Comments on: New Saab 9-3 road tests

By: Beren

Beren — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 18:27:55 +0000

JohnK is right on (I’m also close to SoH) – Saab marketing in the US is lame. They need to figure out how to get people interested in the cars. Showing a car in a fake jet engine exhaust just does not convey the driving experience.

From the Globe article…what’s all this liberal nonsense he’s talking about? I’ve been a Saab fan for a long time, but I would not consider myself or a lot of my Saab friends “liberals”.

beren

By: Steven

Steven — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 03:40:00 +0000

@Danni: Don’t feel too bad. You have the same number of 9-3 variants as the US. We just have 1 more Combi and 1 less sedan. 6 total.

@Zippy: Yes, I agree 100%, but it is so much easier to swallow when you compare it to a buyer who walks out the door knowing their car will be worth so little in 4 years. For me, in 4 years, I’ll be 1 year into another new car and still have a nice low payment. I’ve been leasing now since 1992 and the issue never shows up on my radar up becasue so many leases are subsidized by pumping up the residual. Keep in mind too the residual is based on sticker, not the price you pay, so all those rebates (when availabe to leasees), GM employee discounts (thanks Dad), and GM Card dollars & GM Card bounuses make leasing an even sweeter deal. As they say, it’s not for everyone though.

By: 1985 Gripen

1985 Gripen — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 00:51:11 +0000

I don’t understand it, but Americans just don’t care for combis. They feel they’re sacrificing over buying an SUV.

I think the 9-3′s sales are poor because other than the new more-aggressive grille, the styling is quite bland (on the sedan model). The combi is less bland-looking, but see my first paragraph above.

I think Saab needs to go back to standing-out and looking unique, even if it means being labeled as “quirky”. You might say that people didn’t buy them because they looked odd, but look at Saab sales since they made the look more mainstream. It’s not exactly like sales took off as a result.

Swade: remember someone we know was saying he thinks that Saab needs to go back to being different?

Kroum: I was looking at my copy of Los Angeles magazine yesterday and saw that Saab has a two-page spread print ad in it. I think Saab has been targeting ads regionally rather than nationally lately.

By: zippy

zippy — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 17:53:35 +0000

Steven leasing doesnt make you immune from depreciation, it makes the car more expensive to lease hence my conundrum.

By: zippy

zippy — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 17:50:54 +0000

I hate to say this but I reckon the quality issue will not be solved until Saab production is moved to Russelsheim. Something about German precision etc etc.

By: Steven

Steven — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 17:25:03 +0000

Considring that the last two Saabs (’03 9-5 SW & ’07 9-3 SC) we’ve bought/leased came with $3-5K rebates, I agree Saab US might do better by lowering the prices. Get the sticker price closer to the actual transaction price and folks won’t think of it as a joke or go on and on about the massive depreciation (just lease it then!). I also think they might consider not limiting the Aero to just one engine, but more along the lines of the UK. And no you don’t have to go back to linear, arc, vector, aero, yada- yada-yada beacsue I think that just confused folks in the US. My vote of course would be to offer the 1.9 TTDi as an opiton with the 9-3 Aero. The Aero body is sooo much nicer than the 2.0T, but I can bring myself to buy a 9-3 2.0T as the exterior just looks so bland in comparison. BTW, no sweaks or rattles in either of our Saab Wagons. 60,000mi & 36,000mi.

By: No.9

No.9 — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 16:36:01 +0000

See Greg Abbott’s post on reliability for an answer. I would like to add to that post that it’s not a question of perceived reliability but a question of absolute unreliability. As much as I liked my 4 Saabs, they were all a disgrace as far as reliability and they were METICULOUSLY SERVICED. And Mark, the 08 9-3 still squeaks and rattles. My tech spends hours using foam and stuff to quiet them down. Some are better than others and some people hear more than others but there is no doubt, some squeaks, around the sunroof for example, are still there. And yes, without rebates, Saabs are to expensive to be considered in Canada. Basically, they are fun, safe, comfortable, practical, overpriced unreliable cars.

By: peco412

peco412 — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 15:32:57 +0000

The Turbo X and upcoming 9-3 Aero XWD with eLSD offer at least comparable, if not superior, performance to the BMW 335xi, but at a lower price point. I’ve been driving a 9-3 Arc for five years and am still seriously considering a 335xi, but time recently spent driving 2007 and 2008 9-3s has convinced me that the poor build-quality issues I’ve suffered in my 2003 have been solved. I think all of the German car makers should take a cue from the interior design of the Japanese carmakers (I absolutely love the interior of the Infiniti M), but the relatively spartan interiors of Saabs have never been a problem for me. I prefer dedicated buttons and knobs to multi-function interfaces (KISS – keep it simple, stupid!), and Saab controls are well-marked and backlit, even on the steering wheel. Now, if only you could opt out of OnStar and into Bluetooth. . . .

By: JohnK

JohnK — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:37:35 +0000

Steve I live here in New Jersey not too far from Saab of Hunterdon and I see two problems with the sales of the new 9-3. First our economy is in a recession even though nobody wants to admit it so nobody is buying anything and 2008 will probably be a flat year for any car maker here in the US until after the presidential elections. Second I have said in the past SAAB has terrible marketing here. You hardly see anything on TV except one of their cheesy born from jets cheap commercial here and there. The new one with the jet blasting the old 9-3 into the new one is the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen and to make matters worse is its the low end model they show. If they want to entice new byers GM needs to pump up marketing money and much better commercials. If they feel this is their “upscale” brand to compete with Audi, BMW etc. they need to look at their commercials and see why Saabs are sitting on the lots. Nobody knows they are there unless you tell them and they aren’t doing a good job at that at all. The new 9-3 is a beatiful car and I think the new 9-4x will do well here as well if people know its out there. They need to have cutting edge commercials like there competition focusing on the cars and their abilities, awards etc. not on stupid airplane technology comparisons…Born from Jets is a dead issue they need to move on and hire a better marketing agency. Listen to people like me who live in the Northeast where Saabs are more visible…I see no marketing hardly on major TV networks. Hyundai of all companies is constantly on TV with a nice commericial I might ad….Saab is non existent. Lets hope they get the signal here or I dont see them lasting.

By: joemama

joemama — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 12:31:48 +0000

Kroum – I would have to disagree. Where is the direct iPod integration? Have you seen Ford’s Sync system?

Sure, advertising is a big reason people don’t know about Saab, but I would be curious to see how many people see print or TV ads, then go to the dealer only to walk out because of price and lack of technology, or both.