Kraig informs me that the 2006 9-2x is finally included on the Saab USA website.  I guess they were waiting until the last few 2005 models limped off the lot.

I know I’ve bagged this car a fair bit lately and I know I should be mindful of the fact that it IS built on a pretty good base car and it IS an ongoing part of the Saab family for the moment (someone once said that of the Saab 600 too) and it IS for all intents and purposes a pretty practical car, being AWD, turbo and wagonish…….but…….

but……..

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Detroit Free Press writer Mark Phelan doesn’t mind Saabs at all.  He’s written a few positive articles this year already.  A few weeks ago he wrote an article that I missed decrying the poor recent sales of the 9-2x.  Some of you may remember that there were only 15 sold in October.

Unfortunately, I didn’t see this article, but it seems that Mark wrote it up as a big vote of disapproval for the model, rather than seeing it for what it was.

This prompted a reply from Jan-Willem Vester, communications guy for Saab USA:

We’d like to comment that the low sales numbers in recent months were mostly a result of limited product availability — not customer demand.

Earlier this year, we saw a significant increase in the popularity of the Saab 9-2X, with several months of consistently more than 1,000 sales per month. This almost completely depleted our stock of model year 2005 cars, while production of the 2006 model 9-2X did not start until late this fall.

So far, Saab has sold a total of almost 8,000 9-2X’s in the United States and Canada, which was generally in line with expectations. On average, the 9-2X attracts a younger customer to Saab, who tends to be very satisfied with his or her purchase.

With deliveries of the 9-2X at Saab dealerships now resuming, we expect sales to come back to normal levels soon.

It’ll be interesting to see what ‘normal levels’ turn out to be for the remainder of the 9-2x’s life cycle, eh?

I’ve just stumbled on this review, by a Mr Sean Bugg, as published in Metro Weekly, Washington DC’s Gay and Lesbian Magazine.

And before anyone asks, I picked it up via Google News, not during a scan of the online queer news (not that there’s anything wrong with that….)

Anyway,

Let’s start with the genesis of the 9-2x. As far as I can tell, it’s an Impreza WRX wagon with Saab sheetmetal and tweaks. Mr Bugg, who I’ll nickname ‘The Bugger’ for the purposes of this report, attributes it to the Legacy/Outback platform.

It is, however, generally easier to tell the difference between a Saab and a Subaru. Or, at least, it was. Now GM has taken one of Subaru’s most popular platforms, the Outback/Legacy, and re-badged it as a popularly-priced entry point into its Saab subsidiary.

Now, I do note that in the US, the Impreza Wagon seems to be marketed as the Outback Sport, however, this IS and Impreza Wagon, make no mistake. It’s marketed under the Outback moniker so as to not confuse the dumb people.

There’s no excuse for someone passing themselves off as an automotive journo getting this so wrong.

Then, in the next paragraph, The Buggerer get busy with this:

Although Subaru only shares a business partnership with GM……

Like, 20% ownership, dah-ling!

Then we go here (i’m leading to the gem of all gems)

The exterior certainly brings the Saab look to the fore, with the distinctive front fascia leading the way. Otherwise, the 9-2X is rather nondescript, with the rounded-wagon end not breaking any new ground. Compared to other Saabs it looks positively diminutive.

Bugger, you’ve covered the exterior, now stop – OK? You’ve made a few mistakes, so just cut your losses, alright?

……

OK, have it your way:

The interior feels more like a Saab than a Subaru, at least to me (I’ll admit I’m no Saab freak, so I may be missing some subtleties that stand out to others).

Yeah, you missed some subtleties alright……LIKE THE FACT THAT THE WHOLE INTERIOR IS SUBARU.

Dumb car reviews in a gay amagazine……what a pain in the ass!

I’ve added a new button onto the sidebar for the Saab 9-2x Forum. I spotted this forum just after it started up but haven’t checked up on it again until now. These things are always risky ventures, but the forum has grown very quickly and is now a thriving group of 9-2x enthusiasts.

There’s plenty of pics there of people’s cars and if you’re interested in modifying your 9-2x I’d suggest there’s expertise on tap.

Here’s a great picture from the site:

Click to enlarge.

A long while back, I featured an article from European Car magazine. They were looking at tricking up a 9-2x. The first instalment of the series was interesting, but after that it was just tumbleweeds and the whistling wind.

Nothing.

Until now. They’ve obviously been publishing updates in the paper edition of the magazine, but not the online edition. It’s unfortunate, but we now go from part 1 being available straight to part 6. I assume parts 2 through 5 will go online at a later date.

Part 6 of the project concerns upgrading of the intercooler, piping and various other odds and ends.

If you’re interested, go check it out here.

(gotta say, it’s all a little “2 fast 2 furious” for me)

I’d like to say ‘hi’ to all the North American Subaru Impreza drivers that have been popping in here all week. Not sure which post in your forum is linking here, but welcome anyway.

Just when the 9-2x has been pumped up for 2006, Canada’s Auto123 provides an overview of the model that’s worth your perusal.

Geeez. i really, REALLY wish they did up the interior on this car.

Go have a read at the link above. It’s a good way to cut through the press-release gobbldygook. It concludes this:

But the best news of all is that pricing on the cars has been left unchanged. That’s right – what you would have paid this year for either the base model 9-2x or the Aero will be the same. While pricing has been confirmed at $22,990 USD for the 2.5i and $26,950 USD for the Aero, 2006 model year pricing has yet to be announced for Canada. Expect it to follow closely in line, at $28,950 CAD for the 2.5i and $37,735 CAD for the Aero. More power, better specs, same price? You can really have your cake and eat it too.

I don’t mind the 9-2x at all. Having said that, I do think it will go down as perhaps the unSaabiest Saab in history (My candidates for the Saabiest Saab are here), but having said even that, I wouldn’t mind checking it out if they ever cracked Suuby’s head and released it here in Oz.

On the GM Fastlane blog, Bob Lutz is crowing a massive sales pitch based on the fact that despite July 2005 being the best ever sales month for many models, and he wrongly includes the 9-2x in the field, he thinks the level of awareness is way under what it should be.

That’s definitely the case for Saab. I know there’s been a lot more ads in the US, but here in Australia it’s virtually been non-existant.

What interests me the most though, is the future of the 9-2x. It’s 2006 model release details are all available here. It has the bigger engine for the 2006 model and the Aero will return with a slightly higher power rating and an improved torque curve and rating. In line with GM’s new ‘value pricing’ model, the 9-2x will revert to it’s full price of $26,950 for the Aero and $22,990 for the 2.5i.

Sitting in here in Australia, where a Suuby WRX hatch costs A$40,440 base price (the cheaper non-turbo RS model is A$30,440), those US prices certainly do represent ‘value pricing’. What remains to be seen is whether or not the US dealers can move these value-priced 2006 9-2x’s off their lots without attaching monstrous incentives, like they had to do in order to move the 2005 models.

As good as the car is, even Hellen Keller could do a very quick and basic audit of the numbers and tell you that these cars didn’t move in what we’d call ‘acceptable numbers’ until the incentives and employee pricing deal moved the price of the Linear from an ideal $22,990 to a skint $16,900 (or thereabouts – I’m writing from memory here).

The car’s worth the money, it’s whether or not people realise it and for that, the ball is in Bob and Jay’s court.