Wednesday Snippets

May 7th, 2008 · 20 Comments

The guys at Herb Chambers Saab fire up the Turbo X so we can all have a listen:

Mmmmmm. Nice.

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One of the guys at VW Vortex poses an interesting question:

Getting a craving for a Saab 9-2x… Am I nuts?

A very interesting question in light of my own recent experiences with a 2008 Subaru WRX. It begs the theoretical question, should Saab have tried to maintain a 9-2x based on the current WRX model.

One to contemplate. And the 9-2x Aero from a few years ago is still the best looking WRX that’s ever been.

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The Sexy Green Car Show is on again this year in the UK. the show will be on from Friday 23 - Saturday 31 May at the Eden Project in Cornwall.

Saab will be showing it’s BioPower range there once again.

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An interesting occurence that I’ve not mentioned here just yet: The car-hating “Red” Ken Livingstone, who was the former mayor of London, is notable because he is now referred to as the former Mayor of London.

The winner in the recent mayoral elections was Boris Johnston, who’s apparently much more car-friendly. Could this mean that Saab GB’s petitions for BioPower exemption from London’s congestion charge could receive a friendly hearing?

One hopes so.

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One more matter concerning the Brits - if you live anywhere near a spot called Bridlington and have an older Saab that’s an automatic, then your car could be a star!

A FILM crew who are shooting a comedy drama in Bridlington are looking for help with locations and props. The team behind comedy drama Hammerhead will be in the town over the next week, filming at a number of locations…..

….”We need an MG for one afternoon or early evening at the Deep (it won’t be driven, only for a backdrop) and also an old automatic Saab that can be driven on the Humber Bridge and parked on North Bay for two weekdays.”

Budding film stars should call Mr Patel on 07804 268419 or email him at gambitproductions@gmail.com

Tags: Saab BioPower · Saab Black Turbo · Saab News · Saab Turbo X

20 responses so far ↓

1 Saaby // May 7, 2008 at 2:09 pm

The only thing that would have made that vid better is if it had a little higher production value–like them pulling a chroma-key trick so that the only colour in the whole video was the orange Turbo needle
2 Jeff // May 7, 2008 at 3:28 pm

Sexy green car, eh?

Apparently, London’s new mayor is definitely a car guy, but he also may be a moron. That is, if you listen to what a lot of Londoners on SE have to say about him. Whatever, I just hope he doesn’t try to screw Porsche over like Red Ken.

Lastly…do all the Saab info LCDs say “All systems go” at startup? Because that’s awesome. And that exhaust note is magical.
3 mo // May 7, 2008 at 5:15 pm

nope the all systems go is only for the turbo x i believe. on mine it just says “check OK”
4 Jeff // May 7, 2008 at 5:33 pm

Even so, that’s really cool, considering it’s in a Saab and all.

Is it possible to reprogram all that stuff with a TechII or whatever modern Saabs use? The dash settings and info messages and all that?
5 Swade // May 7, 2008 at 5:49 pm

Turbo X’s outside the US say “Ready for Takeoff” instead, but I believe the legal eagles wouldn’t allow it for the US. It can also be programmed with the person’s name and I imagine all sorts of stuff if one knew how to do it, but they won’t say that.
6 MarkS // May 7, 2008 at 9:18 pm

Regarding the 9-2X question, I’m glad that “partnership” is over. It’s nothing against Subaru but the 9-2X (and 9-7X) project was bad for Saab’s reputation in my opinion. It seemed to create the impression that Saab as a company was on its way out (based on conversations I’d had with people and the stuff I was reading in the automotive press about the 9-2X), and that GM was just using the name to re-badge existing designs going forward. Saab knows how to design GREAT cars on its own! Isn’t that why we’re all here? Shared platforms are fine, but no more badge engineering please!
7 Dan // May 7, 2008 at 11:26 pm

MarkS…you hit the nail right on the head. Drive a 9-2X and a 9-3 or 9-5 back to back and you will notice it right away. A Saab is a Saab. I had the (dis)pleasure of taking one of our 9-2x’s on a trip to philly, and it really made me miss driving my 9-5. At five years older and with 50,000 more miles on it the 9-5 feels newer and more buttoned down then the 9-2x, and it has saab soul.
Saab knows how to make great cars, the 9-2x never worked for saab…and this is reflected in the low sales numbers it had. if you want a saab you want a saab, if you want a subaru…
8 triple // May 7, 2008 at 11:55 pm

I can’t believe Herb Chalmers put a tacky stick on metallic dealer insignia on the back of that TurboX. That’s ridiculous.

That said, exhaust note is nice, it doensn’t make me lust for it though. It’s not a v-twin Ducati with Termignoni’s after all.

