Well, at long last I had the opportunity to take a 9-3SS for a test drive. I took out a manual Linear with launch package, 17" wheel package, and touring package.

The Good:

- Looks. This car is great looking from the outside. I think it is probably the best and cleanest looking car on the road today, with the possible exception of the new A4. Very sharp. Excellent work by Saab.
- Outstanding handling. Very responsive. The car felt light and maneuverable, yet very well connected to the ground. Nice stiff chassis, very tight feel. Steering was a little light, but overall handling compared well to my Aero (which is bigger and more ungainly) and blew away my old 9-3SE HOT.
- Overall design. Very well thought out. Plenty of trunk space for a car of this class. Great idea to be able to push down the rear seats from the trunk. Lots of room in the back seat given the size of the car. Generally speaking, good ergonomics. Easy entry/egress. Wish I had one touch closing windows on my Aero!

The Bad:

- Materials. While the design is good, the execution of the interior is pathetic. The materials are cheap. This has a tremendous impact on the overall driving experience. Even my old 1999 9-3SE HOT seemed to have a higher quality interior. Particular low points were the low grade carpeting, the plastic hand brake and "fake" hand brake, and the dashboard top materials. A 9-5 Linear blows away a 9-3SS in material quality. Same with the A4 and the 3-series.
- Seats. Not as comfortable as the old 9-3 (and nowhere close to Aero seats). Seats seemed smaller, leather seemed cheaper, and it didn't match the rest of the interior. The car I test drove had a grey interior. The good news is that the tan interior is a lot nicer, and hides the cheap materials better.
- Gauges. Why change a good thing? The new look of the instrument panel (speedometer, RPM, turbo, etc.) is boring, monochromatic, and not very refined looking, especially compared to the newer 9-5s.
- Funny noises. Strange noises from the suspension on certain maneuvers and hard breaking. Possibly just the particular car I drove, but not a good sign.
- Power. The engine was weak. Low end torque wasn't anywhere close to my old 9-3 SE. No noticeable turbo lag was good, but I've come to like the whoosh of turbo rush. Definitely no whoosh on the 9-3SS. Strangely enough, power seemed pretty good at the high end of the rev range.
- Transmission. Clutch was very light with short travel, but there was no feedback through the foot as to where the engagement point was. The shifter itself was okay, but I would actually say it was inferior to my Aero in terms of overall feel and quality. The upside was a considerably shorter throw in the new SS.

The Ugly:

This car is not a 3-series competitor (at least not yet). My point of comparison is a 325xi that I drive quite often. Interior quality in the 325 is considerably higher. The 325 chassis is more rigid and the build quality is superior. 325 handling is superior. There is more power in the 325, even given the weight disadvantage of all wheel drive.

In my opinion, the 9-3SS (in Linear trim, at least) is a better compare to a Volkswagen Passat or a Volvo S40. As such, Saab is going to find it needs to cut prices in order to stay competitive. I'm guessing the incentives are already coming for the 9-3SS.

Saab can only correct these inherent problems by enhancing the quality of the interior and delivering more powerful variants as soon as possible. The overall design of the 9-3SS is great--but Saab has failed in the execution (materials, available trim levels, marketing, pricing). The only real design flaw is the incompatability of the chassis with an AWD setup.

Sieglo
2002 9-5 Aero

posted by 65.106.136...

• Finally drove a 9-3SS -- not a 3-series competitor, Sieglo, Fri, 27 Dec 2002 11:22:34 <-- Viewing This Message
  • How can you say the '99 9-3 interior is better...., Richard P., Sun, 29 Dec 2002 16:31:43
  • Agreed 100%..., MattVW, Sun, 29 Dec 2002 10:08:49
  • IMHO 9-3SS great competitor......., Mike Lynch , Sat, 28 Dec 2002 19:35:23
    • But, Mike, No headroom is an unforgiveable sin..., bill h., Sat, 28 Dec 2002 20:12:12
      • Lower the seat, plenty of headroom....., Mike Lynch , Mon, 30 Dec 2002 21:28:48
  • Sad, and I drove a Mazda 6 right after the 9-3ss, bill h., Sat, 28 Dec 2002 10:45:09
    • Did you make sure to compare apples and apples?, J, Sat, 4 Jan 2003 23:48:36
    • What engines are the Mazda 6 delivered with in the US?, AdamB , Wed, 1 Jan 2003 10:12:10
    • Re: Sad, and I drove a Mazda 6 right after the 9-3ss, JEH, Sun, 29 Dec 2002 20:17:42
  • AWD is not "incompatible", Stephen Goldberger, Fri, 27 Dec 2002 23:14:27
    • Yes, it is.... sort of, Sieglo, Mon, 30 Dec 2002 12:22:16
    • what's the deal with interior materials?, Bob M, Sat, 28 Dec 2002 10:50:25
      • Re: what's the deal with interior materials?, JEH, Sun, 29 Dec 2002 20:19:28
  • Re: Finally drove a 9-3SS -- not a 3-series competitor, Winder, Fri, 27 Dec 2002 11:32:44
    • Re: Finally drove a 9-3SS -- not a 3-series competitor, Paul , Fri, 27 Dec 2002 13:30:30
    • Environmentally Friendly now is like Safety in the 60s., J, Fri, 27 Dec 2002 12:40:26

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