Monthly Archives: August 2007

More 2008 9-3 Stuff

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I’d say Gripen’s either between Washington and LA or he’s being grilled by SaabUSA to find out TrollhattanSaab’s secrets, but whilst we’re waiting for him to check in, there is some interesting stuff going around about the 2008 Saab 9-3 in other channels.

Car and Driver have posted their first drive impression. I’m not sure if this hails from Washington or Sweden, but I’ll go out on a limb and say C&D are playing fast and loose with the facts here by timing it to coincide with US drives whilst the writeup is based on a Swedish experience.

They’re also playing fast and loose with the specs:

Most of the 9-3’s competitors, for example, offer all-wheel drive, so after sufficient harping from Saab’s U.S. arm, 9-3 sedans and wagons will be granted that option on January 1, 2008. That $2000 goody will be available with the 210-hp turbo four-cylinder as well as the turbo V-6.

Everything I’ve heard so far indicates that the XWD system will be a V6 only job initially and that it will trickle down to other variants as time goes by. C&D seem to be indicating here that XWD will be available for the 2.0T in the US from the get-go, which is not my understanding at all. Perhaps we’ll hear more about that once Gripen checks in, but I’ll be (pleasantly, but very) surprised if that’s the case.

C&D’s conclusion seems to be a lot different from mine. My gearbox didn’t feel like it was connected with ropes. My car’s steering didn’t feel too light. Yes the seats felt superb (as always) but no, there wasn’t any excessive road noise. It’s another pointer to the fact that this article was probably based on a Swedish drive, where they were using pre-production vehicles that may not have been finished like vehicles for sale would be.

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For those of you who were curious about what they all had for dinner at the House of Sweden the other night, AutoSpies was there and have a pretty good gallery of the night’s proceedings. There’s some people in the pics, though I couldn’t pick Gripen out. There’s one guy in a T-shirt though…..

Here’s dinner. Click through for the rest of the gallery.

Saab dinner

Yeah, you’ve seen (most of) that Saab 9-5 before

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I published a rendering from Auto Motor and Sport earlier today and the perceptive amongst you asked if we’d seen it before. Well, we’ve seen most of it.

I first showed this photo at least 18 months ago and as you can see, there’s more than just a little bit of similarity here.

Autocar 2009 Saab 9-5

Again, for your comparison, here’s the image from AM&S:

Saab 9-5 AMS

So this latest image looks like a re-do of that somewhat older image. The big question is whether or not that re-do is meaningful. AM&S are telling me that it is but I’d like to hear from someone who’s seen the actual 9-5 images recently in Sweden. I know you’re out there…..

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Also, this entry marks the first in a new category called 2009 Saab 9-5. Call me an optimist, but late 2008 or early 2009 is the best intel I’ve got on this car at the moment, so I’ll run with that.

009: Saab C900 Lovin’ James Bond Style!

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It’s a little-known fact that in the early 1980′s revival of the James Bond 007 franchise, the selected author, John Gardner, chose a silver Saab 900 Turbo as the car for the new, updated Commander Bond. Mr. Garder explained his choice with these words:

If you’re going to have a man of the eighties — conscious of the recession, with limited resources — he’s got to be a bit more like an ordinary human being. He’s got a bit of private money, and I wanted to put him into very much an eighties motor car.

The James Bond copyright owners, Glidrose, readily agreed saying that, “Ian [Fleming, the original Bond author] would have liked him to have this car.”

Here’s the sketch:

Silver Beast Specs

The complete story is here. Specs after the jump…

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Still Away….

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..but coming home soon.

Two guys emailed me overnight with a bunch of pictures. Unfortunately my email has a restrictive 10mb limit when I’m in webmail mode (away from home) so I had to delete them.

Edy G and Robert B – could you please re-send your emails to me at swade99@gmail.com

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Auto Motor and Sport have some new renderings that are apparently very close to what people in Sweden have had presented to them as the new 9-5 recently.

A number of dealers etc who check in here have also seen it, so what do you think? Hit the AM&S link for more images.

Saab 9-5 AMS

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No update from 1985 Gripen yesterday – that XWD car must have worn him out good. Either that or he’s still asleep on his feather bed at the Ritz-Carlton.

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Dissatisfied about the lack of XWD availability on the 2008 convertible, Kaz emailed Bob Lutz to find out why. Amazingly, he got a response!

I think there is a technical issue, in that the underbody reinforcements needed to give the convertible its extremely stiff structure (which is what makes it great) interfere with the driveshaft to the rear wheels. Sorry about that! It’s a real estate matter.

Kudos to you, Bob!

Yet another ‘what makes a Saab a Saab’ post

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Each of us has a list of what makes a Saab a Saab. Some people lean toward the brand’s history of front wheel drive, turbocharged engines and legendary longevity, while others may talk about aesthetics such as the ‘hockey stick’ pillar, curved windshield or, of course, the ignition switch between the front seats. All are valid answers.

However, I assert that safety is as much a part of the Saab DNA as anything that you can actually see or regularly see in action. Swedish cars are safe. That’s a given.

So, I ask: What could be more characteristically ‘Saab’ than the famous Moose Test?

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Saab O The Week – August 30

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Time for another Saab O The Week entry. Where there’s some fine Saab photography there’s always a place for it on this site.

This image was sourced via Flickr. It was taken whilst on a moving train and looks sensational. The only downside being that the owner of this 9-3 probably doesn’t even know that their car is the subject of such a fine shot.

Saab Moving Train

Click on the link to view all the Saab O The Week photos. If you’ve got a great photo of your Saab, email it to me and I’ll happily post it on the site.

Thank goodness for Anthony Lo

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Gents (and ladies, although I’m beginning to wonder…), this is real.

I believe that I speak for everyone here when I say that the Saab AeroX concept car is a runaway success. A crowning achievement, oozing in cool. Sub zero, Mr. Clarkson. If the Aston Martin ‘has it’s own fridge’, the AeroX must create its own liquid nitrogen.

Anthony Lo, the chief designer on the AeroX project, hit a home run (as we would say in the United States). He is to be commended mightily.

Things haven’t always been so rosy in the Trollhattan design clubhouse. In fact, just five short years ago, the Swedes decided to engage the venerable Bertone design group to put together a Saab 9-5-based concept car to be unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show in 2002.

And they made it orange. Really.

The Novanta was a high-tech car. It highlighted a lot of the Scandinavian ingenuity that made Saabs successful in the past. Great technology made it into the Novanta. Things like drive-by-wire technology from Swedish controls giant SKF. Wireless communication, data transmission and control from Nokia. Powertrain know how from Saab. These and other innovations allowed the design team to work without some of the mechanical limitations that dictate conventional automotive configurations.

So they made it with three doors — one on the driver’s side, two on the passenger side. All of that freedom, and they go all crazy and implement a feature that was standard on the 1971 Chevrolet Suburban. I’m underwhelmed.

Steel yourselves. The pictures you’re about to see will both sicken you and haunt you for the rest of your days…

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