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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  A great combination - just quiet it down - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By TTAABOC - April 4 - 2:00 am

  Love the vehicle - is outstanding in snow and has plenty of room. Not having to worry about small dings and rust is very nice - they should really play that angle up more. Cars like the Acura are just wide expanses of soon-to- be-damaged sheet metal.

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  Luxury of a Minivan without the stigma! - 2009 Saturn Outlook
  By Lexi - April 2 - 5:16 pm

  We bought this car after doing a lot of research over the past year. We needed a car with 7 passenger seating, and we didnt want a minivan. Yes, the gas mileage needs to be improved, but isnt much less than a minivan. For the money, this car has it all. We got a back-up camera, cargo rails, a sunroof, and 7 passenger seating...a must when 2 car seats are installed to insure access to the back row. Speaking of the back row, there is enough room for a carseat (latch in the middle seat) and a normal sized adult on both sides, with out feeling too squished. Overall, I would recommend this vehicle to anyone who needs more than 5 passenger seating and is hesitant to but a minivan.

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  Tough to beat - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By gvreid - April 1 - 3:03 pm

  Bought the fully loaded version. Absolutely love this car, particularly on long highway drives. Effortless power and great passing ability. Great value for the money. Very classy and sporty at the same time. My wife wants to trade cars with me. No deal.

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  Fine With Me - 2003 Saturn ION
  By Smookiepooch - March 30 - 5:03 am

  I bought my Saturn at the end of 02 and at 133,000 its still going strong. Ive had some problems recently but with that many miles its bound to happen. My blinker went out but that was a recall item so it was fixed for free. The only 2 major problems I had was my key got stuck in the ignition and my fan went out, fixed both for under $200.

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  Saturn matches the competion - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By SomeGuy - March 29 - 4:30 am

  I recently drove the 4cyl CRV and RAV- 4. This vehicle had better performance than either of the two. Steering is a little mushy but not overly so. Could use a little more size overall. I was unsure about the fuel economy because the CRV and RAV-4s were higher. Then I was informed that The Honda and Toyota rivals were on the old epa rating system. Which would put the Vue right in line with them.

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  Love that Saturn - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By Cach_me - March 27 - 9:46 pm

  I have had my VUE for almost 2 years now and its the best vehicle I have ever had. Other than one little battery problem that my local dealership had trouble figuring out, no problems otherwise.

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  makes me miss my kia : ( - 2007 Saturn ION
  By ediblearm - March 24 - 9:43 pm

  Bought it used, I didnt even spill anything on it an it an the seats stained! lol The speedometer in the middle is keeping my eyes away off the road to long and I cant see out the back to back it up. Gas is ok. Motor is really quiet. Trunk is huuge! But it took a dump on me the other day. Electric box went out?? Just stopped an acted like I ran outa gas..ugg..but hopefully wont be to expensive to fix. Really cheap inside. Heater ball things fall out.Mirror broken. Way to small console. Ive heard that some wont start every once an a while and ya have to wait 15min b4 restarting it...so Im trading it in as soon as I can for sure

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  Solid Little Car - 2004 Saturn ION
  By ron nelson - March 19 - 9:33 am

  I have no complaints about my Saturn ION 2. Its a solid compact car. I love the exterior design. It handles very well on the road. Excellent gas mileage. Good power. Easy handling . I think its a solid little car. A very good family car. I have the car two years. It runs perfect, no mechanical problems. I would recommend this car highly to anyone looking for a solid car.

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  Sky review - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By Susan Musulin - March 16 - 2:53 am

  I have restricted insurance curently on this car that stops on Dec 15th so I have only had a short time to drive it but during that time, I have thoroughly enjoyed the car and the drive. I only wish that it had more storage space for traveling. People stop and ask me questions about the car because it is such an eye catcher, so it is an easy sell based on its looks. So far I have totally enjoyed the car.

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  Transmission Nightmare - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Disappointed - March 14 - 8:16 pm

  Transmission shot at 55,000, just out of warranty. Cost to repair: $5,000 to $6,000. $3,100 left on the loan. Class Action suit over the transmission issues just settled. Too little, too late. Saturn has to "reimburse" for transmission replacement up to 125,000 (original owners), but many complaints from people who have had to replaced the transmission yet again. The settlement is bittersweet, since owners have to front the $5,000-$6,000 and wait for the replacement. The transmission flaw was never addressed so you get the same loser the second/third time. Decided to get away from it and traded for a Honda CR-V yesterday. Do your own research on the transmission.