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Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 18:18:41 -0800
From: Mike Zampiceni <mikeznopsamcape.com>
Subject: Happy Viggen Owner and L.A. Auto Show Review


Folks, Just completed a 900-mile trip to southern Cal. and back, which the first long journey in the car since purchasing it last month. After concluding the trip, I'm ultra happy that I chose this vehicle. It is the only car out there that could meet my criteria initially, and after having spent so much time in it during the last several days, I feel my purchase was fully justified. First of all, I made it in record time (for me) from San Jose to L.A. I found that I was easily able to drive a couple of hours or more without stopping because of the overall ergonomics, feel of the chassis, and wonderful seat. The seats on this car have to rank as the best two or three on any car I've owned (and I've owned lots). The car was totally stable on the road, and was not affected by crosswinds or when passing semis. I encountered moderate rain on the way back, and was able to drive the same speed (80 - 90) without any negative consequences from the chassis. The car felt the same in the rain as in the dry. Besides the chassis tuning, the factory tires are more than up to the task for wet weather. Of course, the power on the road was phenomenal. I went over one 4000-ft pass and kept it at about 75 - 80 and the boost guage didn't even show any boost! Meanwhile, cars were falling by the wayside, and I seemed to whiz by as if they were practically stopped. And to top it off, I also got better than expected overall mileage. I reset the SID in L.A. before I headed back. My return trip consisted of a little city driving, the aforementioned pass plus another one of about 2000 feet, and open stretches where I was doing 85 - 90 mph. Highway speeds ranged from 65 - 90 mph. Overall mileage was a pleasing 28.4. I also enjoyed the relatively quiet interior where I could enjoy my CD player. Wind noise is not too obtrusive, and the engine noise is certainly low. Speaking of radios, I was disappointed in the reception, especially the AM band. It seems like you have to be within about 20 miles of a station to get good reception. Maybe I'll post separately on this to see what might be done to retrofit something to boost reception. Also, I wonder if the Viggen's special whip antenna impedes reception as opposed to the standard fender-mounted antenna in the regular 9-3. Of course, we already know about how much our cars can carry, but it's a great bonus to make use of it. I had already gone down with quite a bit of stuff, but stopped at a vintage VW supplier to get some stuff for a bug I'm restoring, including a couple of wheel rims. I was still nowhere near having to fold down the seat. A couple of weeks ago, I was amazed at how much stuff I crammed in there to go to the recycling center. The only downside to the trip was the quality of ride on cement pavement. I was already aware of this before I bought the car, but had not driven on as lengthy a section of road. Unfortunately, So. Cal. is infested with cement freeways, most of which have harsh expansion joints. I drove 150 miles of this on the way home until I finally reached asphalt and then said amen. The only way I could be reasonably comfortable was to keep my speed below 70 on the harshest stretches. One of the reasons I went down there was to check out the L.A. Auto Show. I went there last year as well, and have found it a good place to see concept cars and larger displays of cars than I can see in S.F. Needless to say, I visited the Saab display, but was disappointed in its size and variety. You'd think GM with its deep pockets would position the car more prominently than in the back of the main room, which is where it was last year. Secondly, unless I overlooked it, I didn't see one 9-3 SE there, which was a major shortcoming in my opinion. There were two Viggens: a blue convertible and a yellow 4-door. Yellow didn't appear as an option in the 2000 brochure, but I guess they finally decided to give us that choice as well. I'm glad I got the blue; the yellow is just too loud for my tastes. I was originally considering yellow and was going to wait until they showed up, but opted for a leftover '99 instead. I prefer a mellower, pastel yellow instead; something like the New Beetle yellow. Saab also displayed their two crash 9-5 vehicles with an accompanying video showing them mashing together at a combined speed of 70. Speaking of 9-5's, they showed the new Aero, of course. It was a black one with aftermarket wheels in sort of a tight, mesh spoke pattern. Twas very classy. I liked the wheels much better than those machine-cog looking 3-spokers. I had hoped to see the new M-3 at the BMW booth, but they concentrated on showing the new Z8 instead. It's a beautiful car with a neat retro dash and steering wheel, but it seems they could have done better than $128K in pricing it. But then again, BMW has never been noted for giving away anything. The other Viggen competitor is the Audi S4. I'm glad I didn't opt for that one. After having just come out of the Viggen, I found the interior space comparisons dramatic. When I got near the car, A large fellow over 6-ft tall had just gotten in. Boy, did he look cramped! He adjusted the seat all the way back and even tilted the back rest, but his knees were still too upright. I'm only 5'7", but even I felt cramped in terms of elbow room. I definitely have more elbow room in the Viggen and have more of a feeling of width in the interior. I gave a ride in the back seat over the weekend to someone approaching 6 ft., and he had sufficient leg room. Try that in an A4. The other thing I didn't like about the A4, and a lot of other cars in general, is the steep rake of the windshield. It may do wonders for aesthetics, but sure compromises visibility and spaciousness. It accentuates the cramped feeling even more, and also limits your field of vision. The 9-3 windshield is raked plenty enough, thank you. The L.A. Auto Show is worth a visit for those on the west coast, but try to get there either early or late. In the middle of the day, it's an absolute zoo with wall-to-wall people. I had to literally strategize how to get from one side of the room to the other. That's it for now. I now have over 2300 miles on the car, and it's just as tight as the day I picked it up. Hope this continues. The only "defect" I've encountered so far is a buzz in the driver's door when the stereo bass is turned up past halfway. It stops when I lower the window just a hair. Regards, Mike Z.

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