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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  I am sold! - 2007 Saturn Outlook
  By Oklahoma - March 16 - 9:33 pm

  Have enjoyed everything about the Outlook! I get lots of compliments and people wanting to ask questions. I will take a road trip soon and am very anxious to see how I enjoy the long trips. I just wish that I could keep it from being dinged by other parkers. I park as far as possible to help keep the body top shape.

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  Love it after 1 year - 2006 Saturn Relay
  By bselmon - March 16 - 2:00 am

  We have had our Relay for 1 year, The dealership warranty replaced a door motor and a radio , no questions asked. People remark how comfortable the 2nd row captains seats are. I like the pickup and the rear ultrasonic sensors, great for tight parking spots. The kids love the DVD. We love the car and have been treated well

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  Great car! - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By Molly - March 15 - 7:03 pm

  We bought this car new and have put a lot of miles on it already, and havent had to do anything to it other than change the oil. For an SUV it has good gas mileage, not 30 like they say but 27ish. The only complaints we have is the interior stains very easily, spill water and it stains. Also the seal on the passenger window went bad right away and leaks all over the seat. Other than that is has been excellent! Weve driven it across the country a couple of times and it is very reliable and comfy. Just needs new upholstery. Enjoy!

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  Camry Killer - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By Girish - March 14 - 10:06 pm

  I fell in love with the Aura as soon as I saw one on the road. It has a very european finish on its exterior and that caught my eye immediately. I am bored looking at the Japanese sedans on the roads and Aura was a welcome. I got my XE way b4 it won the car of the year award at the auto-show and I was proven right. The car perform very well - particularly on the highways. It is fun to drive and the engine seems to always have some juice left in it no matter what speed you are driving at. Ask a Camry to beat that. Road noise is minimal, and the car steers beautifully on curvy interstate roads. I enjoy my drives on the open road and have clocked 17k miles in 9 months without a whimper. Go Aura.

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  Love my Saturn - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By Melissa - March 14 - 7:03 am

  I really have enjoyed my Saturn. Matter of fact, this is my third Saturn that I have purchased over the years. With this new Saturn, I do find it hard to be able to clean the seats well. For some reason they leave spots on the seats. I spilt water and there are still stains on there that I can not remove.

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  What a Vue! - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By Dan - March 13 - 1:16 am

  Bought this car for my wife because of the all wheel drive and she likes the way it looks. I agreed because of the Honda engine and transmission! Interior plastics seem OK, but there is a rattle from the back of the car that seems to be from the grocery organizer that is terribly annoying. There is some wind noise from the windshield above 45MPH, but you get used to it. The interior is quite roomy for how small the exterior looks. I thought the gas mileage would be a little better; we drive mostly 2 lanes and highway and we are struggling to see 20MPG.

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  Love this SUV! - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By Marianne - March 11 - 7:23 pm

  This is my first SUV, but not my first Saturn. I came back to Saturn because my last one (an SL sedan) was very reliable. I have to say that this is great on gas mileage, and there are a lot of features that you would expect from an SUV that was more expensive. Pickup is what you would expect from a 4 cylinder, but its great for around town driving! I take mine on 1400 mile road trips- this was exceptionally comfortable with plenty of room for people to spread out as well as luggage. I felt a lot safer with OnStar. Nice that they give you one year free!

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  Proud to own a Vue - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By DIZZYCAN - March 11 - 10:00 am

  My Vue has become an extended family vehicle. My son and daughter and in- laws as well love to drive it. I have allowed al of them to use the Vue for vacations and trips up north. It is peppy as needed, smooth on the road, easy to handle, well balanced and as comfortable inside as any other SUV I have taken for a test drive. Funny thing. since I got mine there are now four others in the neighborhood.

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  The VUE is a GREAT VEHICLE - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By DeanT - March 11 - 10:00 am

  I wasnt even thinking of buying a VUE. I was looking at the minivans and stopped in the Saturn dealership. Since they didnt make a minivan (in OCT of 03) I took a station wagon home for my wife to see. She didnt like it but asked if they had an SUV? I went back to to dealer and tried a VUE. I was sold in a minute! What a confortable ride and unbelievable power in the V^ motor. When my wife first drove it she saie "Wow! You have to be careful with it because it has so much power" I have no doubt buying it was the right decision, even after now driving it more than 8,000 miles.

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  2004 Saturn Vue - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Patti Stevens - March 11 - 10:00 am

  After looking at the Chevy TrailBlazer, Equinox we tested the Saturn Vue. We found the controls to be easily accesable and liked the "new" styling of the interior. Many different textures, although plastic. We found the Vue to be fun to drive with excellent handling, not tiring. The electronic steering system was a little "touchy" getting use to but once we adjusted to it its great.