The following is a guest post submitted by WooDz, a man with more than a little Saab experience.

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IS GM/SAAB RIGHT?

For some reason, the news that the next generation 9-3 is to be built using a smaller architecture conjures up images of inferior quality. I’d imagine the immediate thoughts of many went like this: Physically smaller than its predecessor, second-rate technology, conflicts with a small vehicle that would share the platform. Then you have the market comparisons with Volvo and how bad the V40 and C30 are. These, in reality, bare no relevance to the market perception of Saab, who are still renowned for making quirky mid-size hatchbacks and not mammoth hunks of metal.

Before any of those assumptions can be made, maybe we should concentrate on the current model, where the platform first debuted as the Opel Vectra. If we add 4 years development time then we’re looking at a vehicle that was engineered over a decade ago. The 9-3 has just undergone an enhancement and as previous timelines would suggest, it will remain in this form for around the next 3-4 years. This means it could be as late as 2012 before we get to touch the all-new Saab 9-3.

When you look at the two global architectures Delta and Epsilon and consider that the next generation Delta platform, simply by systematic technological advancement, will be lighter and stronger than either the current 9-3 or the Insignia, you have to wonder where the negatives will be? An extended Delta could quite possibly be larger than the current 9-3 and more advanced, technically. If VAG’s Golf/A3 can carry a V6 engine then why not the next generation Delta? After all, Opel would no doubt like a comparable model to the Golf R32 or what will become the R36.

The 9-1 and 9-3 may end up sharing synergies and components from Epsilon 2 that could be utilised in the same way that BMW use the multi link axle and engines from the 3-series setup for the 1-series. This will greatly reduce development and production costs. Having that translate into more favorable prices will probably be unlikely. However, they will create a buffer zone when dealing with weaker currencies or generate profits for a future projects; a real Saab Sonett, anyone?

Trollhättan is also an issue and the potential to have the plant work at full capacity by producing a high volume of Saabs will show GM that the company can stand their own. Also, being able to bolster that output by building e-flex and other conventional vehicles destined for northern European regions will secure the facility further into the future. Having a strong manufacturing presence in their home country is of inestimable value for Saab.

Another issue is timing. If 2012 was to be the entry date for a new 9-3 using Epsilon 2, that would mean we’d have a new vehicle with a potential life of 10 years starting out on what will be a 4 year old platform. With Delta 2 the scenario is still not perfect, but it’s much better in terms of current engineering design.

It is without doubt the Audi A4 would be a larger vehicle but even the motoring media are starting to question whether the A4 has outgrown is market segment. It’s just as big as the current 5-series. We are finally seeing motoring markets, especially the US, turn the corner and accept that a smaller, more efficient car is the car of the future. Saab will still have a larger car, but this move will most likely make them the first to recognise the trend and design accordingly.

With Fuel prices that will only continue to rise and government regulations demanding lower emissions, larger heavier vehicles will no longer become economically viable for most families. In North America trends are already changing and even with the typical SUV no longer being of BOF architecture they will become obsolete as a family commuter. If you have money and want to drive a Caddy, fuel prices won’t stop you. However, the story will most likely be different for the rest of us. For those who want to pay the premium for a quality car where running costs are affordable something a lot smaller than a 9-5 might be the only answer in a global market.

We often feel that the big General seems to step from one blunder to the next, that little thought is ever given to automotive passion and that the whole company is bound by its financial analysts and accountants, who by natural gene-chemistry have zero creativity and the passion of a dormant snail. Yet for a company that has employed a load of dim-witted baboons, they’re still doing OK. GM are still producing nearly 10 million vehicles per annum and are profitable in all markets except North America. Maybe they’re more capable than we give them credit for?

The auto industry is heading for some big changes in the next decade and where most manufactures still want to make their next generation vehicles larger than their predecessors, I think GM are allowing Saab once again to show some of their unique lateral thinking. Consider the BioHybrid console, which has more of a horizontal 99 / 900 layout as opposed to a sweep around 9000 look - you never know the next 9-3 might even be a hatchback?

One can dream.

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UPDATED - link corrected (how embarassing!)

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Since Beren mentioned a question about how he should best go about keeping his Jet Black Metallic Saab Turbo X looking good I thought it might be a good time to link up a couple of previous posts on the matter for people to review. Some of you may not have been around when these were originally posted.

Jan 2006 - Caring for your paintwork

This was a post full of notes written by local Tasmanian paint pedant and Saabnut, Drew B, who has a fleet of magnificent Saabs and a very fussy eye.

Beren mentioned putting his polisher away and I know that Drew would say that unless it’s a trade quality machine, it should definitely be kept away from your Saab. You can buy buffing machines pretty cheap nowadays but many of them spin too fast and can actually ‘burn’ the clearcoat on your car. Either get a proper professional grade buffer or do it by hand.

