was very excited when I finally purchased my Outlook XR fully loaded. The Outlook has a great look and I love the interior especially with the heated leather seats, sunroof, and captain chairs, Nav,etc...However I am extremely disappointed in the performance, there is no power climbing a basic hill, my foot is on the floorboard of the accelerator..The gas mileage stinks...I am averaging 12 mpg, I thought I was smarter than the Chevy Tahoe crew because the Outlook bragged about performance and good mileage..False ratings or something is dramactially wrong with this car...I drive rather conservatively, so I just dont get it.

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  Wow! - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By tlongmoble - January 1 - 2:26 pm

  I have had my Outlook for over a week now and cant say enough about it! It drives smooth and is powerful on the road. Cant wait to wake up tomorrow for the drive to work!