Comments

• Adam said:
  

  I was going to write to Swade this weekend, but I guess now is as good as any. I’m the guy who wrote the piece he titled ‘Saab… vs the world’ last year.

  Two weeks ago here on the east coast of the US, we had an ice storm. Our front of my building there is a large tree. Weighted down with ice, a giant limb fell three stories down onto my Viggen.

  After an attempt to repair, the insurance company declared it totaled. Since the transmission was going out on the Viggen, I actaully made out on the insurance settlement.

  I initially wanted a low mileage 9-2X turbo. I couldn’t find one however. I really liked the C30 but it was out of my price range (hmm, wish the 9-1 was out years ago I might be driving one now).

  So what does this have to do with this article? I ended up with a new Impreza Outback Sport (hatchback). It’s about as close to the 9-3 hatch as you can get in a new car. It’s about the same size, it sits the same, and of course the hatch. I got a great price, plus it has many of the goodies this WRX has. I’m more convinced than ever that Subaru is the new Saab. I’m really disappointed that these two companies aren’t working together anymore.

  -March 1st, 2008 at 1:52 pm
• 1985 Gripen said:
  

  That’s not a bad looking car. It’s not a Saab, but not bad-looking nonetheless.

  Have fun with it, Swade.

  Props to Subaru for letting Swade borrow it.

  -March 1st, 2008 at 1:58 pm
• PT said:
  

  Now do you understand why the 92x was a good idea after all?

  Perhaps Drew could just graft a 3-port grill on the front there. Subaru would never notice…………

  -March 1st, 2008 at 2:26 pm
• ColorCode252 said:
  

  Tell us about the handling, please.

  -March 1st, 2008 at 3:38 pm
• Gunnar said:
  

  Ah the perks… but is it just me or does the WRX look a little orb shaped? Reminds somewhat of the Civic Type R.

  http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060914/FREE/60914001/1058/TOC01ARCHIVE

  -March 1st, 2008 at 3:39 pm
• Rogan said:
  

  Nice…. very nice….. that grill is much better than the standard grill in the Americas. Enjoy, swade.

  -March 1st, 2008 at 3:52 pm
• ctm said:
  

  Swade,

  Could you get a photo of it next to your Viggen?Want to compare the blue colour…

  -March 1st, 2008 at 6:59 pm
• elsch said:
  

  Isn’t the Subaru an just an UGLY THING?

  -March 1st, 2008 at 7:59 pm
• Edonis said:
  

  The WRX may be a lot of fun to drive, but I just can’t ignore it’s hideous looks. But be sure to have fun with it and tell us what you think, I’m sure you’ll stick with Saab in the end anyways

  -March 1st, 2008 at 8:17 pm
• detroitsaab93 said:
  

  Rogan….”that grill is much better than the standard grill in the Americas.”

  I agree! The American grill gets a chrome surround and a chrome bar across the top, yuck! Either way it’s still an ugly car.

  -March 1st, 2008 at 8:55 pm
• alaero said:
  

  Looks very 9-2x..

  Engine bay is a fuggen mess, S**t everywere

  a.

  -March 1st, 2008 at 8:58 pm
• WooDz said:
  

  Many have said the new Impeza is ugly..
  They’re wrong.
  It’s not ugly, it’s just a lot of other cars seems to have more ‘flow’ to them. Really I think it is the rear that seems at odds. The nose is as aggressive as you can get which is what you want when you have 230hp under the hood.

  (That’s interesting; a 230hp, hatchback in bright blue, Swade could this be your next Viggen I wonder?)

  -March 1st, 2008 at 9:05 pm
• Tompa said:
  

  I nothing bad to say about Subaru exept, seat quality and the overall boring design. And in the Imprezas case things goes from boring to boring-strange looking. The design is never gooing to be a classic, but instead looks 10 years old.. But as I said. Subarus awd and boxers are great!
  have fun Swade. Couldn´t Alfa offer you a month of free testing?

  -March 1st, 2008 at 9:06 pm
• swade (Author) said:
  

  The engine bay certainly isn’t pretty. But in a way, that’s not such a bad thing. At least you can see stuff without having to peel off covers etc.

