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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  Darn GOod - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By Gary White - November 14 - 10:00 am

  Great, its reliable fun and looks good. It gets good gas mileage and is very reliable.

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  Ion 2 - 2005 Saturn ION
  By 87formula - November 12 - 2:00 am

  Absolutely a pleasure to drive and own. No problems to date, good efficiency. Center dash display takes getting used to, but works better than traditional design which gets blocked by stearing wheel.

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  Passenger air bag - 2007 Saturn Aura
  By chagrined - November 8 - 10:46 am

  Great all around auto except for the front passenger seat. The imbedded sensor is unreliable in my vehicle. My wife weighs 135# and the airbag indicator frequently show no passenger sitting there. The dealer tells me there is nothing he can do. Saturn Customer Assistance tells me that it is operating according to specs, or perhaps a leather seat would be better. Go figure that a 135# weight does not register on a sensor designed to activate at 80#. I love the car but will take advantage of my states lemon law if no solution is offered.

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  Astra 3dr XR - 2008 Saturn Astra
  By JK Anderson - November 6 - 1:23 am

  I bought this car in May 08. Traded in an 07 MX5. We needed more room. This car is a "gas". It is almost as much fun to drive as the Miata. Two weeks after purchase I made a 4500 mile road trip. Mileage beat my expectations. 40 mpg on the high side vs 32 worst case (highway). It handles like a slot car at any speed. This is an excellent low priced car. Very European. I am amazed there are not more on the road in this country.

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  OUTLOOK the real full size SUV - 2009 Saturn Outlook
  By Dan Jones - November 2 - 7:43 pm

  Purchased this vehicle to replace my Dodge Grand Caravan I bought new and drove 10 years driving 110,000 miles, the purchase of my 09 Outlook was a very great choice. Love this car and the size and performance are top-of- the-hill. Wish the mpg was a little better, average 19-21 on reg- unleaded.

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  2nd Vue - 2005 Saturn VUE
  By sebovol - November 2 - 10:43 am

  Great gas mileage, 25mpg average. Roomy in both front and back. 64" and dont even need to put front seat all the way back. Plenty of room in back still. Easy to get in an out of. Sunroof is great! Great pickup. Very economical.

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  SATURN VUE - 2004 Saturn VUE
  By arie - November 1 - 2:00 am

  THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE HAVE OWED AN SUV AND I AM THRILLED WITH IT. THE RIDE IS GREAT AND I AM SO PROUD OF IT ON THE ROAD. FROM NOW ON I WILL ALWAYS BUY A VUE.

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  Saturn VUE AWD - 2003 Saturn VUE
  By T F Moran - November 1 - 2:00 am

  Overall a really good value and driving experience! Could improve on gas mileage, and make a larger gas tank!

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  My ION 2 - 2006 Saturn ION
  By Cathy Tetreault - October 31 - 12:06 pm

  I love the way my ION 2 handles. The steering is so easy but yet firm. It is comfortable to sit and drive or as a passenger. I have gotten 28-31 miles per gallon in town since I have had it.

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  A whole new VUE of things - 2006 Saturn VUE
  By New Vue - October 29 - 12:20 pm

  We were in the market for a small SUV but didnt really like many. We hadnt even considered the Saturn until we went on vacation and got one as a rental. We were impressed with the comfort, handling, mileage,plus easy access to all the controls. It was quick even though it was a 4 cyl. Well when we returned from vacation we became the new owners of a 6 cyl VUE ( wanted a little more umph ). We couldnt be more pleased. This is a nice vehicle that handles and rides like a car but the features of an SUV without all the expense. In our opinion a real winner!