Comments

• Steve C. said:
  

  Naive indeed:

  “Then there is the centre console which is tilted towards the driver - the only other car that I can think of which did this was the Toyota Supra from the early ’90s.”

  And just about every single BMW of the 1990s…?

  -February 5th, 2008 at 11:34 am
• Alborz said:
  

  Thanks for the comments,

  You are right, it was the first new SAAB I’ve driven in a long time,

  Can you let me know which parts are naive so it can be improved in the future.

  Cheers,

  -February 5th, 2008 at 11:35 am
• Alborz said:
  

  Hi Steve,

  Thanks for that, that didn’t come to mind, but now that you mention, I do remember the old 3-series having a similar design. Fixed up!

  -February 5th, 2008 at 11:39 am
• 1985 Gripen said:
  

  “What Saab really needs is to attract new buyers to the brand.”

  Agreed, but they need to retain current owners as well and loyalty incentives aren’t the only way. From what I understand (admittedly from an episode of the American version of The Office) they teach you at business school is it’s much more expensive for a company to acquire a new customer than it is to retain an existing one.

  “…but the false stigma that people that drive Saabs are weird” Well, the author does have a point there. I mean, I won’t say we’re all-out lunatics, but who else would buy a Saab given the choices out there? I mean, you have to be pretty unique to shop everything available and still put your money down for a Saab.

  “Saab says it will go from 0-100km/h in 9 seconds, but despite repeated testing, the worst I could do was 8.1! Perhaps Saab should consider employing new drivers for their 0-100km/h tests” this is something that bothers me. I know other car manufacturers “fudge” their performance numbers (such as Toyota’s horsepower claims), but Saab always err far too conservatively for my taste. I don’t want Saab to outright lie, but they really need to stop selling themselves short. People compare numbers when they’re about to pay tens of thousands of dollars for a car. One of the things they look at are the numbers. Sort of how the Turbo-X “probably comes closer to 300 horsepower in many cases” than the 280 Saab officially advertises. Jeez, Saab: measure the horsepower on say 10 examples and take the average. Or publish the best result numbers with some small print that says “your results may vary”.

  -February 5th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
• 1985 Gripen said:
  

  Saab Australia reps, if you’re reading this (and I suspect you aren’t…) you have some serious work to do when you get comments like the first one at that article:
  “Simon Says:
  February 5th, 2008 at 12:10 am

  Here I was thinking saab has been long forgotten, they never advertise, they are no where to be seen? whats with that?

  I am considering buying a Spec.B liberty in by mid year, but I think i\’ll have to take the authors advice and go see this thing in action.

  How is the warranty? Is saab going to be here to honour their warranty? I don\’t trust these small companies!”

  Nice retort to that other comment though, Turbin. Turbin’ representin’ Saab in da house! (I seriously don’t know what that meant either, but it seemed appropriate…)

  -February 5th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
• Jeff said:
  

  The console on my Thunderbird is tilted towards the driver, too, and I’m really happy about that. I’ve really gotten used to having that cockpit style console and I was worried I was going to have to give it up. Every car’s console should do that, it’s just better.

  -February 5th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
• Jeff said:
  

  Wow, a lot of comments happened while I was typing that.

  Holy crap, the author actually replied to the criticism and corrected a mistake quickly! Alert the rest of the automotive media: THIS IS HOW YOU SHOULD DO THINGS.

  Gripen - It’s definitely cheaper to retain an old customer.

  -February 5th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
• swade (Author) said:
  

  Hi Alborz, thanks for checking in. When I wrote that it was a little naive I meant in terms of innocence, not jaded like most reviews we see of Saabs. Perhaps also a little unfamiliar as well.

  That unfamiliarity has it’s great points (the car made a great impression, as it should have) but also means that some things you’ve written would make some experienced Saabers go “Hmm?”

