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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  What a Great Vehicle! - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By C Pappas - September 30 - 10:33 am

  GM really did its customer research when they built the Saturn Outlook. We have now had our Saturn for 1 1/2 years and we remain extremely satisfied. In addition to wonderful build quality, the interior design is outstanding. I am 6 1" and my 13 year old son is well on his way there. With the second row captains chairs, he and I can comfortably and easily get into the third row seat, far easier than any other vehicle we tried. A great surpise: After changing my flat tire (which was quite easy) I found that Saturn had put a large plastic bag in a storage area so that the dirty damaged tire could be stored in the back so as not to make any mess! Wow! Very nice touch!

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  The fun SUV - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By Red Line - September 30 - 1:46 am

  This SUV is destined to be one of the best in its class. It wont let you down in its agile handling (Red Line) in proportion to the power under its hood (6 Cyl AWD). It has the power of the a RAV 4 with the reliabilty of a CRV.

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  Good bang for your buck - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By Vue Dude - September 27 - 11:56 pm

  I never in my wildest dreams thought of driving a Saturn. Then I took my last test drive of the 8 SUVs that I was looking at and fell in love with the power and smoothness of the V6. This SUV looks great in black and the interior is basic, but looks pretty good. The upgraded stereo has a good sound and the controls are simple and easy to use. It handles great in the snow and has enough power to get me up some steep hills while doing so. The dent resistant panels have also saved me some parking lot dings and dents living in an area with strip malls and shopping centers galore. Im sad to see Saturn go and that is a concern for me whether I keep my car long term.

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  Love it! - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By Joy - September 27 - 9:00 pm

  We love our Saturn Outlook! Its comfortable and weve had no problems at all with it. Were in the market for another new car and were realizing how great of a job GM did with this vehicle. The nav system is top notch and we also really like the stereo system and overall interior design. The car drives well, has good pick up and can carry 7 adults without any problems.

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  Vue 2002 - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By Tyger - September 27 - 2:00 am

  My VUE has been in the shop for warranty work 9 times in a year and a half. The SES light comes on every two months for, miraculously, never quite the same thing twice so I could not declare it a lemon. And now with less then 2 years, the paint is chipping. Plus, the dealer will not support a loaner car on my brand new SUV.

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  its the best - 2004 Saturn ION
  By javan - September 27 - 2:00 am

  its the best car i ever had and the only car i would ever want. the people at saturn were great i look forward to buying another car from them.

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  Quite Pleased - 2007 Saturn ION
  By Devon - September 25 - 5:56 am

  I bought this car as my first new car @ age 23 and have never had an issue. The first winter (in Maine) the tires were fairly new but it did give me some trouble on hills and with stopping. Ive liked a challenge but the 2nd winter I got studded snow tires mounted and the car went like a tank. 6-8 in of snow on a non-plowed highway and I was braving through without a care. Practically plowing myself. I did have an issue with snow building up in the wheel wells but who wouldnt. Overall, car has been great. Good fuel econ and nice sporty car for summer.

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  I say, I say "Saturn" - 2005 Saturn ION
  By Jim Miller - September 24 - 8:50 pm

  I took my 1994 Saturn SL2 to 200,000 miles with less that $150 in non-maintenance type repairs. My new ION 2 seems to be even better engineered and cost $1,500 less than my SL2 over 11 years ago. The dash configuration does take some getting used to but is far superior than the old one. The exterior has a classy look to it, stacking up very well in the parking lot to sedans with much higher sticker prices. This is our familys third new Saturn and definitely not the last.

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  VUE review - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By MichEE - September 24 - 5:56 pm

  Nice thought to lure with the Honda engine and tranny. Too bad the rest of the vehicle is so poorly constructed. Issues with front end suspension components, rear end drive components and electronic interface (BCM and ECM). It is too small for 4 people and luggage. Small for a +6ft driver. The 250HP V-6 is really peppy but at 40,000 miles and +20 trips to the dealer under waranty this vehicle is history!

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  Exceeded expectations - 2007 Saturn Sky
  By berls - September 24 - 1:53 am

  Nice room for the driver and passenger. Little storage in the trunk with the top down. Rides like a midsize touring suspension and sits down on the curves at 40-60 mph. Nice pickup with the 2.4L. Looks great- a real headturner!