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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  Excellent Value - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By ksv - September 14 - 3:46 am

  Acceleration is very good with the V6. Comfortable, reliable, and fun to drive. Very pleased

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  Could be a great SUV...but - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By BJY - September 9 - 12:10 pm

  The 2008 Saturn Vue Redline has the potential to be a great vehicle but it falls short in 4 important areas: 1) the front seats are too short, too stiff and not wide enough. 2) the driver seat adjuster is supposed to be 8-way but you cant adjust it to your needs--adjust it upward and youre forced to move forward--adjust it downward and youre forced to move backwards. 3) the car does not hold the road in wet weather when making turns--a very dangerous problem. 4) the gas mileage is dismal: on a good day I get 17 mpg city and 21 mpg hwy. On the plus side this is one of the best-looking SUVs out there. The interior design is user friendly with lots of storage in the glovebox & console.

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  Yes, I love my Saturn - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By DM - September 4 - 2:10 pm

  This is my second Saturn. My Vue has 97,000 miles on it and has only had one expensive problem. Other than tires/oil changes/routine maintenance the only problems have been a leak around the front passenger door (fixed by Saturn easily) and currently the gas gauge has stopped registering correctly. I have driven hundreds of miles in a day and been comfortable all the way. I am still getting 29 mi/gal highway and decent mileage on in town driving.

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  A Great Idea - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By annalr - August 30 - 5:50 am

  I purchased my 2005 Saturn Vue V6 FWD after owning a Volvo 240 for 10 years. I chose the car for its interior room, practical design and compact size. I bought it with 109k miles on it and love it. Its a great passenger vehicle with solid metal buckles in the back for car seats, which are very useful. The cargo space is great and despite its looks on the outside, there is plenty of people room on the inside! The V6 will pick up and go when you need it to and ride smoothly on the highway. The suspension can be a little rigid but is tight and has given me no trouble. All in all, I would recommend it to anyone who needs a car with cargo room, fuel economy and enjoys a simply designed car.

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  Nice Car - 2005 Saturn ION
  By Juhgail - August 30 - 1:13 am

  I never thought about a Saturn, but I was strapped and needed a car. I LOVE the car. It a little bigger than what Im used to (Honda Civic) but I really love it. Handles great, fun to drive, and I feel very safe in it.

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  GREAT.....But - 2008 Saturn Aura
  By FirstNewCar - August 27 - 1:23 am

  First let me say that I love this car! It is the first new car that I have purchased and I am so happpy with it! For the most part. It looks great! I love the styling on the exterior and interior. It is fun to drive, responds well and looks way more expensive than it is. I wasnt able to find the color of car with all the features that I wanted so maybe if I did I would give it 100% but as it stands I can really only give it 92%. And here is why. Now depending on what you are used to the interior materials will look cheap or ok. I think the hard plastic looks cheap. And there isnt a gear indicator anywhere. The interior lights are orange which is hard to see when sunlight hits it.

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  LOVE MY SATURN - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By PAWSBMW - August 24 - 10:00 am

  I Love my Vue. I looked at other SUVs and was turned off by the fule milage they offered. I am very found of front wheel drive. I really dont need 4WR, and I dont care for RWD in the snow. Saturn was one of very few cars who offered FWR.

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  06 VUE V6 - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By craig - August 20 - 1:33 pm

  An enjoyable ride with good power and highway mileage(28mpg with A/C at 70+ mph). I had it back to the dealer for noise but plastic panels expand differently than metal so adjustment not very helpful. I wish it had a better warranty like the 07 has but it is good so far at 24k.

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  Midlife Crisis - 2008 Saturn Sky
  By Anonymous - August 16 - 2:00 am

  This is my second Sky, I owned a base model which was no. 850 off the Saturn line. I love the car and the only bad points are lack of storage space and ease of entry and exit, thats it. Good points, styling, handling, ride, yes ride it rides better than my 2004 Acura TL, ask my brother. Reliability, well dont have enough miles to judge that just yet but my first Sky only had a small differential leak recall (mine was not leaking but repaired under warranty) thats it. My current Redline only has had the door latches replaced under warranty. Saturn actually came out with a new design. No squeaks or rattles and quiet for a convertible. Pack lite, stay flexible, highly recommended.

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  A reliable SUV - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By the_good_car - August 15 - 9:27 pm

  I bought an 05 Saturn four years ago w 100k miles. It now has over 175k. The car isnt perfect. The interior is cheap, the front buckets are not well designed. It is, on uphill climbs, underpowered. Its also a bit noisy on the highway, but actually not more so than say, a Volvo xc90 (I drove one the other day, actually the Volvo is noisier). Parts are ridiculously cheap. It shares a platform with every other gm brand. many parts like the brakes are common to a half dozen models. The four cylinder is known is the iron duke and is regarded as one of the most reliable engines gm has ever made. ( though, the suspension is mediocre). Bottom line-very low cost of ownership.