I know that recently it’s all been crisis-this and bailout-that around here. I’ve personally reied to make sure I keep things balanced with car stuff, like the wheels post from earlier today, etc, and I know Eggs has done hist part to try and bring us back to our happy place.
That business-related stuff is important as it relates to Saab’s future. But it’s also important to remember why sites like TS exist – because driving is fun, and a Saab is one of the most rewarding vehicles to drive.
Saab sales are way down this year, like with most brands, and whilst I get it on one level, it absolutely perplexes me on another. Why? Because the 2008 Saab 9-3 is the best 9-3 anyone’s been able to buy. That should mean increased interest, but it hasn’t. We could theorise about that all day long, but auto123 in Canada have been driving the car and have some things to say that’ll remind you why you’ve got (or want) a Saab in your driveway.
Our reviewer is a guy named Justin Pritchard and he’s spent some time in a 2008 Saab 9-3 Aero with XWD. The full review is here, but I’ve clipped a few snippets as an entree.
A Canadian testing in the early winter? It’s good to read this, then….
This generates a more planted and stable handling dynamic free of annoying early intervention from stability aids. End result is a sure footed grip on any surface and a delightfully lively and agile feel. It’s very tidy in most any handling situation, and very much an all-season driver’s car.
And contrary to the masses…. me included:
Some don’t see the price-tag in the car’s exterior styling, but the interior of the loaded tester was packed with everything Saab has to offer. Included was automatic everything, power everything, navigation, Bose audio, a sunroof and memory seats. Leather wraps the steering wheel, seats and door panels, and aluminum trim combines with rubberized controls for an exciting yet reserved atmosphere.
And he finishes thus:
There are better ways to look like you spent big bucks on a premium sedan, though 9-3 is tops if you’d rather fly under the radar and not lose your ride in the Longo’s parking lot.
Yes, I’ve only picked out good bits, but that’s because the not-so-good bit only comprise one paragraph and this is an overwhelgmingly positive piece.
The 2008 Saab 9-3 IS a great car. I’m sure the 2009 is even better.
Let’s hope the world gets to hear it.
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It’s your typical confused review. For instance, on page 1 he praises the “turbine-like sound effect,” and on page 2 he writes that “the turbocharger operates with no notable sound.” His other comments are just as inspired and informative.
I swear that the only qualifications for automotive journalism are having no journalistic talent and no automotive knowledge beyond hearsay.
Overall, it’s a positive review, but you get the feeling that any product whatsoever would get the same review: overwhelmingly positive (don’t piss-off the advertisers whatever you do!) with the odd “pet peeve” thrown-in here and there. Copy half of your text straight from the brochure and add-in stuff that anybody could tell within the first minue of a test drive and you are done.
The 2009 9-3 Aero is a car that challenges a lot of automotive conventions and raises a lot of issues within Saab’s own lineup. At the very least, I would expect a reviewer to try to explain how this car is philosophically different from the Acuras and Audis of the world (and it really is, if you know more than just a little about cars), and to compare this car to the lighter and much less complex 2.0T, and to the bigger, lighter and slightly cheaper 9-5.
What I find odd is the fact that the aforementioned car is mor expensive that the 2008 Turbo X.
This review reminded me of a bugaboo I have with my wife’s new-to-her CPO 2005 Arc SportWagon: the 9-5 is supposed to be Saab’s flagship so I would think it should have all the gadgets the “lesser” 9-3 has and more. But there is no seat memory. This would be a nice functionality as whenever I drive her car I have to change the seat position and when she gets in after that she has to change it back. I’m not just disappointed that the 9-3 has seat memory whereas the 9-5 does not (unless it was an option not opted-for in my wife’s car), but that the earlier 9000, which the 9-5 replaced did have seat memory. I feel it’s a feature they eliminated on the more-expensive 9-5. Sort of like when Saab went from offering heated seats as a standard item to making it an option…
As you mention though Swade, it’s nice to see a good review of the 9-3. I hope a lot of potential Saab buyers are exposed to that review.
Swedish car magazine Teknikens Värld tested the Saab 9-3 2,0T Aero XWD in the latest issue.
http://www.teknikensvarld.se/_internal/cimg!0/lqd028s58ckkxnztlu37ngti2ym2v07.jpg
Against:
Audi A4 Avant 3,0 TDI quattro, BMW 320d Touring xDrive, Mercedes C 320 CDI 4Matic, och Subaru Legacy 2,0D
SAAB comes out on the last spot in the test. All the other cars had diesel engines and the SAAB did not have the eLSD feature.
I’ve always thought the interior of all Saabs is fantastic. Nice to hear a positive review from somebody who understands style. Real Swedish style.
Swedish people are among the most stylish in the world and this extends into the 08 range.
