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:

• 

  More Fun Per Dollar - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Taoman - September 23 - 10:00 am

  My VUE is what a car should be, practical, economica and reliable. For under 25,000 I have V6 power, leather, heated seats, sun roof, 25 miles to the gallon and great dealer suppor. I am a new Saturn customer who likes what they got for the money!

• 

  Great Little Car - 2006 Saturn ION
  By Henry - September 22 - 4:33 am

  Ive had my 2006 Saturn ION-2 for a little over a year, and it has been great. I like the instrument panel, which is in the center of the dash and angled towards you. Its not hard to read at all. Also, OnStar is a great feature to have. While gas mileage is not the best out there, you do get decent power in return. I get almost 26 MPG in a mix of city/hwy driving. I hope to keep this one as long as I can and pay it off.

• 

  03 VUE - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Whip - September 20 - 2:00 am

  We have had our VUE only 3 weeks and love it. Thus far we are very satisfied. Had a minor alignment problem, it drifted left, which the dealer quickly fixed. A solid vehicle with good performance for the money. Well thoughout utility throughout the vehicle.

• 

  6 Satisfied Years with the ION - 2003 Saturn ION
  By mcgregwood - September 15 - 3:56 pm

  I must say that this car was fun to drive. It handled better than any car I drove, even my new 2009 Cobalt. I really liked having the dash in the middle, you just have to get used to it. Of course I had little problems here and there, nothing major. I shouldnt have bought a new model of car the first year it came out. I should have waited till 2004 to buy the ION after all the little kinks where worked out. Overall I was pretty satisfied with the ION. Only broke down on my once in 6 years. The car still looked great when I traded it in last week. I love the fact that Saturns dont rust. I would recommend this car to anyone, but its better to buy a 2004 or newer model.

• 

  Greatest car, compared to an ACURA - 2003 Saturn ION
  By Mike27MD - September 15 - 2:00 am

  I bought an ACURA RSX and in an unfortunate accident it was totalled. After I went car shopping again and almost bought the RSX. I shopped around everywhere...and on the way home testdrove the ION. Wow, what a ride! It was smooth, quiet, and the horsepower was great. I wasnt able to get the leather interior and souped up sound system with the ACURA, but for under $20K, I bought the ION3 with every option available. What a bargain! Whoever stated the seat was uncomfortable must have been a large, or miserable guy, because I am 510, 170, and I have an AMPLE amount of room to move my legs.

• 

  Best car we have owned...highly recommend! - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By mrbellyputter - September 11 - 2:41 pm

  1st of all...we highly recommend buying your next car at CARMAX [violative content deleted] What a great, fun car buying experience! As for the car, easily the best car we have owned! We have/had Honda Civic, Nissan 300 Z twin turbo, Jeep Grand Cherokee, GMC Sierra Truck. This car drives like a dream! Safe, quiet, responsive, functional controls, kid friendly, seats reconfigure effortlessly...what more can I say?...we got it at a great price at CARMAX too! If you are looking for a SUV/mini van capacity, with performance like a sports sedan...then look no further...this is it! Satur Outlook will be less expensive than GMC Acadia (even though they are both the same car)!

• 

  I love my Saturn! - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By Stephanie - September 11 - 9:56 am

  The fact that ours is a standard allows us to get better than average gas mileage. The best thing, though, is that we can fit everything we need for our three small children (ages 4 and under. Plus the dog! My husband is 63" and he fits in it comfortably. And the seats drivers seat adjusts completely. I was able to get in and out comfortably two days after having our second two children by c-section and could drive comfortably even at 8 and 9 months pregnant with our third! This vehicle is great for families with up to three children. And the safety ratings are very good. There are child locks on the back doors and you can lock the windows so that they are controlled only from the front.

• 

  Outlook...Stylish and Roomy! - 2007 Saturn Outlook
  By cnbln07 - September 10 - 10:20 pm

  My wife and I were looking for a vehicle with room for 3 kids and storage behind 3rd row seat. We had a 03 Pontiac Montana Van so we were used to having room. Nothing would fill our needs not Tahoe nor Suburban (to big). We tried to find an GMC Acadia no dealer had them. So, we looked at an Saturn Outlook XR. It was what we were looking for,better color choices than the GMC and nicer interior. I have 05 Lexus Rx330. The Outlook rides smoother and is quieter than my Lexus and has more gadgets for less money. I would rather drive the Outlook but my wife will not trade!! We have 19 hybrid travel trailer and the Outlook pulls it with ease. Gas mileage 17 in town 22-25 on highway (w/o trailer)

• 

  Grounded - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Vicki - September 9 - 11:23 pm

  I purchased my Saturn the exact day I moved to Anchorage, AK. My husband bought a Ford F350. My husband had several issues with sliding and such with all the snow and ice. In the 3 years I have owned my Saturn VUE I have only had 2 situations that involved me sliding on the ice, and they were both at corners, where I was turning. I felt the back end slide around just a bit as I pushed on the gas to turn. Both times were corrected by simply releasing and reapplying the gas pedal. I couldnt ask for a better car. Its traction has kept me safe and sound for three winters in Alaska. Sure put my husbands 4x4 pick up to shame.

• 

  Love my Saturn ION - 2003 Saturn ION
  By christya - September 9 - 10:00 am

  They have done it right this time not that the SL2 was a bad car, but the new ION is just fun to drive lots of get up and go, and just a little bit of funky with out going over board. Keep your eye on the ION