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Date: Sun, 6 Mar 2005 08:24:40 -0500
From: "WitchDr" <Witch**DRnospamnobulkemail.net.ru>
Subject: Re: 4x4 Saab's - Do you think GM demanding a 'Saab SUV' will work?


"Johannes H Andersen" <johsnospamssssssssssssssssizefitter.com> wrote in message news:422AF5A7.86AFE874nospamssssssssssssssssizefitter.com... > There is definitely a trend towards prestige 4x4. You see shining new > examples speeding around London motorways every day, not a peck of mud > to be seen. Particularly BMW-X5 (0-60 in 6 sec with a massive engine), > Porsche Cayenne, Volvo XC90, VW Toureg with massive V10 diesel. The > Nissan Murano is just advertised on the telly. Everybody is in on the > act, it seems. It has become the new middle class status symbol. Not > surprising that GM/Saab wants a piece of the action. There cars are of > course hugely wasteful for what their main use as boulevard cruisers. All these are are minivans in disguise. And yes, a lot of these have optional high output engines but the overwhelming majority come with the stock mediocre engine. What is surprising is how much room they don't have. A female friend of mine got an FX45 and it doesn't have much room in it. She was amazed my 93 Viggen had so much room. While the FX45 has more, it doesn't have that much more and the passenger area feels cramped. With that being said, I have driven an Envoy for about 3 weeks and was impressed. It's got a ton of room, engine is ok, doesn't feel like a truck, and got reasonable milage (16-20mpg). If Saab is using this to base the 9-7x on, I think they've got a pretty good model. It's not a crossover like the F/X5/90/Toureg so it's got room and enough power to tow something which appeals to a lot of people. Apparently one of the reasons SUV's are popular is because people like to be able to tow things. Without the optional engines, I don't see the crossovers towing much. Saab/GM really seems to be trying to nail it with the 9-7x. When the vice chairman of GM says things like ""It's when you get to doing an iconic brand like Saab that you'd better make sure it looks and feels radically different," Mr. Lutz added. "It's got to be slick, silky, quiet, high performance and have phenomenally good ride and handling.", that bodes well for Saab. I didn't think many Escalade's and Navigators would sell but they can't keep them in stock. Hopefully GM will have the same success with the 9-7x.

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