Date: 28 Feb 1998 03:31:57 +0100 From: nobodynopsamAY.COM (Anonymous) Subject: Cartalk 9000 review
http://www.cartalk.com/Info/Testdrive/saab-9000-aero.html by Ray Magliozzi There are lots of things to like about the Saab 9000. Not the least of which are the seat heaters and the fact that it arrived with a full tank of gas. But, like my brother, it's clear that this car is now past its prime. Saabs have always done certain things well. And, like all Saabs, the 9000 has a great feel for the road. It's both fun and comfortable to drive, and that great balance is probably its number one attribute. It seems to be perfectly optimized for normal everyday driving. What do I mean by that? I mean on the normal, everyday roads that most of us drive, at normal, everyday real-world speeds like 20, 30, 40 mph, the handling is pretty near perfect. There's no swish, no sway, no heavy lean. You can compare that to, say, a Chevy Camaro, whose handling is optimized for highways in Nevada, or a Geo Metro, whose handing is optimized for city parking structures. Now, I'm sure if you plowed into a corner at 60mph, the Saab would lean and squeal, but what kind of moron is really going to plow into a corner at 60mph (hint: see montana.com). And the Saab's got attributes besides great handling. It's very practical, with good interior room and a fold-down rear seat and hatchback. I had no trouble getting two 8-hp Shop Vacs in there (they're Mother's Day gifts for my wife...one for this year, one for last year). But there are also things about the Saab that are the automotive equivalent of cobwebs. The dashboard and interior layout are right out of the early '80s--square, flat, plasticky. And the radio controls are impossible! You need a Ph.D. in radio controls AND an extra set of eyes to operate this thing. Shame on you guys! The electric window controls are on the center control board, rather than on the driver's door where they belong. And the car starts with all the confidence of a 12-year-old boy asking a girl to dance for the first time (guys, couldn't we find a little bigger battery for this car?). But the worst thing about the Saab is still the shifting. Fortunately, our test car had an automatic transmission. I was delighted to see this, because my calf muscles are still sore from driving a stick-shift 9000 last year. This car has one tedious, heavy clutch! The quality is probably about average. They've been building this car for more than 10 years now, and supposedly they've had time to work the bugs out. But those Swedish line workers still like their beer during lunch, so it's not a Toyota. So, if reliability is number one on your list, you might be wise to skip the Saab. But if you want a car that's practical, safe, fun to drive, and, in it's own way, kinda lovable, you might consider a 9000 (with an automatic).
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