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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  Nice SUV - Not the best. - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By Fast Freddie - October 25 - 4:50 pm

  This is a good SUV. I love the Honda V6. Brakes (calipers)rattle,relaying noise thru steering column - dealer cant fix it. Saturn could do better job to dampen noise level on the road. Gas mileage is pretty good - 19 city, 24+ highway.

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  Good little SUV - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By KW - October 22 - 7:06 pm

  I have had this car almost a year, and have no real, solid complaints. I have put 15,000 miles on it, and after comparing it to Hondas CRV and Toyotas RAV, it was a great fit for me. Tons of options for the base price. For the money, it is a great buy. Interior well thought out, very European, which I like. Buying experience was good. Disappointed with gas mileage, but I suppose it is good for a small SUV that carries that kind of weight. You feel safe in the car, that is for sure. Overall, good buy for small SUV buyers out there, and it was the first American car I had bought in years!

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  Sorry to see it go - 2008 Saturn Outlook
  By Sbullard - October 17 - 9:16 pm

  Basically wife gave me a list of what she wanted (Navagation and DVD) we found this one at the local dealer has all the bells and whistles and overall has been excellent Vehicle. we have had for 2 years and have 62,000 miles had to replace the rocker arms, DVD had quit working had extended warrenty replaced unit. didnt check the onstar when we picked it up and week are so later when we checked it found out the quote the onstar computer has quit working and even though it goes thru the radio they are sure that changing had nothing to do with it, not a problem new onstar module only 850 dollars. The DVD/Stero was over 1200. I like saturn but cant trust the GM dealers service so Addios!

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  My VUE experience - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Kyle - October 4 - 4:53 pm

  Bought the 03 VUE (4cyl/5spd) for my wife 3 years ago, it now has 74,000 miles. Have many squeaks and rattles that have never been fixed. Factory tires were bald at 30K, replaced with Yokohamas that have worn well. Extremely loud road noise. Not pleased with the gas mileage, get around 23mpg overall, about 25-26 on the hwy. A strut bearing and something with the computer has been replaced under extended warranty, aside from that it has been cheap to maintain. It does fit both of us well, shes short and Im tall. I used to sell Saturns and was confident in their quality. Have not seen the same quality in the VUE as in an SL series.

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  Definitely worth a look! - 2008 Saturn VUE
  By Anonymous - October 2 - 1:43 am

  I needed a commuter with space for some cargo. I didnt like the look of the Rav4/CR-V, and the others didnt match up to the Vue. Full complement of airbags, standard (my 08 Accord is actually rated lower in crash tests than this Vue). No major issues; all minor ones were successfully resolved by the dealers. As-advertised MPG (I get 22city/26hwy/25combined). This is one vehicle that GM should be showcasing as a reason they can and should survive.

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  vibration n peddle - 2007 Saturn Outlook
  By joeee1 - October 1 - 6:59 am

  iWell this is are first saturn and we traded in a durmax diesel cause we needed hte room for the kids..well first off we have a vibration in the peddle when going 35 to 40 mph had one place tell us the trany.so since theres a warrenty take it to gm .they tell us theres nothing wrong with it that its set for economy better gas milage.if we wanted to change it we would lose 2 miles per gallon..so please help us figure this out we just bought this a month ago and hate they way it shifts all together but like it other wise...

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  Vue of the service bay - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By A Martin - September 22 - 2:00 am

  My wife and I had repeated problems with the optional dealer installed DVD entertainment system. The front Bumper bar lost its plastic cover due to poor design. The seat fabric on the passenger seat came unstitched where the bottom cushion meets the frame near the seatback. Otherwise, a very good and durable vehicle. Performance with the V-6 and all wheel drive system was somewhat better than I had expected with decent gas mileage as well. I would recomend this vehicle to you with the following advice. Do not order the DVD system, The front bumper bar or the running boards.

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  satisfied customer - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By 1st time customer - September 16 - 2:00 am

  a real buying experience that was pleasureable, no games to play going back anc forth with salesman and sales manager to get to a price. Knowleageable salesman and dealership staff is extremely customer oriented and polite every time you visit the dealership before and after the purchase. Vehicle is fun to drive and affordably priced so that the options, that are not outrageously priced, are fun to explore and add to make the vehicle extremely attractive. The ride is much more comfortable that former owned competitive SUV. Very pleased. with the vehicle to this point.

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  THE SATURN - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By CHRISTAN - September 16 - 2:00 am

  THE CAR IS VERY COMFORTABLE AND HANDLES GOOD BUT WENT ON A LONG TRIP HAD A FLAT TIRE AND COULDNT FIND THE TIRE ANYWHERE I HAD TO LOOK FOR A SATURN DEALER AND YOU CAN IMAGINE HOW THAT FEELS. THE WHEN I LOWER THE BACK WINDOS TO GET SOME FRESH AIR THE NOISE WAS UNBEREABLE.TOO MUCH NOISE INSIDE THE CAR.

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  OK - 2007 Saturn VUE
  By John - September 13 - 12:56 pm

  The SUV looks really nice and its a fun SUV to drive. At 54,000, I had to replace the wheel bearings and this was costly. I have also replaced the brakes three times since buying the truck.