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I went to the car show today in Syracuse, NY (I know, its not exactly Detroit) and got some scoops from the Saab guy there. Don't know if he's correct, but I'll just share what he told me.
The new 9-3 will be out in the fall of 2002. He said it will be offered in the 3dr, 5dr and convertable styles. I asked if the new SVC engine will be availible and he didn't know. He was very definite about the car not being a sedan, definitley a hatch (yay).
I forgot to ask about the 9-5 redesign, my bad.
He said that the new SUV will be out in 2003, based on the same platform as the Buick Rendevous (which is basically the GM minivan platform). I asked about the 4WD, and I don't know if he understood my question, but I asked if it would be a mainly FWD truck that goes into 4WD when the going gets rough (like the Lexus RX300), he said he thought it would just be 4WD...don't know how accurate that is though. I asked about a name, suggested 9-7 and he said they haven't told him what it is called yet. He made the interesting comment that he wouldn't get the SUV for a couple years after its release so "they can work all the bugs out." I guess this is somewhat of a true statement from a consumer's viewpoint, the fact that a Saab rep. (probably a guy from the local dealer, but still) is making it does not instill great confidence in me. Take it at face value I guess.
That's it for gossip, now a couple observations from sitting in the different cars. I have a 96 900S with cloth seats...the 9-3's with leather were much more comfortable, the Viggen seats are unbelievably comfy, I love the 9-5 seats as well. Volvo's seats are also very comfy, I like how Saab and Volvo have more of a plush feel to their seats, Audi and BMW are much harder. The Volvo interiors are IMHO not as nice as the Saabs, lots of hard grey plastics.
Too bad I can't get driving impressions at these shows, just how the seats feel and the interior's look. The new Benz C class is nice (34,000), the BMW 3 series is also nice, and the Audi's interiors are first rate. At this point I'd go with a car from one of those manufacturers over the 9-3, it's getting a little dated (maybe owning a 5 year old car that looks almost identical to the new Saab's makes me feel like this) I hope the new 9-3 ends up being a little wider, I could use some wider seats and more shoulder room. At this point I'd go with a car from one of those other companies, but since I won't be out of grad school until (translate to "I am going to be broke until..)the new 9-3 comes out, it's not a debate that I am faced with :)
Well, I guess that's it for my ramblings, feel free to ask questions!
Brian
, Mon, 12 Feb 2001 09:02:18
, Mon, 12 Feb 2001 00:06:45
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