Friday afternoon therapy
Around five years and four days ago, my wife and I were teaching a computer class together and we were presented with a bottle of wine. The couple that gave it to us bottled it themselves and it’s from grapes grown on their own property. We were told that it would be best kept in a cellar for around five years and then opened and consumed on our 5th wedding anniversary, which is today.
Consequently, posting will be light for the next 24 hours as my blog-widow of a wife claims some rightful attention.
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I don’t want to blow my own trumpet too much here, but dognabbit you Saab folks have got a darn good site to visit here. I was just reviewing the work here over the last month or so and I don’t mind saying I’m pretty pleased with it.
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There’s a bunch of sites now reporting on the possibility of a re-sized Saab 9-3 built on the Delta platform in the future. They’re just doing that now. Trollhattan Saab was the first site to run that story in English, thanks to some generous people who translated the original article from German. Have any of those sites now running the English version of the story given a link to this site? Not one. A pox on all of them!!!
But like many stories, you saw it here first. That’s something that you as tipsters and I as a publisher can be happy with.
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The one site that does consistently link here is Auto Motor and Sport in Sweden, for which I am eternally grateful. My mate there Par Brandt is a genuinely decent bloke who knows he has the best job in the world and enjoys waking up every day because of it.
Cheers, cobber.
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What automotive sites do you rate highly, and why?
Saab or non-Saab.
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I wonder how those students from Boston did in regard to their advertsising proposal to Saab USA. I saw a draft a few days before they presented it and let’s just say I was less than encouraged.
Even less encouraging was the fact that in talking with them, with about two weeks to go before their deadline, none of them had driven a Saab 9-3 (the car they were pitching). It was going to be advertising via the Good Will Hunting method of reading about something rather than experiencing it.
I wonder if Saab’s ad people at McCann Erickson in the US have driven the cars they’ll be advertising in the near future. Same with the Europeans at Lowe, though they seem to do a pretty good job.
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I know I rant a bit on this site, especially with regards to Cadillac, but it’s not without good reason. I see TS as a reasonable-sized cog in getting the importance of the Saab brand out there, not just to the general public who land here via search engines, but more importantly to those who have legal guardianship over the brand - the execs at GM.
But if I ever rant as much as Robert Farago at The Truth About Cars then please let me know. He has come to represent everything that’s good and bad about the internet as far as I’m concerned.
The good: great quality writing, for free. The bad: an inability to about face and correct his work if it’s wrong. He’d rather erase evidence that those inconsistencies ever existed.
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How am I going with this here website? As you read above, I’m actually pretty happy with it though I know it could be laid out better if I had the time and the knowledge. But how do you think I’m going?
I’d actually like to write stuff like this for a living but am not sure how to get started with a freelance type situation. I might shop around the Subaru suite when it’s finished, at least to get some constructive criticism.
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There’s a possibility of some very, very big things happening with regards to people in the Saab family in the next few months. Some I can talk about, and some I can’t.
One is the pending retirement of one of the best servants Saab has ever had. He’s finishing up at the end of this month and I hope they throw him one of the biggest parties that Trollhattan has ever seen. My gift will be posted on Monday so it may be a little late, but the postal system is pretty good here so hopefully it’ll make it on time.
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I’ve had the 900 back for around 36 hours now, though we still have the WRX in the driveway. I walk past the WRX to get to the 900 and I’ve only just realised now, as I write this, that not once have I glanced at it when walking past.
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How many people here have dogs and how many of you dog owners allow your dogs to ride in the car?
A question for those with centrally operated windows etc - how often has your dog either operated the windows or switched off your ignition?
If Saab are looking for a Saaby trait to build into the next generation of cars, put the window switches in the center console. They’re so easy to operate there and it makes no difference whether it’s a LHD or RHD car.
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I’ve had a couple of enquiries into advertising since two of my sponsors dropped off the sidebar after 18 months with us.