The 9-2x exterior was much better than the comparable WRX…but then you got into the interior and it was exactly the same. BUT, I still wish I’d bought one in 2005 when the incredible sales were going on. It may not have been a true Saab, but the turbo rush was there all the same.
9 swade // May 8, 2008 at 12:07 am

Triple, I wasn’t too impressed with the dealer badge, either. If I ordered one there I’d be asking that they refrain from such behaviour.
10 rpg // May 8, 2008 at 2:43 am

Herb Chambers puts their badge on all the cars they sell (be it Saab, Mercedes, BMW, Mini, Honda, whatever), but they are not the only ones who do it - all car dealers around Boston do the same. Nothing a little dental floss won’t take care of, if they won’t remove it for you.
11 rpg // May 8, 2008 at 3:02 am

The 9-2X was a mistake for sure, but anyone who bought a 9-2X knew exactly what they were getting - the best looking WRX around. I drove a few and they were fun to drive. The interior was weak, but many say the same thing about the current Saab lineup.
12 saab9x // May 8, 2008 at 5:35 am

i like the thicker steering wheel, as well. i hope they make it standard throughout the brand. in the meantime, i’ve improvised by adding a leather steering wheel cover to my ‘08, as i’ve done with my ‘94.
13 saab9x // May 8, 2008 at 5:47 am

and i’m swade on the dealer badge issue. in fact that was a deal breaker for me. fortunately, it was no problem for the dealer to make its badge “disappear” from what was to be my vehicle.
14 triple // May 8, 2008 at 5:58 am

Oh, no doubt you can remove it later(the dealer insignia). But, most premium dealers in this area anyway, don’t put those on the car. They may add the plastic chintzy license plate holders, but not that. Both my Saab’s came tacky-free. On MD sales forms at least, there is a check box allowing the dealer to put it on your car. Don’t check it, or make a conspicous note, and it’s in the contract. On our old Acura, I told them they could put it on if they paid me $500/yr in advertising fees. It quickly came off.
15 blackturbo // May 8, 2008 at 8:03 am

Re: the fact that boston area dealers have Turbo X’s on the lot.

So I hate negative rants, but I have to call out a Saab dealership for lousy sales and information.

Today is my b-day, so I thought I’d treat myself and drive over the local Saab dealership here in Ballard (Seattle, WA). I am salivating to get myself into an Turbo-X. So i went by to see if there are any Turbo-X cars on the lot. Or at least get more info on when I could expect to test drive one. I show up in my Viggen of course, park right in front of the dealership entrance. Look around the lot, but don’t see what I’m looking for.

Now I go in to find there were no salesmen in the building. I had to ask the receptionist to have one come over from another building. Second, the eventual salesperson clearly had no clue about the Turbo-X. I don’t even think he even knew about it, despite the brochures scattered across the showroom.

Me: “Are you getting any Turbo-X’s in, and when will that be?

Salesguy: “Hmmm… T-T-Turbo.. Turbo-X? I’ll have to check on that…”

Me: Already frowning as I wait 10 minutes.

Salesguy: “We should have some coming in July, with possibly a demo car in June”.

Me: Really, July? I know dealerships on the east coast have em.

Salesguy:

Me: Uh, OK… whatever, here’s my email… send me more information when you get it.

Salesguy: “Sure and maybe in the interim, we can discuss options and what colors you like.”

Me: Doh!

Crash and burn dude. The car comes in one color, and the only option is the satNav. Seriously a let down. Now I don’t feel so bad about dealerships not being able to move cars. Why July? Is he thinking XWD availability on 9-3 Aero’s? This dealership is in the heart of a Scandinavian neighborhood, where saabs are more common that most other brands. This just makes me sad.

Has anyone else on the US west coast gotten better leads on these cars?
16 Jesse // May 8, 2008 at 10:45 am

I bought my ‘99 9-3 from Charles River Saab in Boston and they put their dealer sticker on it. Luckily they have a nice crest design and I really like it. I think it adds to the car, and I’m proud to have bought from them because they’re dealer experience is great.
17 Alex // May 8, 2008 at 11:06 am

Yeah, Charles River Saab, Shaw Saab, and even Village Saab all have dealer stickers that really improve the look of the cars. Charles River’s sticker takes the cake though, it’s some of the best advertising I’ve seen.

I don’t really consider Herb Chambers Saab to be one of the “real” Saab dealerships in the Boston area though, as far as I’m concerned it’s a second-tier half-dealership along the lines of Long Cadillac/Hummer/Saab in Framingham.

Same goes with Boston Volvo Village and their Volvo logo badge.
18 Jesse // May 8, 2008 at 12:36 pm

Alex, I agree with you about HC Saab. Funny thing is, when you drive down Comm ave, you see the little Saab dealership with it’s quirky Scandinavian style betwixt the larger HC dealerships. Always makes me smile.

When I was in CR Saab, buying the 9-3, a kid came in requesting a new CR Saab badge for his Viggen, as it had been rear ended and repainted. I’d have to say, I’d probably do the same.
19 Bruce // May 8, 2008 at 12:58 pm

I like my dealer–bought a Saturn in 2000-2001 and a 9-5 2.3T last year. Their sticker is discreet (those little plastic letters) but I removed it anyway. I like the clean uncluttered look,. I have removed the stickers from every car I have every owned. Personal taste, I guess.
20 Jeff // May 8, 2008 at 2:05 pm

I don’t care how great the dealer experience is, I hate dealer badges. They’re usually ugly and they don’t belong on the car. I’ll happily advertise the fact that I’m driving a Saab, but that’s it.