This is the final live entry for Trollhattan Saab. For the record, it’s entry #5,431 and there have been 50,962 comments thus far in the life of this blog.

Whilst this is the end of the road for Trollhattan Saab (yes, city of Trollhattan, you can have your Google rank back soon!) it is NOT the end of our collective journey with Saab blogging.

Please bookmark www.saabsunited.com – TS’s little baby and successor.

Trollhattan Saab will still exist indefinitely an archive, but from this post onwards, all new posts will be published at Saabs United.

I will give TS a week or so as it is, so that you can finish your conversations in comments here. As of next weekend the front page of Trollhattan Saab will automatically redirect visitors to Saabs United.

The reasons for the change are many but hopefully only noticeable to me. Your experience should be largely the same as it has been here at TS. There’s a nice fat welcome post over at SU that explains nearly everything (I’ve left the meaning of life to others).

I’d like to take a moment to welcome a new sponsor to Trollhattan Saab and Saabs United – MobilForum from Dresden, in Germany.

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MobilForum are a top tier dealership specialising in Hummer, Cadillac, Corvette and most importantly for readers at this website – Saab. In fact, with the specialised knowledge they’ve accumulated over the years they are the top tier dealership for premium brands in Saxony, Germany.

Mobilforum provide their customers with a balanced mix of experience and innovation when it comes to Saab and GM’s other premium brands. They know their products and their customers. They know that these drivers want their cars to express their individuality, placing a particular emphasis on reliability and superior ride.

Whether it’s the subtly-practical Saab 9-3 Sport Combi or the expressive and powerful Corvette Z06 – customers will receive a full buying and ownership experience from the staff at Mobilforum.

Its their specialised knowledge and creativity that leads them to look for integrated solutions for their customers, like the all-in-one Kenwood audio and commuinications system I publicised at Trollhattan Saab recently. Shortly we’ll hear from a pretty happy TS reader in Singapore who just installed this system in his Turbo X, supplied by Mobilforum.

I want to thank MobilForum for their support of SaabsUnited and wish them well in their mission: to promote Saab in one of the toughest European markets there is, in Germany.

I hope all who are in their region (and beyond) check out their offerings and give them your support where you can.

It’s certainly a busy weekend over at Auto Motor and Sport.

Yesterday it was naked 9-3x photos and today it’s more photos of the Saab 9-5 in winter testing northern Sweden. This vehicle is the one that’s actually registered as being a Holden, but don’t let that throw you off. It’s got a 180hp diesel and an automatic transmission.

There are six photos in all, and they’re all tree times the size of this one (or is that nine times the size? I get confused sometimes).

They’re all available over at Auto Motor and Sport.

Photoshop experts, feel free to do your thing……

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UPDATE: Some facts have been checked and corrected.

Well, at least I know what the problem is with the convertible. And it has a lot to do with this picture of my (former) jumper cables.

Read on for the explaination.

[Read the rest of this entry →]

Wow, it’s been quite a while since I’ve posted here, and it’s been strictly due to the workload forced upon many of us with the weird and wooly business climate that exists at the moment.

On Saab (not) in the news

I’ve not heard much about Saab in the mainsteam news here in the US, period. Of course, the GM news always includes Saab as an aside, and there was that splash about the Swedish government backing Saab and Volvo to keep them viable. Other than that, Saab is under the radar, which I feel is a good thing in the long run. Saab will not be seen with the same taint that the big three (GM, Ford and Chrysler) will wear once things begin to roll again. Just as it was back in the 1980’s when the Chrysler Corporation was bailed out by the feds, the bail-out cars will be austere almost to a fault — the burden of massive debt does that to a company. Saab, being viewed in a somewhat different category, will hopefully side step that issue to remain somewhat on track as a premium brand.

On Saab as the Apple of Car Brands

I’m not sure that I want to wear the “Apple of car brands” badge, either. Apple certainly makes exquisite hardware that seems so “right”. However, they are pricey and proprietary. Apple tends to be very protective of their proprietary nature, almost to the point of arrogance. I hope that Saab doesn’t go there. The Saab legacy is as good design accessible to the everyman. I hope that isn’t lost in the translation.

[Read the rest of this entry →]

This has sort of become a bit of an Australia-watch segment in the last few weeks. Sorry if it bores some, but mainland Australia is going through some dangerous times.

Richo, our former-Viggen-owning mate was at Philip Island in Victoria indulging in his new brand:

And the temperature at one point in the afternoon:

That’s seriously hot. I hope the Bimmers didn’t melt in the sun.

Melbourne (the capital city in Victoria) had it’s hottest day on record today and fires are sweeping across the state. There have been many, many homes destroyed and 14 confirmed deaths so far with a fear the number might go as high as 40.

Serious business.

500km away in Tasmania it’s like another world. We had rain this morning and a top in the mid-high 20s.

Last week I posed the question as to what the diesel offerings will be with the new upcoming Saab 9-3x.

I’ve heard a little more on this issue since then and the answer appears to be both ‘yes’ and ‘no’, though perhaps not in the way many would like to hear.

The market I’ve heard from is within Europe. In that market, there will be both a 2WD and an XWD version of the Saab 9-3x.

The XWD version of the car will have the 2.0T gasoline engine, like the car in the photo, above.

The TTiD engine will be made available in the 9-3x, but according to the information I’ve received, the TTiD version will have a 2WD setup.

It seems the issues fitting XWD and the TTiD engine together are still in play.

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Here they are.

Daytime shots. Proper wheels. No falling snow and no disguises. The Saab 9-3x in all its glory.

I really, REALLY like the look of this vehicle. It’s a subtle change, but a great one.

The Saab 9-3x is due to make its official public debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month (March 2009). I hope it gets a really good showing.

There are more photos over at Auto Motor and Sport, and they’re HUGE!

Thanks Par!

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