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I just got back from a trip from Southern MD to Chapel Hill, NC and back, and thought I would post my driving impressions from the first 1000 miles of ownership of my 2005 9-3 Arc with Driver's Package and a manual transmission.
Observations
-Rain sensing wipers: Driving in the rain without having to deal at all with messing with wiper settings is beyond cool. I like that I can change the sensitvity level via the SID.
-The wheels collect brake dust worse than in my NG900 and my 9-5. Every 9-3 I have seen on the road has dirty rims.
-The seats aren't quite as comfy as the ones in my 9-5, but after 5 hours in them I had no complaints.
-The driver's footwell is oddly shaped and angled...a flat dead pedal would be nice. I have size 14 feet, so I usually drive on long trips without any shoes to stay comfortable, and that is a must for me in this car. Also noticed when I was shifting weight using my left leg, when the floor around the left side of the footwell is pressed, it gives way a bit. No big deal, just a little chintzy feeling.
-Now that I got the correct "stereo" cable to go from my ipod to the aux in (apparently had a mono cord to start with) the stereo is MUCH improved. I am considering looking into adding an Infinity Basslink, don't know if it is possible. I had one in the 9-5 and it helped fill out the bottom end that the 6x9 "subs" couldn't reach. The top end of the sound spectrum is extremely bright on this stereo..."crisp."
-The auto-dimming mirror is sahweeet, and the compass helped me when traffic was at a standstill. I called my bro and he gave me an alternate route via mapquest. He would tell me to head south on such and such a street, and being as directionally impaired as I am, the compass really helped. Saved me some time getting through Durham, NC's construction debacle during Friday rush-hour.
-The exhaust note is much nicer than in my 2.3 900 and 9-5.
-The ride is much more buttoned down than in the 9-5 (a common complaint of reviewers of the 9-5). When I go from the 9-3 to the 9-5 I feel like the 9-5 is a Lincoln Town Car in comparison to the 9-3; ride-wise.
-The stick shift is Saab-notchy...but less so than my two previous Saabs. While I like the shifter better; the clutch take-up could be more linear.
-There is far less torque steer than in the 9-5. I don't miss it. At all. A bonus is that there is more torque than I had before!
-When riding in the back seat, my brother remarked that it is smaller than the 9-5. I told him "it is a smaller car, and I didn't buy it for the back seat passengers, I bought it for me." hehe. If I had to carry passengers in the back often, however, I would reconsider this smaller car.
I think that's about it for now...feel free to ask me any questions if you are wondering about a particular aspect of the car. If I can help anyone out who is considering a 9-3 I'd love to. I drove a NG 900 and a 9-5, so I can compare it to most of the "newer" Saabs for you.
Brian
posted by 69.250.100...
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