  This is only a small part of things, mind you. I’ve just re-read the review and I think it’s great. But your comments on the cupholders, for example. I don’t use cupholders a) because I live 7 minutes from my office, and b) because I don’t have any in my cars, but I know that a lot of people find the 9-3 cupholder to be novel, but mostly useless for real world use. Drinks aren’t always held steady, it’s not big enough for some US caffiene-heads, etc.

  The interior, whilst clean, isn’t one of Saab’s best and whilst I could live with it, I’d pine for some more personality in there sometimes having experienced Saab interiors of old.

  But these are relatively minor points and they’re for the Saabist rather than for the general public, for whom your review was written.

  All up, I’m just glad you enjoyed the car as you did. It’s my favourite in the current lineup.

  But please, less tilt on the camera next time you’re doing a Saab. That third photo is making me dizzy!

  -February 5th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
• Richo said:
  

  …and for the record, you’re the ONLY automotive writer who likes the cup holders.

  good write up though dude, I enjoyed reading it

  -February 5th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
• 1985 Gripen said:
  

  “…it’s not big enough for some US caffiene-heads…” Hey, I resemble that remark!

  -February 5th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
• turbin said:
  

  For the record the cupholder in question holds a large McCafe just nicely and the insulating sleeves they give you fit just nice as an aftermarket enhancement. Of course heavy pedalling will cascade coffee all over the CD and HVAC controls…

  We find it great for baby bottles.

  -February 5th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
• Alborz said:
  

  That Swade,
  Ill get our camera guy to go easy on the photos

  I dont know why but the cupholder really made a good impression, I had everything from a gatorade bottle to a hot coffee in there and it never cmae out.

  In fact I had a cup of coffe (mccafe admitedly) while I blasted up Mt Glorious here in Brisbane and it didn’t move an inch!

  You’re right about the interior, that was one of the negatives (as noted on the front page with the +/-), the retro green stereo system is poor taste, and really needs a nice 5″ LCD screen, these days those things cost practically nothing!

  I try my best to respond to comments on reviews - its silly not to, but remember, most of the reviews you read on the net are written by print journos and not online journos, so they wouldn’t even know if you had mentioned them,

  I’ve got the new 9-3 convertible next week, so expect something on that!

  Any of you live in Brisbane? Ill come take u for a ride and you can give me some comparison to the older models?

  -February 5th, 2008 at 2:16 pm
• Alborz said:
  

  On another note,
  any idea about why the aircon system turns on to full blast everytime you turn the car on? It was starting to drive me mad by the end of the week.

  -February 5th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
• 1985 Gripen said:
  

  “I dont know why but the cupholder really made a good impression, I had everything from a gatorade bottle to a hot coffee in there and it never cmae out.

  In fact I had a cup of coffe (mccafe admitedly) while I blasted up Mt Glorious here in Brisbane and it didn’t move an inch!”

  See, this is where regional testing is a must.

  Here in the U.S. we have different sizing on drinks. There is no way in heck even the smallest bottle of Gatorade will fit in a Saab cupholder in the U.S. The large cup of McDonald’s coffee might. You may have heard of a documentary called, Super Size Me? In one part of the film they show how the size of American drinks has ballooned over the years. An American medium-size fast-food soft drink cup is probably the biggest that would work in the Saab cupholder w/o breaking it or sloshing out all over the car when accelerating, braking, or turning.

  While most people would say, “who needs a drink that big?” I say, “why doesn’t Saab accommodate the needs of all of their customers?

  -February 5th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
• turbin said:
  

  Alborz,

  The HVAC system goes hammer and tongs to bring the in-car temperature down to the setting you’ve chosen. Don’t know how to stop it from doing that though. Have tried programming it but doesn’t work.

  -February 5th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
• Steve C. said:
  

  Hey Alborz, sorry if I came off as harsh, it is a subtle thing to notice in a car, considering the angle is never very dramatic. It’s only a slight tilt in my 328is.

  And that cupholder is indeed fascinating! There isn’t a semblance of a cupholder in my 9000 Aero, so my interest was piqued. I suppose it’s one of those “always wanting the things you don’t have” kind of thoughts.

