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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  Tough Compitition - 2003 Saturn ION
  By Cgr80 - March 29 - 10:00 am

  The 2003 Ion3 is in every way better than the past SL2. The SL2 gave the Escort a good run for the money...I thing that they needed to let "S- Series" go down in history, like the Cavalier has done. Since theyve changed it, it should stay that way. Standard features are those of a luxury car, and it makes me feel good to say to a stranger, oh, the lights cut off themselves, but thanks!

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  2003 Sat Vue - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Bugg - March 29 - 10:00 am

  This is an extremely affordable SUV which handles remarkably well in any kind of weather. We deal with a lot of snow here in Buffalo, so we needed a vehicle which would handle the snow. My husband insisted that we needed one 2 weeks before our daughter was born because he wanted us to be safe..

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  Leos vue - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Leo Sejnowski - March 29 - 10:00 am

  gas tank gauge not working at 12000 miles. no other problems.

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  Having problems with mine! - 2009 Saturn VUE
  By Crystal - March 25 - 2:26 pm

  I bought this Vue last month and I am not happy with it at all. Within two weeks of getting it (brand new) the stabilitrak lights came on and needed to be serviced. They said it was a loose fuse. They supposedly fixed it. A week later it popped back on. Now they dont know what the problem is. I have to wait until it happens again and spend 2 more hours at the facility to get it fixed.The bluetooth is a pain. People are having problems hearing me and the clock disappears when Im on it. But whats even worse, is the cupholders! They are fixed in a way that they are so far down and blocked that you have to pull cups from the top and it spills your drinks. and two cups will not fit in there.

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  having fun - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By vaterjack - March 23 - 2:00 am

  purchased this vue because of the roomy front access esp for the driver. sits high without having to use a ladder to get in and out. the v-6 is more than powerful enough for any road situation yet still delivers the mpg.

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  Love my Saturn - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By ENelsen - March 23 - 2:00 am

  I have never owned a Saturn before, and I can tell you that NOW I think I always will. Starting with the dealership - knowlegable and easy to work with. They got me exactly what I wanted without any problems. They worked hard to do it. The car has great styling, and I happen to have the orange color. I get complements ALL the time on my car from tons of random people. I enjoy the V6 - great pick up, and I also enjoy the AWD! I got to test that out in a huge storm storm the other day. The gas mileage is not fantastic, but I didnt expect that from an SUV. Over all, I give my wonderful Saturn Vue a 9.99999, because nothing is perfect! :-)

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  2008 Outlook Beats Buck and Arcadia - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By Don G - March 21 - 8:06 am

  Evene before we purchased our 2008 Outlook XR AWD we first saw it at the Maine Mall. Now that we have poruchased we made the right choice this is a great crossover SUV. It meets our needs and we do a number of trips to Massachusetts. We enjoy everyhting about the Outlook

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  2004 Saturn Vue Next Problem Come on Dwn - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Philip Wardlow - March 21 - 2:36 am

  I bought my Saturn brand new with 16 miles on the odometer. After that is was all downhill, first the they had a recall on the back suspenstion, then the CD player didnt work right (even after servicing and replacing it with a new one, ignition module went bad, then oxygen sensor, then control coil on ignition module, then ignition module AGAIN, then motor on rear wiper, hazard light button fell into the dash board, the front struts, then right axle problem. Now guess what just happened this week the engine light came on. Then I starte losing acceleration a little. Ive done regular oil changes, air filter changs, fuel injector cleanings & maintenance. Its a piece of crap. Dont buy a VUE

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  Terrible Resale - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By TCW - March 20 - 7:00 am

  I bought the Saturn Vue after totaling my 2007 Altima (which I LOVED). I wish that I wouldve gotten something MUCH more stylish. It was decent on gas, but the road noise was too loud for me to even use my bluetooth headset to talk on the phone! I just got rid of it because I dont like the "soccer mom" look, and the resale value was AWFUL! I loved the service but need something MUCH cuter to drive.

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  Saturn Outlook - 2007 Saturn Outlook
  By Julie Chaudoin - March 20 - 4:53 am

  Excellent vehicle. Did test drives on sixteen vehicles. At the time of the test drives all vehicles were a 9.0 or greater on Edmunds. Compares to Acura MDX and Lexus RX 350, and is about 10K less.