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I have posted on here many times before - usually out of frustration with the qaility and/or performance of my 07 9-3 2.oT SS. I am writing this to let you all know my take on what Saab is and what makes it appealing. We all know the history and that in itself is impressive and exciting. As of late I think Saab has gotten off track (due to GM) and their model range leaves much to be desired. The sheer age of their vehicles is frankly embarrassing - but it's really always been that way. Of course it used to be that way for everyone. However, every other manufacturer has caught up and now releases models much quicker than Saab. Perhaps they are finally catching up. My 07 is a good car. It's fun to drive, quick, efficient, and somewhat quirky. Sometimes those quirks are good, sometimes not so good. The quality issue has come up over and over again. After a year my take is that if GM were to fix just a few key weaknesses in the interior it would make a world of difference. The lower console area, the door grab handles, and the hard plastic dashboard area. Everything else is actually quiet good. The hard plastic creaks and rattles and adds to the feeling of cheapness. The creaks and rattles were a sheer source of frustration from day 1. It's not so much that they exist, but it's the "way" they sound. They sound like sounds you would hear in a $10,000.00 economy car. The car is actually quite solid, but these noises deflect from this reality. Now about the good. The Saab shines in the way it rides. handling is quite good. I love the look and feel of the dash (cockpit), seats are very comfortable, I love all the features. I think once I realized that this car should not ever be compared with the models that everyone tries to compare it with (BMW, Audi, Lexus, Infiniti, etc.) I fell in love with it. I fell in love with it because it was not those other models. In my mind this car really is a step up from the regular toyots, fords, nissans, etc but not quite up to par with the luxury makes. If you accept that and understand that then you will not be as disappointed with it as I was from the beginning. What we have is a niche vehicle that is different, fun, efficient, and truly european. I love knowing my car was built in Trollhattan. I know GM owns it but it truly is a Saab (except for the radio). People harp on the fact that it shares a platform. The truth is Sabbs have always shared platforms with other cars. They were a small manufacturer. They HAD to! That's my two cents. If you bought one and aren't enjoying it yet - hang in there. The feeling will come :-) Oh, and just wait until the next generation comes out. I hope they keep it different, but I suspect the quality will finally be there so we can compete with the likes of true premium segment.
posted by 65.209.96...
, Thu, 15 May 2008 19:44:32, Fri, 16 May 2008 18:17:20
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