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Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1998 11:49:32 -0800
From: Justin VanAbrahams <jvanabranopsamnet>
Subject: Re: 9-5 beats A6,E-Class,5-Series,S80,300M


Radek =?iso-8859-2?Q?Hul=E1n?= wrote: > > Forgive me if I am wrong, but it is a common notion of all people > I speak to that Volvo is the main inventor of new things > and Saab just follows new features Volvo (with bigger R&D budget) > has implemented. I think you are mistaken... Volvo has traditionally followed Saab's innovation, not the other way around... Saab started using unitized body (unibody) construction and front wheel drive platforms YEARS before Volvo did, and until recently Volvo swore that FWD was inferior to RWD, yet it's noteworthy almost their entire lineup is FWD. Saab added a turbo to a passenger car four years before it occured to Volvo, Although the BMW 2002 Turbo might technically be the first, it was regarded as a failed experiment due to unacceptable lag and questionable performance. Not only that, but Saab's APC system from '82 was light years beyond Volvo's very basic wastegate management - and it wasn't until the mid '90s that Volvo had anything to counter APC; and their system came from Bosch! Saab implemented pyrotechnic seatbelt tensioners on the '85 9000, and I don't believe Volvo even offers that yet (though BMW added it two years ago). The Saab 9000 also got ABS in '88 and SRS in '89 as standard, non-optional features, something which you had to wait until the early '90s to get on a Volvo. Saab added AHR (active head restraint) and Volvo copied with an inferior variant to avoid patent law. *No one* believes that Volvo's system, which reclines the front seats, is anywhere near as useful as Saab's, and I've even read some reviews on it which question its safety in the first place. Finally, it wasn't until recently, with the T5R, that Volvo had *any* engines worth looking at. The main staple of their engines throughout the '80s has been the 2.3l Turbo (originally from the 7-series, 1985) making 160hp. The Saab 16v Turbo, introduced the same year, made tha same HP and more torque out of a smaller displacement (2.0l vs. 2.3l). Better gas mileage and more power? Inferior? I doubt it. I readily acknowledge that the new inline turbo 6 is a powerful engine, and arguably better than Saab's full pressure 2.3l four (225hp vs. 268hp) but it's worth noting that the S80 is still slower to 60 than a 1998 Saab 9000 Aero despite it's healthy hp advantage. I don't dislike Volvo - I think they make some great cars. But they based the last 30 years of production on their safety features and REALLY lagged behind in technical innovation. The irony is that Folksam, Sweden largest insurer, rates the Saab 9000 as the safest car in Sweden, and not a Volvo. Please, play again... -Justin

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