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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  New Outlook - 2007 Saturn Outlook
  By Patrick Kiefer - January 25 - 4:20 pm

  Looks great, ride is solid, and I love the XM radio! It has the extra width that compares to riding in a full size pick up, but handles more like our VUE.

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  LOADS OF FUN!!!! - 2004 Saturn ION
  By Russell Buchholz - January 23 - 10:00 am

  I absolutely LOVE my ION. Everywhere I go, it turns heads and it is extremely fun to drive. The interior is well made,and it is quiet inside. Handling and steering is up to the par of much more expensive vehicles. Interior legroom is expansive however the rear legroom is non existent so if you have a family look elsewhere!! Acceleration is 0-60 in 7 seconds with the manual transmission, and the car is a BLAST to drive. All in All Saturn has a winner on its hands. And by the way YOU WILL LOVE THE DEALERSHIP EXPERIENCE!!

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  Fun car to drive until 100,000 miles - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Amy - January 22 - 7:23 am

  I bought my Vue brand new 5 years ago. Fun to drive, easy to carry large cargo and to transport adults with limited mobility. Once the car hit 100,000 it fell apart. I have replaced the transmission at 100,000, accelerator sensor, catilytic converter and exhaust valve, coil pack with spark plugs. Within the past year I had to replace the ignition and when the car was under warranty a cylinder head was replaced. After $10,000 in repairs, I would not consider another Saturn.

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  Not good - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By scatter - January 18 - 4:03 pm

  A fast little SUV for the expressway. I bought this VUE for the Honda engine that does exactly what its supposed to do for power and economy. Thats where the fun ends with the Saturn. The VUE is definitely inferior to any import Ive owned for build quality . I am shocked at what a noisy rattle trap this VUE is. My VUE is becoming a regular at the service department for weird problems. Im surprised that GM is making a cheap rattle trap like this. I am sorry i didnt buy a "real" Honda. This car is a crackerbox. The road noise inside the car is disgusting at highway speeds.

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  Good for the Money - 2003 Saturn ION
  By dmfreeland - January 17 - 12:56 am

  Overall I think the ION is a decent car, especially considering the price. There were a few downsides to buying a car the first year it was offered. 1)I had to deal with a few recalls 2)The ION back then was more expensive than the newer IONs . 3) OnStar (and I think satellite radio) were not options on 03 models. This is a fun car to drive and overall I really enjoy the ION. However, Saturn parts are more expensive than most other makes, some parts have to be ordered and while I do drive a lot, I have had to put an estimated $5,000 into repairs.

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  view the vue - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By joshiea - January 16 - 2:00 am

  Great driving auto.You cant tell the driving lights from the headlights when on. I dont like the gas tank on the passenger side and it is also non locking, where the other saturns are. these are minor things other than that it is a great vehicle. I am glad I purchased it.

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  One of the best we ever had - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By brillbuild - January 15 - 2:23 pm

  Our 2005 Saturn Vue has been fun to drive for 4 years now. It is so comfortable and getting in the back seat is a breeze. Weve had no repairs and had to replace tires at 60,000. It has a little more noise than some but all the other nice thin gs far outweigh that. We hope we can drive this on as long as possible.

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  Beauty and the Beast - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By Windell - January 14 - 9:46 pm

  When I first heard about this car I said, "Aura Who", until I did my du- diligence on this car. I test drove the XE V6 and it was peppy than drove XR V6 and it was awesome. It amazing how 25 horse power makes a differences in performance. I had a 300zx twin turbo and it was very fast but compared with this sports sedan its almost the same experience. Cornering is tight and 6.5 to 6.8 in the 0-60. With the big 18" wheels this makes the car look aggressive and handsome at the same time.

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  have your cake and eat it too! - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By chuckiethetruckie - January 14 - 2:00 am

  bought the vehicle last week and absoulutley love it! looks like it costs thousands more.. got it in black and feel like the terminator driving it :) it has a smooth, comfortable ride, lots of room, and gets great gas mileage...a total steal..with the rebate, gm loyalty bucks AND abitlity to use the gm card made this purchase a no brainer...the 4cyl 5sp has plenty of power to boot..i recommend this vehicle highly..great job saturn!

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  good for me - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By saltyc - January 13 - 9:40 pm

  I have a 03 Vue 5 speed manual and my Vue has been very dependable. It has been from Florida to Kentucky and back twice and all in between. The only problems I have had are the squeaky steering wheel, had the deal greese for $50.00, problem fixed. The entire rear end shakes when applying the brakes. Need to have all 4 done.