  But it’s still not pretty….

  -March 1st, 2008 at 9:08 pm
• riku1100s said:
  

  If I wasn’t for Saabs, then maybe…

  (and it’s even as Lightning Blue as it gets !)

  -March 1st, 2008 at 9:13 pm
• DAVID said:
  

  Granted, it is not the most beautiful automobile, but it is far from the ugliest. Pontiac Aztek anyone??? I have always been a fan of Subaru as well as SAAB. I would even go so far as saying I see Subaru as a Japanese SAAB. We have one of each. While we have had thoughs of replacing our 04 Forester with a 9-3 SC, it looks unlikely as Subaru says it is bringing it’s Boxer Diesel Stateside for 2010, but SAAB does not want to bother us with the TTiD. Sorry to say, but our Forester has been a faultless car for the last 82K miles, and a turbo diesel Forester would be hard to pass up.

  -March 1st, 2008 at 9:37 pm
• trogg said:
  

  Looks: Plenty of people didn’t like the way 96’s, or 99’s looked in their day. As much as I enjoyed driving the 9000 I could never bring my self to owning one. They just look off. Subaru’s looked like they came from a power rangers movie before it was popular but thats hasn’t stopped people from buying them. The new imprezza’s are a bit garrish but everyone has been doing that blob with sharp lines thing lately.

  We have owned quite a few Subi’s in our family and most have gone well until the rust took over. The driver ergonomics have never been wonderful though and I just don’t find the seats are comfortable after driving through two tanks of gas in a day.

  Messy engine bay: Just be glad its all on the top where you can get at it.

  Besides the seats not being comfortable, I did take a long drive in a legacy before buying our current 9-3 SC, they need better rear seat leg room. The legacy seemed tighter in the back that the 9-3.

  I think an on demand AWD system would help them get better milage. I don’t like the fact that the forced induction is only available on the premium models.

  -March 1st, 2008 at 10:51 pm
• Howiez5150 said:
  

  I’m sure your going to have a great month Swade. I think it is awesome Subi gave you the whole month. I don’t see many companies out there seeing your influence and stepping upto the plate to challenge your heart. I recently drove a friends Mazda3 Speed and was throughly impressed with take off and overall handling. Comfort and hearing every bump was something I wouldn’t be able to live with, but I felt like I was driving my motorcycle.

  -March 1st, 2008 at 11:21 pm
• Richard/Japan said:
  

  That’s right. Subaru is like Saab.But I’ve been driving Saab for more than 15 years and fell in love in my childhood with the Montecarlo 96(my first love). Now my Saab93(year 1999)has just passed the 137000km line.no problem. and she is still full of pep as she was back in 1999! I had a frontal collision and she protected me very well. I destroyed the other guy’s car.!
  Although Saab are very expensive compared to other similar cars(mazda Altenza or Subarus) I’ll try to ge another Saab again.
  It seems to me that it is a Never-ending Love Story!

  -March 2nd, 2008 at 12:28 am
• Adam said:
  

  You can get that grille here in the USA even on the base Impreza, it’s a $277 option called Sport Mesh Grille.

  -March 2nd, 2008 at 12:32 am
• Alex said:
  

  Now you need to go egging Mazda on to let you have a Mazda3 speed to round out the 5-door sporthatch goodness.

  And who cares what it looks like, you don’t have to see the car when you’re in it driving it, and this current WRX is the first car that C&D referred to as a legitimate budget BMW.

  The acceleration, handling, and overall chassis responsiveness of the current Impreza wrx/Lancer Ralliart are what the 9-1 Aero will have to beat.

  -March 2nd, 2008 at 1:05 am
• lance said:
  

  This car was conceived at a time when Subaru and Saab were linked- is that perhaps why the rear end is pure Saab / 93 NG900?

  Its a weird amalgam of Saab reaer. Ford Focus mark 1 C pillar and current Ford hockey stick window line. And the standard Subaru chrome grille we get in UK and also in the USA is pure Daewoo 1990.

  Still, I suppsoe it handles- which is the point.

