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Having just had very minor warranty service (disfunctional rain sensor) on my Aero and using a new 9.3 as a loaner for the day, it has given me insight on the difference in the three cars.
My traded in manual 900SE felt pretty fast accelerating from 0-30, 0-60 (listed as 6.5 seconds), and 30-70. The Linear auto 9.3 felt very fast 0-30, but slower 0-60 and 30-70. The manual Aero feels slow 0-30, 6.7 seconds 0-60 I think, but watch out for the speed limit when you accelerate from 30-70 as one is likely to end up at 80 or 90 mph on a highway entrance ramp without even trying. My Aero is just out of the break-in period, so I should be able to test it more on the 0-60 times now.
As for the ride, the 900SE felt pretty stable except when tending to tip alot around turns especially on rougher roads. It was a good car for 0-60 accelerations and 50mph straight highways that I travel. The 9.3 Linear felt best travelling city streets going 0-30, where its quick handling made it alot of fun, but I felt like I needed a couple of cups of coffee to keep up with all the constant attention that it needed (and you wanted) to give it. On the highway, it needed constant attention whether from the roughness of the roads or the higher winds I could not tell. I would not want to take it on long trips. The Aero makes every type of driving a non-event. Whereas the 9.3 makes you feel good about how you handled a series of quick turns, the Aero does the same turns faster and you could almost be reading a newspaper at the same time. Either personality is fun. The Aero is way out of the league of the others and most other cars when it comes to stability at highway speeds. It's hard to find any road that is exciting to drive in an Aero since the car is so competent.
As for looks, the 900SE was unique and its hatch great. I have yet to see one 9.3 not on a dealers lot, and there are two dealers not far from me. When I brought the '03 graphite green 9.3 loaner that was pretty dirty home, my wife saw me drive into the driveway. Her first comment was "what's up that they had to give you a crappy old loaner car". When I was on the highway, and passed a Chevy Cavalier, I doubt most people in the area knew they were different cars. Some drivers could see my Aero from the front and see the GM family resemblance to a new Impala. There's one sometimes parked near my car. Having an Aero, though, in Cosmic Blue turns alot of heads.
As for the interior, I had mixed feelings about the 9.3. It seemed a little cheap even compared to my 900 SE. Maybe the Vector will be better. I bought the Aero after test driving and evaluating the interiors of these cars: Audi A4 and A6, BMW 330 and 530, VW Passat W-8, Infinity G35. Cadillac CTS, Jaguar X and S types, and Mercedes C320 and E320. I would have been surprised last year to think that I was going to be replacing my 900SE with an Aero. The Aero did just fine against all the above, and it would have cost over $15000 more for the same features (such as ventilated seats) to be obtained in a 530 or a E320. The various magazine reviews tend to be more focused on performance than overall value. Alot of the above cars were either too small, interiors too cheap (and some actually ugly) to stand up to several years use, or too expensive since the listed prices are not reduced by the dealers.
My conclusion is similar to others postings. What with the incentives available on an Aero, it just doesn't make sense to buy a 9.3, especially if you are waiting for the higher priced Vector. I thought about waiting last fall, but I'm very glad I did not bother.
posted by 63.188.128...
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