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Took my car in yesterday for the 10,000 mile service, and they gave me an '03 lpt loaner car, 4dr/5AT.
Peering under the hood, I noticed a large metal piece which sits where the distributor used to be located on the pre-DI engines... what is that? (pic below, scroll down)
I was trying to make heads or tails out of this, thinking it was only for lpt's, but looking at 9-5's on sale at eBay, I saw a '00 or '01 Aero with this part installed. Maybe it's a slushbox-specific part?
My '02 Aero 4dr/5MT doesn't have that part, the hole is plugged.
--
Some notes on the '03 lpt 5AT:
TRANSMISSION/ENGINE
The steering wheel shift buttons are nice, but there needs to be a separate plus/minus gate for the main gear selector as well. As it is, downshifting from "D" requires fiddling at two locations--first, the main gear selector must be moved to "M", and then the minus button at the steering wheel must be toggled.
Also, having "M" below "D" is not a good idea--a bit to easy to pull too far into "L". SAAB should redo this as is done on most other cars (BMW, Audi, Mitsubishi, etc.)--slide the lever sideways from "D" into a dedicated, separate plus/minus gate.
Otherwise, the transmission was flawless, shifting very smoothly. I liked having a separate "sport" mode, "winter" mode, and the ability of the transmission to be started up in second or third gear for slippery conditions (using the "manual" mode).
I can understand why some have been complaining of low city gas mileage--with the automatic, you keep your foot planted, and the boost gauge stays pinned to the right. Bad for gas mileage, but fun! 60 mph seems to come more quickly than the stopwatch says.
On the other hand, the auto-equipped car sometimes bogs down from a standing start when the A/C compressor is engaged. This is most definitely NOT fun, and is reminiscent of my '88 9000T 4AT.
Curiously, with the 5AT, the boost seems to come on stronger when you start the car from rest with only a little throttle, and then mashing the gas after a second or two (the tires sometimes chirp!) Mashing the pedal immediately doesn't seem to work as well.
This '03 didn't have the vibration at idle problem, I guess SAAB bumped up the idle speed. There was a good amount of "creep" when releasing the brake when in "D". This wears the front brake pads more quickly in stop-and-go traffic, and requires slightly more pedal effort when coming to a full stop... also reminiscent of my '88 9000T.
AUDIO
Despite having the "base" sound system, it wasn't too bad! The shelf-mounted 6X9 subwoofers are absent, and instead, low frequencies are directed to the woofers mounted in the doors. Not a bad amount of bass from these woofers, but obviously the H/K system is better... brighter highs, too.
TIRES
No more Michelins for the lpt, either! My loaner wore the new-generation Pirelli P6's. Steering effort was a touch too light for my tastes, similar to when my Aero wears its snow tires.
MISC
The fuel filler door didn't latch easily; it took a few tries before it stayed closed. The top loop for the cargo net was missing, like in Tarooka's car (http://www.saabnet.com/tsn/bb/9-5/index.html?bID=56544). Yes, SAAB deleted the cargo net for '03. I wish it was still included, along with the safety triangle (deleted for '02?). Damned bean counters.
CONCLUSION
Overall, the lpt/auto was much quicker than I had expected (felt quicker than the 9-3SS lpt/auto I sampled). As excellent as the transmission was, however, I still prefer the manual transmission because I enjoy the increased driver interaction with the "three pedal" setup, and also because the auto sometimes lags with the A/C running.
--
... so what is this part?
posted by 24.46.48...
, Sun, 13 Jul 2003 20:02:31, Mon, 14 Jul 2003 13:09:31
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