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1999-2009 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
I have had three 9-3's (2 presently both 02 models) and three 9-5's (two presently an 00 Wagon and an 01 Aero) so I feel qualified to say something about both.
Both are very safe (a 99 9-3 saved my daughter's life this spring when she was hit head on at highway speeds by a drunk driver and while the drunk driver of the other small car was killed, my daughter walked away with bruises and some minotr ligament damage to her foot). Point is that if you are in the market for a 3 series size car, do not sell the 9-3 short. For it's size and weight class it is the safest car in the world rating a 58 in IIHS most recent real world statistics. No other car in its class has this good of a score. And the 9-5s are only slightly better scoring a 55 (lower number the better). Very few if any cars in the 9-5s class score this well and the ones that do are considerably heavier and cost considerably more.
As for handling, the 9-3, especially in manual form, because of its smaller size, is more fun to drive than the 9-5, but the 9-5 in Aero form handles very well indeed despite what many of the car mag writers think. Car mag writers have a very rear wheel drive bias or 4 wheel drive bias and as a result, Saabs which are front drive, always get maligned. Even so, both cars are usually rated at or near the top of front drive cars in handling. If you like rear wheel drive get something else but be prepared to accept that for safety purposes rear wheel drive is not as safe as front wheel drive. (The car mag writers never tell you this.)
I like the utility of the 9-3 hatch which is why I got two this year (for my daughters to take to college) because the new 9-3's won't have a hatch. If you don't need this utility and want a 9-3 wait till next fall to get a 9-3 becuase it will be subsatntially improved. If you want utility in a larger size go for the wagon. Over all, I think the wagon is the best built and best thought out of the bunch (floor of tunk and folded rear seat is perfectly flat, not so on the others -- and rear head rests similar to the front seats, not so on the others), but it is also the heaviest and slowest. But for a family hauler, the wagon wins hands down and I think has the best ride. If you want high speed touring, then it is the Aero which still has a decent ride on roads so long as the roads are not too bad. All 9-5's ride better than the 9-3's.
As for reliability, both have been very reliable for me and I think rival the best Japanese cars in reliability.
Saab has a car for you depending on your needs and wants. Try them both and find out which one you prefer for you situation. I think you will be happy with either one. And no, I don't own a Saab franchise or sell them for a living.
posted by 24.33.1...
, Sun, 16 Jun 2002 21:21:09
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