That’s all it’s been so far, though. Enquiries.
It sure makes me appreciate the loyalty and support that I’ve received from Saab of Hunterdon in the US, and Niddvale Saab in the UK. Both believe in and support the raison d’être of the site and lend concrete support to it, which is much appreciated. I wish I could buy a car from both of them.
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Posting will be just a tad lighter in the next little while, but new material will still be around so keep checking in.
You people who visit here regularly are the absolute best. The internet’s a wonderful thing, eh? Who’d have thought you’d be reading stuff about a car from a small company in Western Sweden via a blogger literally on the other side of the world in Tasmania, Australia?
Five years ago you’d have asked “what’s a blogger?” and look at us now!!
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Top notch Sven
Happy anniversary , ours was last week up at AGFEST,what a way to celebrate 15 years.
Keep up the great work.
A big Happy Anniversary for you and Mrs Swade. Kerry and I have our tenth at the end of the month, we remember it like it was yesterday, sat there in the Caribbean…… Swade, have a good day.
p.s. off to the Nurnburg Ring for the weekend with Phill and Simon in their Cossie and Evo 8. So comments will be lighter too, lol
Wow, that was a long post.
In post order:
1. Congrats! Just the other day I was debating with my friend which type of raisin would go best with beef ramen. I know that sounds like a complete non-sequitor, but it was wine-related. Ok, it’s still kind of a non-sequitor.
2. Yes, yes we do have a great Saab site here, congrats on that, too.
3. That constantly happens on Autoblog. They link TS about a third of the time, its disgraceful.
4. Jalopnik is my favorite auto site, hands down. TS is a moderately distant second. No offense, Swade, but it would take at least three of you to match the awesome that is the Jalop. Down On The Street is pretty much my favorite feature of any website ever, and they share my unbridled passion for the glory that is El Camino.
5. Ad-men typically have no love for the products they advertise. It’s a shame, really.
6. Yes, you do rant about Cadillac a lot. It gets old (to me, anyway, I know I’m a minority of one on this site, so I understand that it isn’t going to go away).
7. TTAC is Jalopnik if Jalopnik took itself seriously, and the only reason Jalopnik is so great is because it doesn’t take itself seriously. I don’t read TTAC. Plus, I’m a GM fan, so that’s another reason.
8. You’re a great writer and this is a great website. I think your writing style is definitely best suited to the editorial style, though, ie the style of this website.
9. Oooooh, gossip.
10. I wouldn’t want to look twice at the WRX. You don’t buy them for their looks. Hell, you don’t buy them at all unless they’re STi’s. Speaking of hoonage, are there any plans to get the 900’s APC fixed before it gets passed to your son?
11. I have a cat. I’m a cat person. I’d love to take my cat driving with me, but she’d freak out because to her, cars = vets. Our vets have all said that my cat is the most batshit insane cat they’d ever seen. She’s had enough sedatives to knock out a Great Dane in her before, and it only made her dizzy for 15 seconds.
12. I didn’t even notice anyone dropped sponsership. Goes to show how effective their ads must have been.
13. Yeah, it’s crazy. And again, that was a ludicrously long post.
Swade, happy Anniversary!
“If Saab are looking for a Saaby trait to build into the next generation of cars, put the window switches in the center console. They’re so easy to operate there and it makes no difference whether it’s a LHD or RHD car.”
Spot on! This is one of the few details that I hate on our new 9-3. Some time ago I was driving og9-3 Aero and felt really comfortable to have those switches in the center console. Just like the old days - C900, 9000, 9-3, 9-5.
The only reason for moving them off (that I can think of) is cost reduction. Shame on GM.
Some years ago one Saab dealer explained me that the original reason for having those switches in the center console was that it´s more natural for driver. You normally operate gearshift, heating controls, handbrake etc with your hand that´s on the central console side (right hand for me).
Why, oh why this Saaby detail was removed? It´s just as important as having ignition key in the center.