May 2007 - Springtime Car Clean Regime

This was Tim S’s program for keeping his black Viggen clean enough to eat off. This is one incredibly tidy car and one look at the photo at that link will tell you that Tim doesn’t cut corners.

Both articles come highly recommended

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Congratulations once again to our good mate in France, Golfhunter, who picked up this little baby recently. When I first reported on this car, the decision to purchase had been made, but the car was still with it’s previous ower. It seems that Jeff has finally picked it up and brought it home.

I know I’ve been spounting off about it a fair bit in the last few weeks, but it’s just so unique and so well executed that I can’t help myself.

And here it is, very briefly, in motion.

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A little while ago I asked Convertible owners to wax lyrical about their convertible love. That was all in response to an email from a guy named Adrian, who was keen to see people’s thought on them, from an owner’s point of view. I also answered some questions for him on the Turbo X at that time.

I’ve received another email from Adrian, and I thought it would be worth sharing here again as I think it’s a question that’s not uncommon. It seems Adrian has drifted from the idea of a convertible but has taken a hardtop for a test drive…..

I am still shopping for a new vehicle and wanted to pick your brain a bit more if you don’t mind…..

Well… I went to the Saab dealer a couple of weeks ago and test drove the 2008 9-3 2.0T. This is the first Saab I have driven since my own 79′ 900 that I owned in the early 90’s. Bottom line is I enjoyed the car quite a bit. I have not however driven the Aero yet, nor the Turbo X.

I am now torn as to what I want to do. Basically I think I would be happy with the 2.0T. The car felt great and I took to driving it like I already owned it. Sometimes when you test drive a car it feels funny until you adapt to it.. Not so for me with the 2.0T.

The basic bottom line question here is 2.0T vs V6 Aero. Adrian goes on to mention the the 2.0T is in his price range where the Aero would be a stretch, but do-able if necessary. There’s a couple of factors in play:

1) The running costs. Can he justify choosing a car in the V6 that’s going to cost quite a bit more in fuel costs. Is the performance advantage worth it?

2) Future regrets - will he remain happy with the 2.0T tradeoff when he could have gone for more oomph

3) He needs to make a decision relatively quickly in order to take advantages of some GM discounts he access to.

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My thoughts:

If you’ve driven the 2.0T and you’re happy with it then I’d pull the trigger on that puppy and I wouldn’t miss a minute’s sleep about it. Buy it.

The 2.0T is a great engine. It used to be the Aero engine before the V6 came along and with good reason. it’s got great performance characteristics and it’s still relatively frugal - a very Saaby combination.

If you’re not clamouring for flat out performance from your Saab then the 2.0T is a perfect choice. I’ve read many motoring journos from the US who actually prefer it over the V6. Some engines just suit the body they’re in.

If it were me, I’d at least try the V6. It’s a great engine too. At the end of the day, though, it’s a matter of personal choice and if you were really happy with the 2.0T and felt content with that decision, then I’d save some money and smile.

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That’s my 0.02c. I love the 2.0T engine.

The thoughts of others will be in comments…..

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Part 1 of the automotive theory series was focused on the humanity of great cars and why it’s possible to love them. Just between you an me, I consider it to be the best piece of writing I’ve done here for some time.

Today’s instalment in the automotive theory series (I think it’s turning into a series) actually comes from ctm, our mate in Sweden. He brought up the Skoda Superb the other day, whose hatch/trunk I posted about earlier. This also concerns the Skoda and its relationship to VAG’s other brands.

The parallels with GM will speak for themselves.

Take it away, ctm…..

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I came across a short review of the new Skoda Superb (sibling to the VW Passat and Audi A4). The reviewer is one of the more well-known auto journalists in Sweden, and he made some interesting remarks.

He talks about cannibalism - that is, the risk that one brand takes customers from another brand within the same company. I have long wondered just how VW is going to manage this, since all three non-premium brands (VW, Skoda, Seat) are moving up the premium scale.

He compares this Skoda with the new VW Passat CC, and notes how they share the technology under the hood but also how loads of stuff in the interior is the same in both cars. He compares the price of a Skoda Superb with an Audi A4. The Audi starts around 25% higher - and that’s for a car that actually shares components with the Superb. The DSG gearbox costs an extra 15,000 SEK on the Skoda but over 20,000 SEK extra on the Audi. And it’s the same gearbox. You also have the same engines to choose from as with the Audi. So he questions if all this stuff is worth the higher price in the Audi.

It’s an interesting dilemma. Skoda was considered “communist crap” only 20 years ago, but today it’s a really good car and they sell like hot cakes in Western Europe. That is thanks to VW, but how are they going to deal with it in the end?

I’m thinking the same about Cadillac. You know what we in Europe think about American cars like Cadillac. But what if they succeed in doing something useful with it? That IS what they want to do, otherwise they wouldn’t spend so much money on things like the BLS.

