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For those that are concerned about Saab quality read this and then check the link at the end.
A YEAR WITH OUR sport wagon left us wanting. Not for more practicality or panache or even over-the-road enjoyment; our long-term vehicle delivered those in bucket loads. But for a car that cost almost $46,000, we’d expect things like gloveboxes to stay bolted in place. Heck, we’d expect that from a $9,000 Kia Rio.
Instead, our wagon had more things lifted, tucked and tweaked than we would have bet on, given its reputation for quality. And if not for the superior warranty and dealership service, our vehicle might have spent a lot more than 11 days in the shop—and required a lot more out-of-pocket.
Yet despite all the trips to the dealership, we loved our wagon. Call us suckers for a pretty face and some great moves.
Our problems started out small, with a broken seatbelt buckle here, a sticking climate control button there and a faltering transmission somewhere in between. Minor inconveniences that we hardly batted an eye about in the car’s first six months with us. With the buckle and button replaced and the tranny module reset, we were good to go.
Soon afterward, however, the problems started to mount. First, the shifter assembly literally fell to pieces in our hands and needed to be replaced in its entirety. Then the front end started making ungodly noises (“There’s a whine somewhere, then there’s all the clunking, crunching plastic noises coming from the front suspension at low speeds,” noted one tester), which led to a thorough cleaning of the antiroll bar bushings and the outright replacement of the differential. By then even a clouded fog lamp lens got us shaking our heads and wondering, “What next?”
Next just so happened to be failure of the shifter—again—a glovebox that fell off—twice—a CD player that ceased recognizing CDs—also twice—a headrest that stopped working, weatherstripping that popped out and a front end that sounded like hell—again. Quite an impressive list of repairs for a car with less than 29,000 miles on the odo, we thought.
What that list doesn’t reveal is how much we enjoyed living with this sport wagon for a year, headaches and all. We liked its overall size, found the car easy to maneuver in tight spots and liked the “cocooning” feel of the cockpit. And though the interior felt a bit cramped to some, even our tallest testers found the seats moved far enough back to accommodate comfortably. The seats were fairly supportive as well.
The cargo hold proved equally ample for treks to Boise and Indy as to the local farmer’s market for several flats of spring planting. As one editor put it early on, “It’s small enough and large enough.”
We also felt our sport wagon, with its silver paint job and charcoal leather interior, was one of the most striking vehicles on the road. With its elegantly rounded wagon shape and signature design cues, even a year later the car turned heads. “It’s beautiful, and it’s certainly not overdone,” said one tester. “The profile of the car is great, and the lines of the hood are so very attractive.” Another editor noted, “The car looks fabulous, a trim, sharp-looking exterior package, especially for a wagon, backed up by a near-perfect interior.”
We also enjoyed the car’s performance, only finding fault with an overly heavy steering effort at low speed. “It’s a very quiet ride with good road manners,” said one tester. “Suspension is firm without being bone-rattling.” Another said the wagon “feels like it’s hewn from a solid block of steel, it’s that bulletproof.”
Of course, those comments were recorded before the car began its slow implosion, as was this one: “There sure isn’t much wrong with this car.” Touché.
posted by 68.71.26...
Read posting before clicking on link
, Mon, 9 Jun 2003 07:08:13
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