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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  time will tell - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By marc - August 14 - 10:16 pm

  Our 2008 Vue has the 3.5L motor, most have 3.6L or 2.4L, anyways it has lots of power and excellent braking and handling. It was a pleasure to drive last winter. We have experienced a few problems so far but nothing major. The seats stain very easily (even water left a mark),glove box light stays on when closed unless you slam it shut. Like I said nothing major. Only has 23k on it in a year and a half so time will tell if it holds up. The zero percent financing was the deal sealer.

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  2007 Saturn VUE 4 cylinder - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By Jodi - August 14 - 8:46 pm

  We bought the VUE after driving a Plymouth Vibe for 11 months. Our decision to purchase the VUE came after trying to get home during a bad snowstorm with the Vibe. The VUE is the most safe, reliable car I have ever driven in the snow and ice and rain.

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  04 vue - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By rw3025 - August 2 - 10:00 am

  Good ride & handling. Comfortable & peppy. Could use more storage in console area

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  Worth a Look - 2003 Saturn ION
  By Tom - July 30 - 2:33 am

  I just rolled my 03 Ion to 78,000 miles. Its been no better or worse than any other car Ive owned. The only non-scheduled maintenence issues Ive encountered were a bad tire, but you cant blame that on Saturn. Also, my auto transmission had a shift flare issue which the dealership fixed under warranty by replacing the valve body. Lastly, I had my left front wheel bearing go bad around 50,000. I dont know how people who have reviewed this car drive to get their poor gas mileage, but Ive been very satisfied with mine. I get 22-25mpg city, and 34-36mpg highway. Note that I do use a K&N air filter.

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  Awesome car - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By Eric Bowman - July 29 - 4:46 am

  It is a lot of fun to drive and everybody looks when you drive by. I am very surprised at how much head room is inside for the driver. Ive been in bigger cars that dont have this much room. The handling is like driving on rails. The seats are very comfortable. I have 2 problems with this car. The first one is the controls for the mirrors and windows are too far back to reach comfortably, and the second is my wife wont let me drive it very much. But all in all it is a great car!

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  Tire size causes some problems - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By Terry - July 27 - 2:13 pm

  The only problem Ive had with the VUE is replacement tires! The tires that came with the VUE dont perform well in wet weather and if it snows they are terrible, and I have all wheel drive. If you are putting 17 inch wheels on a vehicle at least have a selection of tires to buy. The Bridgestones that came with the vechicle are not a good fit!

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  Not a bad purchase - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By Kerrin324 - July 23 - 6:10 pm

  I purchased this SUV having 3 large dogs. I keep the back seat folded down 90% of the time, and it fits them perfectly. It has been a great car for us, and I would definitely recommend it. Only disappointment which I have seen noted in numerous places is the rotors have been resurfaced 2 times due to warping(should have been replaced since it was under warranty at only 23,000 miles), but Saturn said they had certain "steps" they have to take in order to actually get you a new set. I recommend actually watching them put them on so you know they didnt "resurface" them!

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  1st long trip.... - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By sanjosejohn - July 23 - 4:53 am

  Ive had my saturn xr hatchback for 16 months and took it from San Jose, Calif to Jasper Natl Park in Alberta, Canada. Then down through Montana, Idaho, Wash, and Oregon for 3500mi. trip. The Car ran 10hrs a day in total comfort, with the a/c on, and 75- 80mph. Did not have a single little, tiny problem at all! Got an average of 30-32mpg the entire trip. Even hit snow at Crater Lake, Oregon, when the traction control snowflake symbol came on the info screen. What a surprise!! This car is super cool, handles like my old BMW 2002. Get this vehicle over the vw golf(rabbit)whatever, or any other compact. The warranty is 5/50k which is great. This is the most your getting for the price. Trust me

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  So far... - 2007 Saturn ION
  By M Dunn - July 20 - 7:26 pm

  Fun little car. Suits the wife and I fine. Over 40 but wanted something different and fun and this little quad cab gives it. Dont want speeding tickets, but it is fun to jump off the line. Go old man go.

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  First year model - 2005 Saturn Relay
  By dougp26364 - July 18 - 9:50 pm

  The Saturn view really doesnt look like a minivan which I consider a plus. There are lots of nice features on our Relay 3 which make driving it a joy. It sits up high for good view with other high profile vehicles. The biggest complaint I have after driving it 1,000 miles is the overhead rack system. Its supposed to be convenient storage but the DVD player rattles unmercifully. If its cold outside its almost unbearable. Either Saturn is going to have to do something to correct this oversight or theyre going to have a lot of them in the shop with unhappy customers. I know ours will be in the shop until they make it stop. Otherwise its a great vehicle.