And then there is Opel. The real test comes now when both Saab and Opel are integrated, are being built in the same factories, share loads of components, and present new models based on the same platform at about the same time. How many “oh, but it’s just a premium Opel” quotes are we all going to have to read in every review? There hasn’t been much of that in Sweden, since the 9-3 is based on such old Opel parts that it’s almost forgotten, and the 9-5 is just - well, an old quirky Saab.

The bottom line: they will have to deliver something truly unique to Saab if people are going to continue to pay a higher price for it. But the uniqueness is probably not going to be in engines and gearboxes. Since they cost so much to develop they will want all brands to use them. So what will Saab get that is unique?

Safety? - “Oh yeah, we know how to do build a very safe car, but we’re not going to give that to those who buy an Opel. You will just have to sustain more injuries in an accident. Sorry.”

That will go down like a lead balloon, I’m sure.

Design? - Probably, but what is good design is not easy to measure on a scale. It could easily go wrong.

Technology and gadgets? - Probably, but they better get the quality right from the beginning.

He ends the Skoda review with an interesting remark. It’s a sedan - and a hatchback. They made a clever hatch, one that I was hoping to see in a new Saab. You can open the lower part as on a normal sedan, but also turn some switch and open it as a full hatch. Being Swedish, it wasn’t a long stretch to relate it to Saab:

“…Saab owners who live in a nostalgic dream of a hatchback could be turned on by Skoda’s clever solution where you get two models for the price of one”.

It’s gonna be a looong 15 months before the new models arrive…

Thanks to regular reader Golfhunter (Bonjour, Jeff!), I’ve become aware of this little beauty, a completely old-school restoration of a 1961 Saab 96 located in Portland, Oregon, United States.

Taisau has dubbed the car “Minesweeper” due to the fact that the entire floorpan had to be replaced and he opted for 3/16″ (5 mm) plate instead of the much thinner guage material that originally served as the car’s underside.

This one is so good and so unique that I’m making it the “Saab of the Week” and I’m not asking anybody for permission.

All of the shots may be found here.

Here’s something I’ve been pondering a little lately as I try and figure out the eternal question - what makes me love Saabs so much?

I’ve recently been driving a brand new Subaru WRX as a test vehicle for reviewing here at TS. I’ve had it for around seven weeks and when I give it back this week, I won’t look back to wave goodbye. All my thought processes with regard to giving it back have been purely logistical. There’s been no emotion in it at all…….but aren’t cars supposed to be an emotional thing?

My theory is this - the cars that we own and enjoy, the ones that we really form a bond with and come to love and tell our friends about, these cars have a certain humanity to them. I know you probably think I’ve gone stark raving mad, but hear me out.

Their human side is charaterised by some sort of perceived flaw. We humans all have flaws and it’s because of these flaws that the bonds between family members and friends become so strong. To some extent, it’s our willingness and ability to forgive flaws in friends and family members that forges the bonds between people. It’s easy to love someone who never sets a foot out of line, never says a wrong word and always puts the toilet seat up (we’re mostly guys here, right?). But I wonder how strong those silky smooth relationships are if they haven’t been forged by a little bit of fire.

Relating this to cars, the ones that I’ve loved the most have done two or three things exceptionally well and have failed at a number of other things. Generally those two or three things are quite important to me and I’ll happily forgive the odd failing just to re-live that burst of acceleration or to sit in that seat once again.

Take the looks of a Saab 900, for example.

[Read the rest of this entry →]

I’ve read car reviews, and car comparisons, writeups from track days and diaries from economy runs. There’s all sorts of automotive content out there, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a review that spends all of it’s time talking about a roof.

So, first question: what do YOU think of the sand roof on the black body?

I’m a fan. This sand top would also look great on white, too, IMHO.

The review is supposed to be about the car, but really does spend the majority of it’s time on the roof: the color, the insulation, the opening and closing, the look. It’s rooforama! And it’s a good, quick, and recommended read.

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Kenneth is the name of the guy whose Turbo X SportCombi was featured here earlier today. I also showed a photo of the fantastic keyring that Saab are giving Turbo X owners when they take delivery of the car.

I’d just like to say that right at this moment, I’d like to be Kenneth.

He just dropped me a note to say that today he’s jumping into his Saab Turbo X and driving it to Trollhattan. Upon arriving there he’ll go to the Saab Museum and see all of Saab’s concept cars, which are being shown together in the one place for the first time.

That sounds like a pretty good day to me. It’s good to be Kenneth, eh?

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We haven’t seen nor heard much of the Saab Performance Team in recent times.

There’s an album on Flickr showing them a few days ago in Beijing and using 9-5s as well as 9-3s.

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I hope you’re having a great weekend. My Carlton Football Club had a resounding win last night, so I’m all smiles.

I’m heading out this weekend to take some final photos of the WRX. I plan on handing it back this week as well as writing up a series of entries on what has been an interesting Rexperience.

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We had former Saab design chief Bjorn Envall drop by in comments a few days ago.

This morning his younger brother Anders joined us. Have a look at what he does in his spare time!!

Caravan Racing?!

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