Why the Saab 900 rocks - part 2 - ergonomics
Why the Saab 900 rocks (part 1) covered the interior. You can read that entry here.
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If the early Saab 900 interiors were about the funk, it has to be said that the driver’s cockpit fascia, the dashboard, was all about the function.
I can remember my own first experience with the Saab 900. The thing that leapt out at me straight away was the dial in the HVAC controls with all the arrows on it. What the heck is that for?! was my immediate thought. Five minutes later it made perfect sense, and has ever since.
The Saab 900 dashboard is like that. At first it seems a little unfamiliar and more than a little strange. Spend some time there, especially with the car in motion, and you come to realise that it was developed by some very clever people.
So what are we talking about here? Let’s take a look.
Click.
The big thing about the Saab 900 dash is the ergonomic quality.
The dash was specifically designed to have all the operations that needed to be close by at the driver’s fingertips. Operating stalks for indicators, wipers, washers were all placed within reach of the driver’s fingers without the driver have to lift their hands off the steering wheel. The steering wheel itself was a masterpiece of comfort and control, too.
A short reach away on the door side of the steering wheel are the controls that only the driver should have access to. For example, the passenger shouldn’t be able to inadverdantly turn off the lights. Hence, they’re on the opposite side of the stering wheel. Same with the dimmer switch and the driver’s side mirror (also there because it’s the mirror for that side of the car).
A short reach away on the passenger side of the steering wheel are the controls for the audio system, the climate control system and other functions.
The dials for the climate system were all organised and set up to work so that the driver could operate them by touch without having to look at them. The fan was a small dial with discrete clicks between settings. The temperature dial worked in a smooth 180 degree arc (up for hot, down for cold - makes sense).
The confusing-until-you-got-used-to-it dial was the vent outlet dial, with a myriad of arrows pointing in all sorts of directions. Spend a few minutes to study it though, and it all makes perfect sense. The switch positions move logically from top to bottom. From the top, you can set it to the windscreen, then to the windscreen and feet vents, feet vents only, feet vents with cold air from the facial vents, the driver’s facial vents or all dash level (facial vents).
Note that those positions correspond with where the temperature setting would most likely be. When the temperature is set to hot (the dial points up) the most likely vent settings to be used are in the upper part of the selection range. It makes sense.
Many have noted the fact that the dials were also made so that they could be operated easily by a gloved hand in winter. It’s also notable that the Saab 900s heater is like a furnace!
Saab enthusiasts will also be familiar and very comfortable with Saab’s interior lighting. Green was chosen for its neutrality and the fact that it gave the closest effect to daylight conditions. The soft green lighting allows warning lights to stand out properly. It allows for the easiest reading of the matt black gauges with white lettering and orange needles - a setup that can be easily read with just a glance from the driver. Those gauges were deep set so as to avoid any glare on the 900’s superb, curved windscreen.
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The Saab 900 didn’t start the key-in-between-the-seats thing. That was the Saab 99. The 900 carried on the tradition, though, and I’m glad they did as it’s another case of something that’s seemingly unusual making perfect sense.
The “between the seats” area is actually pretty important. Saab maintained the practice of having the handbrake there so that it could be operated by the passenger if necessary. Having the key there meant that the driver could fasten the seatbelt, insert the key, start the car and release the handbrake all in one easy set of operations.
My 1985 Saab 900 also has electric window switches in this area (not shown in the photo, above) and these are perfectly positioned so that the driver can just reach down and operate the front windows without having to look for them. They’re located right where your fingers fall if you position your arm in this area.
Saab have always made brilliant seats, and those in the 900 were a big part of this heritage. Saab made them to be very comfortable, and adjustable to the extent that over 90% of all drivers should be able to find an optimum driving position (not bad considering there were no steering wheel adjustments at that time). Seat heating kept the driver comfortable and alert.
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The Saab 900’s interior layout was a masterclass in modern ergonmics and drew high praise from the motoring public of the time. Trends in materials and design have taken a lot away from this interior but several of the main elements still remain: the green lighting, the key position (bring back those central window switches!), the toggled air vents. Many other aspects of the 900s interior such as logical switch positioning have been taken up by others and are now the rule rather than the exception.
It’s still a truly extraordinary place to drive a car from. Supremely comfortable and very, very functional. I can only imagine what it must have been like, how revolutionary it must have been, 20 years or so ago.
As Eggs is given to saying: Vive la 900!
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This is entry was ably assisted by resources and images from Wulf’s excellent Saab Media website.
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Spot on Swade.
Anyone who doubts the aviation side of Saab needs to study that C 900 command post. Only engineers who really know about ergonomics could have come up with it.
The closest I ever felt that anything got to it in design terms, is the left hand seat on a 747-100/200/300 - the ones with the analogue instruments and dials - total command post.
Oh and whilst we are on planes, whatever the bean counters are doing to Qantas, at least we know the flying skills are still the best - so massive respect to Captain Bartel and his crew on QF30. Calling: “Mayday Mayday Mayday, Qantas Thirty, Mayday. decompression, leaving flight level two niner zero” must have been a heart pounding moment.
Well done the Aussies.
Great writing, Swade. You pretty much sold me a 900 there.
My first test drive of one was an ‘88 900 8v. My first impression of the interior was the steering wheel. The position was different — a bit closer to the dashboard than other cars. And that became an endearing quality for me. I also appreciated the thickness of the steering wheel.
