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A Saab owner friend commented to me that most of the content on the Saabnet bulletin board seems to be negative: gripes about squeaky seats, torque steer, bent rims, sleazy dealers, etc.. I am as guilty as the next guy when it comes to posting ad nauseum about the many things I don’t like about my 9-3. So in the interest of trying to balance out the Saabnet content with more positive vibes, herewith is my list of 10 things I love about my Saab, some obvious, and some not so obvious. (Other Saab owners are strongly encouraged to submit their own lists, although don’t feel obligated to go into this much detail.)
On my list, the first four items are Saab options that cost extra, but the last six (the most important ones) are standard equipment on my 2000 base 9-3. I have specifically omitted options from sources other than Saab, such as my Koni shocks and B&G lowering springs, because they are not really characteristics of Saab, but that’s an arbitrary limitation on my part.
10. Stainless steel exhaust tip for the sport exhaust
Never mind that it cost me $95 for this double walled oval with the molded end. Never mind that I had to change the screws to mount it so it didn’t hang out like a Popsicle stick. Forget all that. This is several pounds of the beefiest, and most beautifully manufactured, sculpted, and finished piece of metal on any car I have ever owned. I am not joking. If I buy a Jaguar someday, the hood ornament would probably beat it, but not much else would. If I totaled my 9-3 in an accident but was still able to walk away from it, this is one of two pieces I would pull off the car before walking away. If your Saab has a double walled stainless steel exhaust tip, somebody else probably installed it so you never got to examine it closely. Do yourself a favor, unscrew it from the tail pipe, clean it off, and check it out. (Alas, the single walled Saab exhaust tips are not nearly as nice.)
9. Auto-dimming rear view mirror
Ever since I started driving, I have been annoyed by the multiple internal reflections inherent in typical rear view mirrors with optical dimming. Saab’s optional auto-dimming mirror is great. For my taste, it could darken a tad more quickly, but in general it’s so good that I completely forget it’s there.
8. Aspherical driver’s side mirror
So what if it’s technically illegal in the U.S.? The extra-wide view in this thing would be worth getting busted over. If my car got totaled, this is the other piece I would pull off before walking away
7. The Sunroof
In more than two decades of driving, the 9-3 is the seventh car I have owned, and it is the first to have a sunroof. I didn’t know what I was missing. Fresh air and sunlight, without the hassles of owning a convertible through New England winters. Any time the temperature is above about 50 degrees, I’ve got it wide open. While a sunroof is certainly not unique to Saab, I really do love this thing, so I would be remiss if I didn’t include it on my list.
6. That Useful “Shift Up” Light [just kidding…]
6. The 5mph Front Bumper
I tested out this feature literally by accident one day, when a car in front of me stopped (with no brake lights) behind another car making a left turn into a driveway. I floored the brake pedal (ABS kicked in) and smacked his rear bumper straight on at about 3-4mph. Other than a paint smear from his license plate, which I easily removed with some chemical assistance, the only damage to my Saab was a few small scratches in the black trim of the front bumper. Most other cars would have sustained considerable bumper, grill, and/or fender damage under similar circumstances. I am truly impressed with how the Saab bumper just soaked up the hit and popped back out.
5. ABS (anti-lock) Brakes
Last winter, I’m driving down a narrow city street with cars parked on both sides. Barely enough room for one car to get through the passage in the middle. Approaching a stop sign, I step on the brakes, and I feel the ABS kick in. Car stays dead straight as I stop. I get out and walk back to look at the roadway. The right half was a sheet a black ice. Without ABS, there’s no way I could have kept the car straight. (Pumping the brakes would have been useless in this situation.)
4. Sleek lines of the Saab exterior
I find the overall 9-3 body design to be highly attractive. The front end in particular has just the right blend of classy, sporty, and aerodynamic appeal. The most notable contender for better lines is the rear of the Porsche Boxster (a true work of visual art, but I wouldn’t want to own one).
3. Audio Controls in the Steering Wheel
Most cars, particularly American cars, have cruise control buttons on the steering wheel. What a waste. I use cruise control maybe once a year. Audio controls, on the other hand, I use about 50 times a day, particularly to make minor adjustments to the volume. To control the audio system without taking a hand off the wheel is such a great feature, I don’t know why all other car makers haven’t copied it.
2. Zippy Turbo Engine
Even in my base 9-3, when I stomp on the gas pedal, this car really moves. It has all the acceleration I would ever really need in a car. With the Saab sport exhaust, I notice the turbo spools up very quickly, so turbo lag is negligible. And it gets 25mpg around town and 29mpg on the highway. What more could I ask for?
And the number one thing I love about my Saab 9-3 (drumroll please....)
1. The HUGE HATCHBACK (of course)
With the back seat folded down every possession that I own, including every piece of furniture, can fit inside my 9-3 (not all at once of course). Even the bed fits, a futon that rolls up with a frame that disassembles. All three of my bicycles can fit inside at once if I arrange them carefully. Two bicycles and a weekend’s worth of gear for two people will even fit without removing the rear shelf. (A few sedans have enough space to do this, but the articulating rear shelf of the hatchback makes loading and unloading such cargo so much easier.) I have carted around a vast array of items of all shapes and sizes, without either the political incorrectness of an SUV or the high dork factor of a station wagon. The carrying capacity is simply astounding for a vehicle officially classified as a midsize car. This is the overriding reason why I chose a 9-3 over very fine offerings from Acura and Audi, and is hands down the thing I love most about my Saab.
That’s all for now. I’d be interesting in hearing from other Saab owners with their own lists.
, Wed, 2 May 2001 09:57:49
, Tue, 1 May 2001 11:23:27
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