Swade - always the humble one. “Posting will be light”, and then he writes a post that covers everything between here and outer space.
Have a really nice anniversary!
I had to provide enough material to keep you all going
Thanks gents.
“How many people here have dogs and how many of you dog owners allow your dogs to ride in the car?”
We have had a dog almost as long that we´ve been driving Saab. The dog´s always been kept in the trunk (hacthback or combi) and never inside the car ALONE. So, no problems with switches.
Btw, leather seats are excellent for dog owners. Easy the remove all the dirt and stuff that dog may move in the car.
To all of you who keep dog in the car, I´d recommend you to watch Fifth gear episode where they tested what happens to all the luggage (+ very small play dog) if they are laying free on the backseat or trunk. It was disaster what a small item will do on a 50kmh acciddent.
15 kg dog will hit you by 450kg weight…
On more detail about window switches. They are possible to operate from rear seat as well, if they are in the center console. Might be useful on times.
I too like window switches in the middle but reviewers hate them. Most reviews of the 9-5 will usually complain about this as evidence of SAAB being out of touch.
I’m not sure that it is cost reduction to have them on the driver’s door though. I read the new Pontiac G8 (a holden commodore) has the switches in the middle, apparently to save money because it can work for RHD and LHD applications. If only they tried to save money on the 9-3 by putting them in the middle.
Swade, this is my favourite automotive site, it’s the one I check first every day and at multiple times throughout the day. I do also like TTAC mainly for the writing style, definitely not for their treatment of SAAB.
Happy anniversary and hope you have a great weekend.
Happy Anniversary, Swade!
I can’t tell you enough how much I appreciate this site! I check in every couple of hours when I’m sitting in front of the computer.
I find it having the window switches in the center console the most purposeful, as I often just keep my left arm on the wheel and use the right arm for the shifter. (Yes, I know you are supposed to drive with both hands on the wheel, but normally I can’t be bothered). When I recently drove a 2008 C-class, I really missed having the window switches in the middle, and I’m glad I can operate the windows with my right hand in the 9000 and 9-5!
11. I have 2 Border Collies that regurlaly ride in the back seat. I’ve never had any issues with the ignition or window controls….
As a Side note, I have the ugly cousin of the 9-5 - A Vectra CDXi (GTS to you Opel folks, VXR to you vauxhall people), and the window controld are on the drivers door. They drive me clear up the wall.
Auto journalists claim it makes the out of touch, but they’re just whinging about “fashion”. Remember flares? Notice how they’ve become popular again?
2nd Side note - I was jump-starting a friends car the other day, and he was very surprised to see me lean through the passenger side window to shut the car off when we were done…
I just gave him “that smile” (Can you remember Mr. Clarkson trying to do it? Hilarious.)
The new car from Trollhättan is an old classic in new form
The Saab 9-1, 9-2 or 9-3 what kind of car is to be produced in Trollhättan from 2011. Aftonbladet (Swedish sort of newspaper, tabloid) reveals that the new 9-3 and 9-2 is virtually the same car. The 9-2 is a hatch back and the only thing to differ from the 9-3 is the rear end.
When Trollhättan lost the battle in 2005 for the future 9-3 and 9-5 things were dark in Trollhättan. GM promised that the company would remain as a niche manufactory didn’t give much comfort. Many workers would be unemployed and Saab would be gone from Sweden. But soon Aftonbladet could reveal (yeah right) that Saab developed a new smaller car that was supposed to be manufactured in Trollhättan. The factory was saved and plans were made for 40 000 small Saabs and capacity should be filled with its sibling Opel Astra.
This winter things changed, the talk about global warming gave GM cold feet. The cars consumed too much fuel they were too big and heavy. Downsizing and scale down got important and someone come to the conclusion that the future 9-3 should be smaller and based on the lighter architecture that is found in the future smaller Saab. The 9-3 is moving to Trollhättan and Aftonbladet can reveal that the future 9-3 and the smaller Saab is virtually the same car.
