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2003-2011 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
June 25, 2006
Around the Block
Thank You, Saab. May I Have Another?
By JEFF SABATINI
TESTED: 2006 Saab 9-3 SportCombi
WHAT IS IT? A sport wagon version of Saab's 9-3 sedan.
HOW MUCH? $27,620 for the base model; $33,620 for the Aero.
WHAT'S UNDER THE HOOD? 2-liter turbocharged in-line 4 (210 horsepower) with a 5-speed manual or 5-speed automatic in the base model; 2.8-liter turbocharged V-6 (250 horsepower) with a 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic in the Aero.
HOW MUCH STUFF CAN IT HOLD? 29.7 cubic feet cargo capacity behind 2nd seat; 72.3 with seat folded.
HOW THIRSTY? E.P.A. rated at 22 m.p.g. city, 31 highway for the 4-cylinder model and 18 m.p.g. city, 28 highway for the V-6 (manual transmission)
ALTERNATIVES: Audi A4 Avant 2.0T, $31,460; BMW 325xi wagon, $35,295.
A BLACK 2006 Saab 9-3 sedan is parked in my driveway, and it does not belong to General Motors. No, it's mine, and since I acquired it last December I have enjoyed driving it more than any test vehicle that has since arrived at my house.
Come to think of it, that is not entirely true. I did have a good time driving a Bentley Continental GT — as well I should have, considering that my new next-door neighbor just paid less than the Bentley's window sticker for his house. My 9-3 is a base model, but it came well equipped, with a 210-horsepower engine, leather interior, automatic climate control and all the safety equipment one could want in a sub-$30,000 car: antilock brakes, stability control, front belt pretensioners and active head restraints, and both front and rear side-impact and side-curtain air bags.
All those air bags helped Saab nab a Top Safety Pick Gold award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, based on the its results in front, side and rear impact tests. Reading that news eased my parental concerns a bit, but it is not a crash-test dummy that I buckle into the backseat. Thankfully, my toddler's car seat fits more securely in the Saab than in most cars.
The 9-3 came with my transmission of choice, a five-speed manual. Driven hard, the Saab handles well for a front-drive car, with just enough steering feedback, a bit too much body roll and less harshness over rough pavement than most new sport sedans. It actually drives a lot like an older BMW 3 Series I used to own.
The suggested retail price, however, is $3,000 to $7,000 less than the sticker on a new 3 Series, depending on the model. Of course, sweetened lease deals are as much a part of Saab's brand heritage as the silly placement of the ignition key between the seats.
Six months in, there is little I don't like about my Saab. Yet I am still struggling with a terrible case of buyer's remorse. The cause is a new 9-3 model, the SportCombi.
About the name: The yang is that someone at G.M. had the temerity to try to associate "sport" with the 9-3, a not undeserved junction. While Saab has a tarnished reputation among enthusiasts (I am tired of explaining my purchase to fellow gearheads), the 9-3 is indeed fun to drive, and even my four-cylinder model is plenty quick.
The yin, however, is that a long-forgotten name from the 1970's was used to create such syntactic nonsense. Once upon a time, back when Saab was an independent Swedish manufacturer, the company sold the Combi Coupe, a car that has absolutely nothing to do with this new model, which is simply a 9-3 wagon.
The SportCombi is essentially a five-door version of my sedan, mechanically identical and less than an inch longer. But thanks to its taller roof and better rearward visibility, it feels bigger. The 9-3 is on the smaller side of midsize, so the wagon's feeling of spaciousness is welcome.
But to me, the main appeal is aesthetic: the upward rake of the hatchback makes the wagon look tough in exactly the place where the sedan's trunk and generic taillights can be mistaken for any car on the road.
The wagon carries a $1,000 premium over the sedan and tips the scales at the 3,360 pounds. If I still wrote for an enthusiast magazine, I might fret that so much of its mass is over the front wheels, a split of 59 percent front to 41 percent rear. But I don't, so I won't.
The steering feel in the wagon is just as light as in my sedan; so are the clutch and gearshift. My test car was the more expensive Aero version, carrying sport seats, bigger brakes and Saab's new turbocharged 250-horsepower V-6.
This seems like a great motor and has impressive midrange torque, but I got only 21.5 miles per gallon during my week of driving. At any rate, my four-cylinder 9-3 tops 30 m.p.g. on the freeway, and with gas prices what they are I'm willing to give up some power for fuel economy. I'd also be entirely willing to give up my 9-3 sedan in favor of a SportCombi.
Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company
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