Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2002 21:32:51 -0600 From: Geoff Goldberg <geoffreynopsam.com> Subject: Re: Test Drove a 9-5 Aero
Well at the risk of fanning the flames, my wife and I bought a new family sports car about two years ago, and after much hunting, got the Aero. My sister had a Saab 99 for about 14 years, when she and I had bought cars together. My Alfa Alfetta at the time lasted about 8 years, but her Saab just kept going! I just could never fit in the seats comfortably. We thought we'd rather have the 9-3, but it just wasn't comfortable enough for us, and the regular 9-5 was too "soupy" or soft handling, and my wife said she got car sick. So we go the Aero after much looking and she and I are very happy. The irony is my Alfa 164 finally gave up on being pracical (another 8 year car, finally the little stuff is too much of a pain) so I went up to the BMW dealer and wanted something with rear-wheel drive. So I got a 1997 M-3, and it is an interesting comparison between the two cars. Just some background - I'm an old car buff and own a bunch of Lancias from the 1950's, and have had both Italian and BMW bikes. I can live without the BMW attitude, which is painful, but they do some things quite nicely. People skills are not their long suit. But they can design some things very well, and some things poorly. So here is the reveiw and comparison: 1. Handling: little to improve on the Saab. Very good family sport sedan. The BMW has higher limits, and is more sporty, but the steering effort is too heavy, and the twitchiness on the road is painful. I changed the BMW to 16" wheels from 17" to ease up the ride. 2. Suspension: the BMW chassis is incredibly sophisticated. A bit of ahard ride, but very very good. Impeccable. The Saab is good, but could benefit from better components. BMW still can't figure out chassis flex: I ahd to add an aftermarket front suspension brace to cut down on the number of squeeeks over bumps in the city. The BMW brakes are about the best I have ever had. The Saab is a good bit heavier. 3. Motor - the Saab motor is very very good. The low end torque is great, and the turbo is fine. But it is a four cylinder and sometimes makes funny air intake sounds, especially slow revs, full throttle. The BMW engine is awesome. So smooth. 4. trans - the Saab tranny is notchy and the shifts a bit cheezy. THe BMW is pefect here, no driveline snatch. Easy to use around town. 5. practicality - the Saab has a lot of benefits over the BMW. Ease of access, more space, its a bigger car. The only place the BMW is better is in the ventilation, wehre you can actually figure out what is going on. 6. looks - I prefer the uniqueness of the Saab, ut the E36 styling of the BMW is nice enough. 7. Value for the money - the Saab is a great deal. But then again, a 4 door boy-racer you can drive in the city, has AC, and I can park on the street and take my kid to school for about $30k (used in 2000) is an interesting thing. 8. nits - the Saab tends to have a bit of wind noises from the doors and the roof panel. But the BMW is just plain noisy and not so relaxing. The Saab seems a bit cheaper, but all the bits seem to work. The BMW is heavy handed in some of its engineering. In conclusion: for a weekend sprint, the BMW is a great car to have. So too, I rather like it to drive around town, and bop here and there. It is easy to drive, very fast, and smooth, and easy shifting. The Saab is more relaxed, a better GT car. I'd rather drive it on the highway for any distance. We go up to the races from Chicago to Wisconsin (3-4 hour drive, esp. if we take one of the older cars) and with our 6 year old, no dobut about which car we take: the Saab. So too, I rathe think that Lancia and Saab came together in the 1980's for good reason: the idea of comprehensive thoughtful engineering and design runs deep in both companies. So if I go to replace the BMW, I may look at a Saab. I am not too sure about Viggen torque steer, but I will visit the dealer. The MW 5 series is a pretty neat car, but the status issue is a pain. One other thing - neither car does well in the snow as equipped. We bought wheels and tires for the Saab too, as the low profile tires aren't great. But it doesn't need the bags of sand in the trunk of the BMW! Geoff Goldberg JMEL5 wrote: > LOL, this was so funny I spit coffee all over my keyboard. I take it that you > really didn't have a nice experience with your last Bimmer. > > JJ > > > > >> Will I buy a BMW?? > > > >Only if my life depended on it & then I'd have to think about it. Having > >owned a BMW for 3 months & hating it, I'd rather have my tongue tied to the > >exhaust of a car & be driven at 100mph naked over a field of broken glass.
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