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Date: Sun, 23 Jan 2000 01:14:23 -0500
From: "Julie Wardell" <juliewardellnopsamdnet.att.net>
Subject: Re: Happy Viggen Owner and L.A. Auto Show Review


Thought you'd enjoy the saab network's photo of the month :-) http://www.saabnet.com/tsn/photo/ Julie Mike Zampiceni <mikeznopsamcape.com> wrote in message news:38851F00.BA610C3nopsamcape.com... > Folks, > > Just completed a 900-mile trip to southern Cal. and back, which the > first long journey in the car since purchasing it last month. After > concluding the trip, I'm ultra happy that I chose this vehicle. It is > the only car out there that could meet my criteria initially, and after > having spent so much time in it during the last several days, I feel my > purchase was fully justified. > > First of all, I made it in record time (for me) from San Jose to L.A. I > found that I was easily able to drive a couple of hours or more without > stopping because of the overall ergonomics, feel of the chassis, and > wonderful seat. The seats on this car have to rank as the best two or > three on any car I've owned (and I've owned lots). > > The car was totally stable on the road, and was not affected by > crosswinds or when passing semis. I encountered moderate rain on the way > back, and was able to drive the same speed (80 - 90) without any > negative consequences from the chassis. The car felt the same in the > rain as in the dry. Besides the chassis tuning, the factory tires are > more than up to the task for wet weather. > > Of course, the power on the road was phenomenal. I went over one 4000-ft > pass and kept it at about 75 - 80 and the boost guage didn't even show > any boost! Meanwhile, cars were falling by the wayside, and I seemed to > whiz by as if they were practically stopped. > > And to top it off, I also got better than expected overall mileage. I > reset the SID in L.A. before I headed back. My return trip consisted of > a little city driving, the aforementioned pass plus another one of about > 2000 feet, and open stretches where I was doing 85 - 90 mph. Highway > speeds ranged from 65 - 90 mph. Overall mileage was a pleasing 28.4. > > I also enjoyed the relatively quiet interior where I could enjoy my CD > player. Wind noise is not too obtrusive, and the engine noise is > certainly low. Speaking of radios, I was disappointed in the reception, > especially the AM band. It seems like you have to be within about 20 > miles of a station to get good reception. Maybe I'll post separately on > this to see what might be done to retrofit something to boost reception. > Also, I wonder if the Viggen's special whip antenna impedes reception as > opposed to the standard fender-mounted antenna in the regular 9-3. > > Of course, we already know about how much our cars can carry, but it's a > great bonus to make use of it. I had already gone down with quite a bit > of stuff, but stopped at a vintage VW supplier to get some stuff for a > bug I'm restoring, including a couple of wheel rims. I was still nowhere > near having to fold down the seat. A couple of weeks ago, I was amazed > at how much stuff I crammed in there to go to the recycling center. > > The only downside to the trip was the quality of ride on cement > pavement. I was already aware of this before I bought the car, but had > not driven on as lengthy a section of road. Unfortunately, So. Cal. is > infested with cement freeways, most of which have harsh expansion > joints. I drove 150 miles of this on the way home until I finally > reached asphalt and then said amen. The only way I could be reasonably > comfortable was to keep my speed below 70 on the harshest stretches. > > One of the reasons I went down there was to check out the L.A. Auto > Show. I went there last year as well, and have found it a good place to > see concept cars and larger displays of cars than I can see in S.F. > Needless to say, I visited the Saab display, but was disappointed in its > size and variety. You'd think GM with its deep pockets would position > the car more prominently than in the back of the main room, which is > where it was last year. Secondly, unless I overlooked it, I didn't see > one 9-3 SE there, which was a major shortcoming in my opinion. > > There were two Viggens: a blue convertible and a yellow 4-door. Yellow > didn't appear as an option in the 2000 brochure, but I guess they > finally decided to give us that choice as well. I'm glad I got the blue; > the yellow is just too loud for my tastes. I was originally considering > yellow and was going to wait until they showed up, but opted for a > leftover '99 instead. I prefer a mellower, pastel yellow instead; > something like the New Beetle yellow. > > Saab also displayed their two crash 9-5 vehicles with an accompanying > video showing them mashing together at a combined speed of 70. Speaking > of 9-5's, they showed the new Aero, of course. It was a black one with > aftermarket wheels in sort of a tight, mesh spoke pattern. Twas very > classy. I liked the wheels much better than those machine-cog looking > 3-spokers. > > I had hoped to see the new M-3 at the BMW booth, but they concentrated > on showing the new Z8 instead. It's a beautiful car with a neat retro > dash and steering wheel, but it seems they could have done better than > $128K in pricing it. But then again, BMW has never been noted for giving > away anything. > > The other Viggen competitor is the Audi S4. I'm glad I didn't opt for > that one. After having just come out of the Viggen, I found the interior > space comparisons dramatic. When I got near the car, A large fellow over > 6-ft tall had just gotten in. Boy, did he look cramped! He adjusted the > seat all the way back and even tilted the back rest, but his knees were > still too upright. I'm only 5'7", but even I felt cramped in terms of > elbow room. I definitely have more elbow room in the Viggen and have > more of a feeling of width in the interior. I gave a ride in the back > seat over the weekend to someone approaching 6 ft., and he had > sufficient leg room. Try that in an A4. The other thing I didn't like > about the A4, and a lot of other cars in general, is the steep rake of > the windshield. It may do wonders for aesthetics, but sure compromises > visibility and spaciousness. It accentuates the cramped feeling even > more, and also limits your field of vision. The 9-3 windshield is raked > plenty enough, thank you. > > The L.A. Auto Show is worth a visit for those on the west coast, but try > to get there either early or late. In the middle of the day, it's an > absolute zoo with wall-to-wall people. I had to literally strategize how > to get from one side of the room to the other. > > That's it for now. I now have over 2300 miles on the car, and it's just > as tight as the day I picked it up. Hope this continues. The only > "defect" I've encountered so far is a buzz in the driver's door when the > stereo bass is turned up past halfway. It stops when I lower the window > just a hair. > > Regards, > > Mike Z. > >

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