Wow guys
Nice to see some people are reading my Saab 9-3 review down in the US. I had bugged GM to put me in that car for months. Really enjoyed it. I dont often post comments back to readers but i wanted to address bernards comments and clarify.
WHere I mentioned the turbo’s sound and then… ‘no notable sound’ he is absolutely right. Its confusing. Let me clarify. You can hear it, but very faintly. If you have a window down or the blower fan on, then forget it. In the opening paragraph, i was trying to share the mood with the reader that the car gave me. The fan and stereo were off and in that instance it was easy to hear. Otherwise, you’d almost never hear it. Please take this as my attempt to build emotion and excitement.
Im sorry it wasn’t understood by everyone. The comments about the requirements for automotive journalism are incorrect. Auto123.com is Canada’s largest automotive website. We’re a knowledgeable group of professionals who belong to the Automobile Journalist Association of Canada or AJAC. I myself write for several newspapers, magazines and host a web and TV segment on a weekly basis. This wasn’t hearsay, I spend 8 days and 2000 kms in that car.
As for not writing the review as you wished I had written it, I’m sorry to disappoint. My positivity for the car came from my experience driving it, as my first Saab road test. First out of several hundred other cars. I didnt find much i didnt like. Thats why there aren’t many complaints. My job is to write the review in 750 words so that i can share my experience with as many people in as little time spent reading as possible.
Negative points are a non-issue if published. In fact, in Canada, journalists pick up our own test vehicles and pay for Fuel, unlike it is in the US. There’s no incentive for someone to give a glowing review, unless they really enjoyed the vehicle.
Thanks for reading
please note a video is available too! thanks for reading
Justin,
Thanks for commenting. That clears up a lot of things. The 750 word limit must be very constraining. Maybe you could have a short and a long version on the web.
I still find that these reviews (not just yours) very rarely answer the essential question “what’s special about this car?”
I have the privilege of getting to drive a very wide variety of cars, and it’s very rare that a car doesn’t leave me with one overwhelming impression.
Auto reviews almost always ignore the elephant in the room and focus on the cup holders, or on the styling (which people will have made-up their own mind about anyways).
The Corolla for instance has tragi-comedic handling and clearly shouldn’t be driven by people who are nervous drivers, even though those very same people are the ones that buy Toyotas in the first place. How come nobody mentions that fact in their reviews? It’s a lot more relevant than the number and location of the camshafts, or the horsepower (how many people even rev their cars to the red line on a regular basis?).
The 9-3 Aero that you reviewed asks a “what do you want from life” type of question. It is not an inexpensive car, and anyone who can afford one has a lot of very good alternatives (including two in Saab’s own lineup), all of which are powerful and luxurious. I don’t feel that I got to know what makes it different from those competing cars just from reading your review.
Of course, this little rant has already added-up to 1/3 of 750 words, so I can see the problems you face.
Justin,
the 9-3 scores 83% in “safety”.
How was that figure calculated?
If you look at http://folksam.se/testergodarad/bilen/valjrattbil/hursakerarbilen you will see that BMW’s 5-series 97-03 comes out with a green dot (20% or better safety than the average car based on a significant number of road accidents). MY08 gets only 4 stars in EuroNCAP. (SAAB scores green dot with a + — 30% or better safety than the avg car, and of course takes a clean 5 star score with EuroNCAP easy as pie — easy for SAAB that is!)
Yet that beamer gets an 85% safety rating (http://www.auto123.com/en/bmw/5-series-sedan/2007/review?carid=1070800300&artid=73089).
SAAB is the only manufacturer who bothers with collision testing with a moose. If you roll over in a SAAB (known to happen, even with a SAAB), the roof will take the weight of the car. No problem. A Volkswagen, as an Austrian politician discovered a couple of months ago, won’t.
The difference between SAAB and a German automobile is safe vs squished.
Yet the beamer comes away with 85% safety rating on your website.
How? Just how?
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Rune
I’ve been driving my Turbo X in snow for the last few days and I’m loving it. I feel safe on the road and I love accelerating on ice, leaving massive SUVs in the dust, well… ice shards.
Hey Guys
As for the safety rating, what I can say is, I have no idea where it comes from. As a journalist we rate certain aspects from the point of braking, panic maneuvers, stability control presence / effectiveness and so on. I believe that auto123 also takes crash test ratings into consideration through some sort of formula, though I’m not 100 percent certain just where the number comes from.
Bernard
thanks again for the comments, again- i think the overwhelming impression I got was that the Saab was unique, flies under the radar compared to the competition, etc. and believe me… i dont focus much on the cupholders and camshafts… i only mentioned the cupholder in this case cause its useless
the video review is available on the site now too.. maybe youll like that better