Since I first emailed you the link to this review, the “luxury” aspect of CanadianDriver, called LuxuryCarCanada, now has the same review of the same car but worded more concisely and with much less nit-picking than the original article.

http://www.luxurycarcanada.com/features/features_articles.php?fetch_feature_article=08_saab_9-3_aero-sportcombi_hl_.php&pass_title=2008%20Saab%209-3%20Aero%20SportCombi

No mentioning of the staples ….

Gripen – I like turning the key. It makes me feel more connected to the car. That’s just me, though. It’s not something I really have to worry about, anyway, because it’ll be a long time before I get a car with a push-button starter. Also, heated/chilled cupholders aren’t even premium anymore…Dodge offers them on the Calibur, I think. Or is it Caliber? I can never remember. Point, all cars should have heated/chilled cupholders. It’s useful.

Mike T – Try driving an 08, they fixed all the squeaks. Also, you’re right about the NG900 being unsure of itself. I had that same car you drove for two years, a 2.3. The OG9-3 is much nicer.

Back to the cup-holders… my Trailblazer had 3 of them in the center console. Yes, 3… I used one of them for my iPod, one for me and one for a passenger. And they all were in a great spot and could fit large drinks and coffee mugs. Perfect!

At any rate we just need the ‘good’ cup holder and ‘good’ car to come together in our lifetime. An intriguing conversation – seriously.

Why are you complaining about other attributes of the cars I listed? I didn’t claim these cars are better in any way than Saab except that their uninspired designers at least seem to be able to design a simple solution to a simple requirement, unlike Saab in the case of their cupholders.

Saab should be ashamed, IMHO, to be putting those kludge cupholders in their supposed “premium” cars in 2008. I can give them a break for having the “afterthought” cupholders in the NG900, as cupholders aren’t really required equipment in Europe, but there’s no reason the 9-5 and 9-3SS shouldn’t have had “real” cupholders. I know I’m nitpicking on an issue that really doesn’t matter overall, but I expect more from Saab design. It’s not like anyone’s going to buy a car based on the design of the cupholder, but I expect Saab to pay attention to such details as they do to interior ergonomics and other elements of good design.

I think we need a cup holder photo thread on this blog. I have a plan….

Gripen: Man, I hope nobody on this blog keeps dirty diapers in their car. That was a moment in my life that I will never forget for all the wrong reasons. For the record – the car was a pre-1994 Chevrolet Lumina. I have never looked at a Lumina the same way.

Yes, 2001 Ford Taurus, 2006 Dodge Stratus, 2008 Chevrolet Impala, and just about every rental car I’ve driven in the past 10 years (Nissan Altima, Nissan Maxima, Toyota Camry, Pontiac G6, Pontiac Grand Am, Chevy HHR, Chevy Trailblazer…

You’ll notice that all of these cars are cheap so it’s not like it’s a cost issue, it’s a design one. Saab, being known for good design, you’d think they would have settled this issue long ago…

I agree that they’re probably not utilized in Sweden as much as in places like the U.S., but they don’t just sell Saabs in Sweden anymore. They need to adapt to the needs of their customers all over the world now.

And I’m a neat freak, so you’ll never find a dirty diaper in a McDonald’s bag in my Saab ever. I don’t even eat at McDonalds!

Does anyone have a car (Saab or otherwise) that they have owned and love the cup holder (or holders)? Judging by the comments above this seems to be a pretty big issue but I have never really found that perfect cup holder in the array of vehicles I have owned or have driven. Mini-vans seem to be the exception in some cases, but a mini-van is not something I anticipate owning.

A representative at Honda one wrote about what slobs Americans are in their vehicles and in some cases I would have to agree. When I worked at the Chevy dealer we used to replace seatbelt retractors and locking mechanisms that had ceased to function in certain vehicles. Upon removal of the interior trim one would find all sorts of dried up sticky pop, French fries, and coagulated coffee among other things that had gummed up the works. Center console gearshift levers are another area that comes to mind.

It was actually pretty gross sometimes the things you would find. I found a dirty diaper stuffed in a McDonald’s bag under a seat once and nearly lost my lunch. Disgusting!

Kind of makes you wonder that maybe in a Saab the perfect cup holder has never been designed because their home market does not use them. The ones in the SportCombi certainly seem to be an afterthought.