  -February 5th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
• Swade said:
  

  I’m in Tasmania so I’m no use to you, Alborz.

  The HVAC system does the same in my Viggen, though I think it can be programmed by the service dept at a dealer to do different. Given that you’re in Brisvegas the interior temp sensor is probably going nuts when you start the car, hence the full fan treatment until it reads as being cooler.

  I’m a fan of the cupholder myself as I like the novelty, but as Gripen mentions above, the US coffees are usually quite big and it’s questionable whether the cupholder will hold them all steadily. It needs to be a fairly light load and the right diameter to stay in place.

  I remember going to the BioPower and Diesel intros in Brisbane last year and Saab Oz supplied some bottles of mineral water. Sure enough, they were too thin for the cupholder and moved around.

  -February 5th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
• jeff k said:
  

  As part of my normal pre-flight sequence in the Viggen — clutch pedal, ignition, seatbelt, power on radar detector — I quickly added switching the climate control from Auto to Econ straight away….just habit now.

  -February 5th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
• Jeff said:
  

  Alborz - Saab illumination has always been green, it’s not a “retro” thing. It’s easiest to read at all levels of light, and at the same time it doesn’t stand out to the point of obnoxiousness, unlike blue or red. That’s what color it is in airplanes, so that’s what color they made it in Saabs, and they’ve kept it that way for a good reason: it works.

  I love the Saab interior, it just needs to be made with better stuff and with better quality control. That’s just me, though.

  -February 5th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
• Joe Lobo said:
  

  So we are all weird and give the brand a bad image hey !!! Well, how about the image of snobs, recalcitrant and nuvelle rich that the A+B & Merc drivers portray ??? They are too common as their cars are. We are special and smart as we drive unique and well designed individual cars. If anything we are the best promoters rather than hinders.

  -February 5th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
• Swade said:
  

  Preach it, Jose!

  -February 5th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
• Joe Lobo said:
  

  Well it’s the truth !!! Just step out of your house anywhere and count the number of those tectonic competitors on the road and look at the faces and posture of the drivers. I’ve got to give’em credit for all the brain washing they’ve done to the whole world about all their propaganda of how their cars are benchmarks but not to us. So long as I can get all the virtues and smarts in a Saab, I’ll refuse to drive a Merc, a B or an A car. In this order !!! Now you can guess what will be my last resort if Saab fails on me !!! I like the editorial though, we need more of this write ups to smart up the market as they are all sheep followers quite frankly.

  -February 5th, 2008 at 7:05 pm
• Andy Rupert said:
  

  re: “Saab buyers are a unique bunch of people, similar to Jaguar buyers.”

  The author is obviously a gentleman and a scholar who knows a good group of people when he sees them. I happily take it as a complement.

  -February 5th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
• Peter said:
  

  alborz- regarding your ACC question-

  On the steering wheel, you’ll find info up and down arrows, a set button, and a clear button. Using those controls, navigate to the settings menu (look under the speedometer), where you’ll find the climate settings. You have an option to adjust fan speed. Choose low, then exit the menus. Now when the ACC blasts you, it will do so at the lowest setting. Also, try to keep the temperature knobs anywhere but the coldest or warmest setting to avoid the same blasting effect. Try this out on the convertible, but keep in mind that top up it is an automatic system, whereas top down it reverts to a manual system.

  -February 6th, 2008 at 3:05 am
• SportMode (RJ) said:
  

  I can’t speak for the 9-3, but one of the features I like most about my 9-5 is the highly customizable ACC system. It’s not as complicated as it might seem- a read through the owner’s manual explains it all.

  City mode, economy mode, and customizable startup settings are all fantastic functions I appreciate. Overall, the ACC provides plenty of comfort on the journey.

  -February 6th, 2008 at 3:30 am
• Ebbot said:
  

  Most agrre with the stereo in green is not good looking. Its a bit much and I think a bit to big pixels. When replades with LCD its a whole other thing. The should make LCD standard its cost nothing and the car looks much sharper.

  -February 28th, 2008 at 9:00 pm

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