  Enjoy Swade , and keep us posted.

  -March 2nd, 2008 at 2:09 am
• aeronaut said:
  

  That first picture shows how distinctive the 900 was, still is. Low, aggressive, looks like a missile. Makes the Subie look old.

  -March 2nd, 2008 at 2:24 am
• Tompa said:
  

  Guys.. What do you call the following? Design theft? he new VW Scirocco vs Saab Aero X

  http://upload.isaab.net/scirocco_aerox2.jpg

  -March 2nd, 2008 at 2:31 am
• Jesse said:
  

  If you don’t like the looks - just wait a few months!

  Doesn’t Subaru refresh their vehicles’ looks twice each model year? It sure seems like it.

  -March 2nd, 2008 at 2:32 am
• NineTwoX said:
  

  Jesse - Or just get the STi. The newest STi looks just amazing.

  -March 2nd, 2008 at 5:00 am
• eggsngrits said:
  

  C900 jealous? Nah, it’s taunting the Sube. It’s saying something like, “You’ve got a 22-year headstart on me and I’ll still outlast you.”

  -March 2nd, 2008 at 5:38 am
• 1985 Gripen said:
  

  It’s a bit off-topic, but it’s related to what eggs said in comments above:

  The just don’t make cars like they used to. That’s not just a cliché, it’s true.

  A week after dropping around $550 to fix a coolant leak in my wife’s ‘01 9-3 I’m at a fast food drive-thru speaker and I push the auto window down button. The window starts to descend and then I hear a pop sound. The whole window glass skews to the side! WTF!?!?

  So I complete my order by opening the car door (I had to pull the window up most of the way with my hand) to receive the food and go home for the night. I go to my local Saab indie this morning and start to explain the problem. Before I get past “roll down my window…” the guy says, “oh yeah, that’s a common problem. The roller broke”. Apparently there’s a couple of PLASTIC rollers inside the door that break very easily. Great. Saab couldn’t make them out of metal because that would be too expensive and the plastic ones will likely barely outlast the warranty, huh? Great. What other plastic piece in the car will break next?

  So now I have to go back down to his shop when my indie has some more time (he’s swamped right now) to have him tear apart the door and replace a plastic roller. He told me I’d better hope this thin little metal part in the door didn’t get bent in the process either…

  This car only has 104K miles on it, is VERY well taken care of (synthetic oil only, expensive Mercedes-Benz coolant and distilled water, GM brand oil filter, only the best!) and isn’t modded at all. Purely stock. Only used to get my wife to work and home and then on the weekends. I feel like it’s falling-apart.

  At least my ‘85 900T waited twenty years and 170K miles before needing a new head gasket. I’ll bet there’s no easily-breakable plastic bits inside the door of that car…

  Where’s Saab quality and longevity gone?

  -March 2nd, 2008 at 5:56 am
• Jeff said:
  

  What, they couldn’t have spared an STi? :p

  I like the STi, but not enough to ever drive a lesser WRX. They’re just too boy racer, I guess, but I’m prejudiced (every idiot in high school seemed to have a last-gen WRX with that ridiculous wing and gold wheels). This one seems much more practical, and isn’t nearly as ugly as the last one.

  Have fun, Swade. Don’t track it :p

  -March 2nd, 2008 at 8:20 am
• MarkS said:
  

  If the 900 could talk, it would be saying “…punk, I’m gonna kick your arse”! (haha)

  Swade, your 900 looks even BETTER parked next to that thing. The top picture reminds me…I miss the days when bumpers were a FUNCTIONAL element on a car!! The title of the pic should be “Tank vs. Tonka toy”!

  -March 3rd, 2008 at 12:05 am
• blix said:
  

  i like the older STis. but i prefer the legacy spec B. i just don’t find subarus as classy as saabs.

  -March 3rd, 2008 at 5:22 am
• Michael said:
  

  …det er krig:
  http://www.automotorsport.se/tv/?m=13532

  -March 3rd, 2008 at 7:56 am
• Andy Rupert said:
  

  ugly

  -March 3rd, 2008 at 1:10 pm

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