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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  My "tall" car is not too bad - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By Wernowhere - March 2 - 4:30 pm

  Ive have owned a FWD 4 cyl 5 speed Vue for a little over 2 years Its basically a "tall" car. To be honest, I went into my search looking for a CR-V or a RAV4. After looking at the competition, I settled on the VUE. Mostly a value decision. It was just a lot of vehicle for the money. I was concerned about realibility, but its been a good car to me so far. 38K and no real issues. EPA was 24 city/29 highway. I dont get that, but I do get about 22 around town and 26 -27 on the highway. Ive heard bad things about the 4WD and the CVT. Id probably avoid those but my FWD manual has been a good car.

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  I love my vue - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By kayeaux - February 27 - 2:00 am

  The vue is a powerful suv and a fun vehicle to drive. It is also a comfortable ride and we enjoy it very much. The fuel economy (21-22) is not quite up to my expectations yet but thecar only has 2300 miles and I hope it will improve as it gets a few more miles. Any way we love our vue

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  Not Sure - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Mosers - February 25 - 9:10 pm

  I bought my Saturn VUE in 2008. I have driven it over a year now and I have had no complications like I am reading here. I did however just have my brake shoes replaced and they are now telling me that my front wheel bearings are a little loose and will need replacing soon. Other than that I have had no problems like I have been reading. Trust me, I am still reading up on all these problems.

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  In a class by itself - 2002 Saturn VUE
  By PAVUE - February 25 - 10:00 am

  Our 4-cylinder CVT is unlike anything else you can buy anywhere. Truly distinctive styling and several very high tech features: CVT, electronic steering, high impact body panels make it unique. Hard to find anything that can hold as much and get mileage in the 20s. We see CR-Vs and RAVs every 30 seconds on the road. Love the Vue!

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  Good Car for Us - 2003 Saturn ION
  By Joel - February 24 - 7:16 pm

  Weve been quite happy with this car. We did buy it used with 48k miles on it and have put on another 40 ourselves. We have taken it on a two week trip from MI out to CO going through several States and their cities in the process. There was 4 of us in the car with all our stuff in July and we were cool and comfortable averaging 32 MPG. Weve gotten as high as 34 unloaded w/o AC and 28 in the city. The 2.2L is pretty peppy in regards to a 4 banger and the 5 speed manual is a little sloppy but still fun. It stops well, turns on a dime and I think very fun to drive. We have only had to replace tires and change oil. It has been a very reliable car so far.

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  More than youd expect! - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By MsStephanie - February 22 - 10:00 am

  I was up in the air whether to choose the equinox or the VUE. Of course, after my test drive and the friendly dealers, I chose the VUE. Excellent response on acceleration and smooth ride with the V6. Am really very impressed with overall quality and handling of this smaller SUV. I dont hear the noises or feel the sluggishness that others have found. Excellent buy as far as Im concerned in the SUV class.

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  its all new to me - 2006 Saturn ION
  By DJ - February 21 - 8:36 pm

  well just bought it but so far so good, its a big change for me cause i fianlly got rid of my 93 roadmaster with a 350-5.7l..so to go to a 4cyl its a change. the car looks great feels great and sounds great..the center dash is nice once you get used to it. it was worth it though for myself, my wife and 2 kids...happy driving..and go try one it wont hurt..lol

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  so far so good - 2006 Saturn ION
  By bowtieguy4 - February 6 - 8:03 am

  hello, i owned a 2006 cobalt prior to this car and i had 65,000 miles on it. i had some of the same problems as other saturn owners had. i do however i enjoy the saturn more than the cobalt. it seems to be a better built car and drive better, the sound system is much better it has a dome light big improvment.I hope the power steering dont go out like on the cobalt that is a expensive fix,the center dash is a very nice design.the performace is better that is a nice upgrade. this car has a r title to it only paid 6000.00 for it in very good cond,will give more updates as i drive it more.

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  very satisfied in NY - 2004 Saturn ION
  By satisfied in NY - February 3 - 1:20 pm

  The car is fun to drive and gets excellent gas mileage. Love the polymer door panels no dings from parking lots. We bought the car new in 2004 and have put 80,000 miles on it other than tires and front wheel bearings the only thing we have done is oil changes. We bought the upgrades of Anti lock brakes and traction control. The car is great in central NY winters and has been dependable since the day we bought it.

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  the vue - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By hatch reynolds - February 2 - 10:00 am

  the saturn vue is a great commuter suv. un like other suvs that guzzle gas the saturn vue is economical . and it looks good . theres also alot of options you can get for a fairly decent price . That in fact that the vue is made primairily in the US made one of the only SUV choices in my price and fuel range . the vue is ok to drive and has a great turning ratio but over all they could of done a better job with comfort,the seats are thin and not that comfortable at the price i paid i expected more . over all it s like i said a great commuter that looks good for less