9-3 will be 4-doors sedan, cabriolet and a kombi. The 9-2 will be a hatchback about half meter shorter than the 9-3.
The result is that the 9-3 shrinks a bit and the 9-2 gains a couple of centimetres and would be a bit bigger than Golf and Astra. Production of the 9-2 and Astra begins in 2011 and the 9-3 follows the next year.
A cheer of joy in Trollhättan but things in Rüsselsheim is dark. They were sure of three new models. Two models will disappear from production in Rüsselsheim and about 100 000 cars per year. You can count on big protest from the German union if this is realised. What happens to the 9-1? The name and car will have to wait for a new smaller car.
Regarding the dog and the window switches. We have a big dog which is why we bought the 9-5 wagon so he can sit happily in the back.
After reading this post earlier i drove down to the bottle shop, it being a friday and all that and as i drove your post made me think about things like the window switches. It’s something that doesn’t really spring to mind because it’s all so natural but the cabin layout of my MY2005 9-5 wagon is ergonomically perfect. The window switches are exactly where the window switches should be. The fascia with its buttons is laid out exactly as it should be. The switchgear on the steering wheel is exactly where it should be. The driving position is exactly where it should be. As you know Swade, my other car is a 1986 BMW 635 csi. A classic drivers car if ever there was one and the layout of the switchgear is almost exactly as the 9-5 is. Window switches, mirror switches, indicator and wiper stalks, fascia and its switches and buttons angled slightly towards the driver so everything falls to hand naturally and your concentration is devoted to driving, not twiddling some button to change the channel on the radio or turn the airconditioning up a degree.
The complaints about the window switches in the centre console appear to be driven by journos who want large cupholders there instead. How backwards and fat and caffeine and sugar craved the motoring world has become.
Happy Anniversary Swade, and thanks for giving us so much to digest on your “day off”!
“The internet’s a wonderful thing, eh? Who’d have thought you’d be reading stuff about a car from a small company in Western Sweden via a blogger literally on the other side of the world in Tasmania, Australia?” While sitting at my home computer in the US! The world is getting smaller! Happy Anniversary Swade!
The window switch issue is funny. Journos didn’t complain when MB was doing it, even though the MB version had the switches so far apart that you could only operate one window at a time…
I am sure that the costs are similar between having the switches in the door (which means one more switch worth about 1 Euro in the passenger door), or having them in the middle (which means running an extra wire). What I like about the central position is that it allows you to keep one hand on the wheel at all times, and use the other hand for the gearshift/handbrake/ignition/windows/radio/hvac/etc. I think that this is a safer option than having to operate some controls with either hand, which could leave no hand available for steering.
Thanks Swade and enjoy the 5 year zenith run. I survived 14 of ‘ em and am happy to soldier on. Life is journey - enjoy the ride. TS was introduced to me whilst servicing my MY01 9-5 in Johannesburg, South Africa in Nov 2005 and I have been a regular ever since. To concur with detroitsaab93 - the marketing people of Saab in Sweden did not know that Saabs were marketed in Namibia at all, until I wrote ‘ em. And here I was piloting what is perhaps one of the most individualist cars I have ever owned to date in this sparsely populated and least developed corner of Africa but with all the facilities of the industrialized economies, including, you guessed it, the internet. The world indeed has become borderless!
Hands down, this is my favorite car site on the web - it feeds my Saab obsessive mind! Thank you for all the time you put in.
Happy 5th Anniversary!
Happy Anniversary Swade,
One thing that they should say when you buy a new Saab is just this: http://www.trollhattansaab.net. I’m relatively new around here but I feel like home. Congrats!
Happy Anniversary Swade!
I’m a long-time reader but this is my first actual interaction on the site.