Thanks for posting this article Swade! The 900 is a masterpiece of design and ergonomics and should be the benchmark for future Saab designs. I love my 2001 9-3 very much, but I would trade it in a nanosecond if the C900 was still available! I miss the experience of driving that car very much…..
I hope some of the current GM Europe designers read this post and take heed.
I think it deserves to be pointed-out that not only were the climate control dials operable by a gloved hand, they were designed to be operated by a mittened hand. Mittens are warmer than gloves and I’m sure many a Swedish Saab owner appreciated not having to remove his mittens in a freezing car interior to turn on the heater. All the buttons were big and chunky for the same reason. You could push the buttons with mittened hands. None of these tiny little buttons.
Another feature I love about the dash is the ECON zone on the tachometer. It is a little green zone that lets you know the best RPM range to shift gears in to conserve fuel. This feature was implemented in the era of the oil crises and would be a nice feature to bring-back today, IMHO.
Also note the dash was matte black to reduce reflectivity. None of this shiny chrome bezel crap like they have in today’s Saabs. I can’t tell you how annoying it is in my Chevy Impala that there is a chrome surround on the gear selector along with shiny faux wood that reflects bright sunlight right into my eyes when the sun is in a certain position. I have to use my hand to block the glare until the car has turned into a different direction. Note the 900’s sun visors have black on the backside and light color on the fore. That’s thinking.
Thank you Swade! You get it right there. C900 is the Saab. It is an experience to drive. Come and try it on a tough winter weather and you´ll appreciate it even more. Cabin heater was way ahead other of that era. Maybe I should consider driving C900 next winter time. Even thinking about it brings me good memories. There´s so many features inside C900 cabin that I really like. Of course, by todays standards it´s very basic. But actually there´s everything you need and nothing more. Everything on a right place and easy to use. All the controls and buttons are sturdy and have good feel. Swithes between seats are excellent. Even from rear seat you have access to open front window/roof if needed. Possible on any other passenger car? Don´t think so.
I´ve been using door-window switches now over two years and I still don´t like it. I have to bend my arm to reach them, and usyally I´ll have to take a look what I´m doing. Pure GM - S**t.
Straight from a Saab ad: Form Follows Function.
That is forgotten today. Unfortunately.
I loved the interior on my ‘84 3 door turbo SE. The leather seats were great and the seat heaters too. About the only thing I’d fix is the rather crude seat height adjustment. It was similar to a 99 and left quite a lot to be desired.
I hope Saab use the C900 as a template for a new ‘retro’ 9-3. It’s space utilization, it’s ergonomics, it’s character and it’s individuality are second to none. If it could be brought into the 21st century in much the same way the Mini has, it will be a winner. But it has to come in 3 and 5 door hatches as well as a sedan. Saab was wrong in making the 9-3SS range without a hatch and I guess to a lesser extent, it was wrong in making the NG900 and the OG9-3 without a sedan. It all comes down to giving the customer the choice and not letting that choice be made for him/her by some bean counter.
I think by now we’ve learnt that the sedan hasn’t sold any better than the hatch? But if customers had been given a choice, how many more cars would’ve been sold?
Another point about the C900 interior is that you could set the controls so that you could direct cold air to driver’s face through vents in the dash while the cabin is being heated. This keeps the driver alert. This feature was not available in later saabs. In fact functionality is slowly reducing. My 2002 9-5 has weather band radio (accessible via button in the dash) whereas my wife’s 2006 9-5 Aero does not provide access to WB radio. In many occasions I found having easy access to WB radio very useful.
Ajith, you’re right, the cool air to face was always an important feature of the 900 and lost on the more recent models, albeit the centre vents on the 9-3 are several degree cooler than the temp from the side vents, so maybe that’s better than arctic wind on the face?
Loved the ’swooshing’ sounds as you moved the air direction control around - you could hear the series of valves/vents opening and closing in the vaccum system - always impressed people although today I suppose it would seem crude!
the 900 also had the simple 3dial set-up, which is what latest 903s have reverted to - I have no problem with this, although I do like my 2006 9-3 buttons as well (although the SID drives me nmad and is an unnecessary distraction).
i totally agree
when i lived at home in ireland seeing a 900 was a rare and pleasant surprise as they never sold in large numbers when new and most of them where only base models 
so the site of a turbo was extremely rare. But since moving to oz, 900 spotting is a hell of a lot better. Most days i see 4-5 old 900’s and almost everyday i meet a beautifully keep 900 T16, which really makes my day everytime i see it 
the only downside is how few saab’s i see from the GM years and more surprising how few 9-3SS and ever more so is dame edna 9-5, of the latter ive only seen 1 in 4 months of living here. With out dragging this off line, what has changed since the 900 that has changed people minds from buying saab’s in oz. O and steven i still have a turbo on my driveway, but it has a F6 badge on it :). Love the new site layout.
MarkoA touched on an important aspect of the power controls: one should be able to use them without looking. I’ve never sat inside or driven a classic 900, but am the lucky new owner of a ‘96 GM900 SE. Its centrally-located power controls include windows, sunroof, door locks, and dome lights. Each control (or for the windows, set of controls) has a different tactile quality and different mode of operation. Windows are push/pull latches, door locks and dome light are rocker switches (oriented in opposite directions), and sunroof control is a slider switch.
Once you learn the different feel and operation for these controls, operating them while driving is much safer because your eyes can stay on the road. I’ve never been in another car with this design concept so well executed.