Date: Fri, 24 Jun 2005 21:43:45 -0400 From: "Tex" <texnospamm101.org> Subject: Re: Maintain Your Identity - Saab
"Grunff" <grunffnospam.com> wrote in message news:42bb0806$0$16465$db0fefd9nospam.zen.co.uk... > Al wrote: > > You're missing the point Al. Yes, the NG900, and the 9^3 and 9^5 are > perfectly usable cars. But the real point is how do they compare with > their competitors? Hows does a 9^3 compare with a same-year BMW 3 series? > Or even an Audi A4? On the other hand, how did the C900 compare with a > same-year BMW 3 series? Actually, it's good you brought this up. I bought a 2004 9-3 aero in February. Meanwhile a friend of mine was shopping for a new car as well. He was driving a 1999 328 bmw. Hearing about the new 3-series BMW he waited and waited til it finally arrived. He went to the dealership the day they started taking orders. Placed an order, waited three months and finally got his new 330 just this week. Needless to say he's been espousing this thing for months. Got really annoying. In any event, perhaps it was because he had built it up so much, but I was thoroughly underimpressed. Having paid significantly more for his beamer than my aero, in my view, he got significantly less of a car (save for perhaps the larger v6/255hp engine vs the aero's 210hp 4 banger). I found the BMW's dash to be too conservative and not the least bit driver oriented. A small display on the radio, well below driver's view (forcing the driver to look down), with even smaller controls made it difficult to navigate basic system display info (DTE, trip info, temp, etc). This stands in stark contrast to the 9-3's head-up, driver-orientation, of display information. The seats were comfortable but felt too low and did not give a commanding driving view. The trunk/boot space was a bit better with an extra well of space available since there is no spare tire (car has run-flat tires). However, the 60-40 rear seat pulls were unintuitively placed hidden under the rear deck. The key fob was awkwardly unintuitive and my friend found us locked inside the car w/o any clear way of unlocking the doors from inside...could be a bit dangerous. There was a noticeable lack of unencumbered "cubby" space in the front console area. There is however a flip-up covered cubby awkwardly placed in a small area between the tall gear shifter and the console. The climate control display has a chintzy knob interface with the seat heater controls seemingly tacked on as an afterthought. No nightpanel. No default auto-on lights. Engine and gearbox were smooth and supplied more than adequate power for quick-response acceleration. BMW has slight edge here. But it comes at the cost of lower fuel economy. I was excited to see the new "engine start" button. I was under the impression they used all RFID technology....meaning, you get in car with key in pocket and the car wirelessly authenticates the key and allows driver to simply "push" start the car. Nope. You still have to manually insert the key and _then_ press the start button. Neat, but more gimmicky than useful. This is vs. the Saab RFID key which allows the driver to place the key in the console ignition, turn and start the car...all in one motion like any standard key. Looks: The new 3 is a pretty car. Nice subtle styling changes from the old 3. I guess it's personal preference for looks. - tex
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