I have a 13 pound little dog who hates riding in the car with a passion (I don’t know how I ended up with him!) In any case, when driving the 1999 9-5, he has put the windows down because he hates to ride alone and tries to get onto my lap, in the meantime stepping on the switches. He hasn’t ever turned the key off though. Generally if we’re going to take him anywhere, we use the 2003 9-3 sedan so he cannot easily roll down the windows.
I have mixed feelings about the location of the window switches. It seems whenever I’m in the 9-3, I’m looking for them in the center, and then when I’m in the 9-5 I’m looking for them in the door. I don’t really consider the centrally mounted switches a Saab trademark though, as I have seen similar placings in Saturns and BMWs to name a couple.
Hope your anniversary is great and thanks for the plethora of great information on this site!
Congrats Swade
Great reading as ever.
Lance
This is a comment about a comment, rather than the post. I think others have said what I would regarding the post.
If what Tobias is saying Aftonbladet is reporting is true, this is great news, IMHO.
It’s ridiculous that the current 9-3 and 9-5 are so close in overall size and the next-gen ones are BOTH set to grow larger and possibly even be on the same platform. Where’s the differentiation?
If the next-gen 9-3 and 9-5 are significantly differently-sized this has got to be a good thing. And it doesn’t make sense to have a “smaller than 9-3″ unless it’s going to be one of those micro-cars.
The only thing that scares me is that GM/Saab finally seem to have used some common sense just this past winter. Why’d it take that long? With Saab’s enormously long product development cycles, a decision made today won’t result in a production car until probably 2013. This decision should have been made a few years ago.
Also, I would imagine the impetus for this decision was less GM “seeing the light” on global warming as is claimed, but rather the new fuel economy standards being passed in the U.S. Each car maker must have a fleet average fuel consumption rate of 35 miles-per-U.S.-gallon by 2012. Even if we were to ignore the 9-4X and 9-7X Saab’s traditionally frugal fleet wouldn’t come close to that standard today, let alone with their models getting larger and heavier.
Saab’s most fuel efficient model sold in the U.S. today (the manual-transmission-equipped 2.0T Sport Sedan) gets only (an EPA-estimated) 23 mpg combined.
Paul Humpage: “The complaints about the window switches in the centre console appear to be driven by journos who want large cupholders there instead. How backwards and fat and caffeine and sugar craved the motoring world has become.”
If that’s the case shouldn’t the 9-3 have large cupholders in the center console? The window controls were moved from the center console to the doors in 2003 yet it still doesn’t have decent cupholders!
I think that the controls were moved to the doors so that GM could share 9-3 door panels and/or controls with platform-mates. It was a cost-reduction decision.
However, I’m told that having them in the center console in the first place was a cost-reduction measure. Only one set of controls rather than two (one for each door) and irregardless of RHD or LHD was the original intent. The fact that it’s more ergonomically-correct was a nice side-effect.
Hi Swade,
Congrats on your 5th - my 25th is coming up in less than 3 weeks…
Although still not a Saab owner, I’ve been really enjoying your blog (& sometime contributing - can you say “pink”?). I don’t yet frequent other auto blogs, either they’re too slick & corporate or they’re completely unprofessional - your’s is just right.
Your daily missives (I’m constantly impressed by your output quantity) keep me insprired to save up for a Saab purchase someday.
Thanks & again, congrrats ! ! !
Happy Anniversary, Swade!
I have had Saabs (900NG and 9-3OG) for more than 11 years, and never became accustomed to having the window switches in the center console. I felt I had to move my arm to a very unnatural angle to operate the switches. Since everything else in the car was placed exactly where they should be, I felt it strange that the window buttons were not.
Now I have a 2008 9-3SS and I feel very happy having the window switches where they should be…
That’s my view
Congrats, Swade. I’m only 7 weeks into the marriage thing. It’s fantastic.
And, thanks for the great site. I think it’s top-notch, and far more personable than most others out there.
~Peter