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Current incentives on ’07 models proved too much of a temptation for me so I pulled the trigger on a leftover Aero sedan. Now that I’ve had it a couple of days, I feel qualified to offer early impressions. Bear in mind, my frame of reference are my two previous 9-5s; a black ’99 Saab 2.3L SE, and a steel gray ’04 Arc Wagon.
Overall, while far from perfect, I really like the car. But then I also like fast women and cheap whiskey –especially cheap whisky in fast women.
Here’s my list of Hits and Misses.
Hits
Price: Rebates and other discounts took $13500 off the list price of an Aero with visibility package and ventilated seats. Big Hit!
Color: Polar White with parchment interior: I personally prefer the warmer environment of lighter interiors. So far, I have had sand beige in my ’99 and granite gray in the ’04 wagon. For some reason, I never felt that comfortable in the all gray interior. While I thought I liked it at first, it never warmed to me (or I to it). On the other hand, the ’99 sand beige interior & light wood appealed to me greatly. It somehow telegraphed a sense of premium quality that I didn’t feel in the ’04. So, when I started looking for an ’07, I was predisposed to find one in the beige, or something beige-like. While it’s hard for me to describe parchment, I do like it –especially in the ventilated monotone seat. Hit.
With the exception of the tail lights (which I HATE), I really like the more aggressive new exterior styling -though it is a bit of a departure from the understated, unpretentious elegance I traditionally associate with the brand. To me, the black grills and chrome trim look great with the white exterior. I also think the body colored moldings and door handles really add to a clean updated appearance. Big HIT.
It is also the quietist 9-5 I’ve owned yet. Road noise has been significantly reduced. So has engine noise and wind noise. My guess is they’ve improved some cabin seals over the last few years and added sound deadening elsewhere. Another big HIT.
I also like the stereo, although I haven’t had time to really evaluate the sound, I do prefer knobs to buttons and appreciate the MP3 aux port. Hit.
The dealer was excellent to work with. The salesman was straight forward, sincere, dependable, and trustworthy. Must’ve been a Boy Scout. Big Hit.
The car handles like a dream. The first 9-5 I drove was an ’03 Aero which I loved. This one handles every bit as well, perhaps better. It also lacks the idle shake I got used to in my ’04 wagon. Very refined. Huge HIT!
Aero Academy: While it sounds like fun, I’m thinking of letting my soon to be 16 year old son use the ticket. It would be a blast for him –not to mention the value of some potentially life saving drivers ed training. I don’t really need it so I’m hoping they’ll let him do that and allow me to chaperone. Hopefully a HIT.
Misses:
On the subject of the new interior: It is attractive and updated –but in some ways, superficial. Saab did a good job styling it but I think product development and purchasing organizations undermined that effort by selecting substandard materials. Previous to ’06, the 9-5 sported leather clad door panels, fully leather clad seats (not just seating areas), and higher quality leather wrapping on the steering wheel (my opinion only). Other surfaces in prior years effectively mimicked natural premium materials. The dashboard used to be clad in a two tone leather finished padded vinyl that I liked. The new one has a black stippled finish that looks relatively common (like hard plastic). Same for the plastic chrome bezels…not really Saab. I give them a hit and a miss here.
And while I like Parchment with Polar White, I’m not sure it would be a good choice in other colors. Saab just didn’t go the extra mile to integrate the lighter color into the interior as they did with the 9-3. To me, parchment seating in the 9-5 consists of an off white leather seat in an otherwise black interior. Except for the light gray headliner and parchment door panel inserts, the carpet’s black, the dash is black, the seat-base is black, and the console trim is black. In my view, the lighter exterior color of my car rescues the light interior. I wouldn’t want it with other colors though. Miss.
Then, there’s the wimpy hollow hard plastic interior door pulls. Someone decided to replace the previous soft finished solid feeling door pulls with these cheap plastic things that feel as though they will break apart in your hand. When I squeeze it, I can actually feel the two halves deform. This falls in the “what were they thinking?” category. Big MISS.
Worst of all are those ugly rear tail lights! What an abortion. The lower edges don’t even line up from the quarter panel to the deck lid. It looks like a mistake. Furthermore, how could they replace the previous generation tail light with such despicable looking lenses. It reminds me of some jury-rigged fix using red cellophane.. I very nearly ruled out buying another 9-5 because of these–Huge MISS!
I also miss the myriad of little touches removed over the years. I once worked next to a guy who did “value engineering” for Ford. He wasn’t an engineer or a product guy; he was a bean counter (actually the assistant to an assistant bean counter) looking for ways to squeeze 2 cents out of the cost of building a car. After seeing what he took out to save a few bucks on a $35K vehicle I always thought how nice it would be to take an extra $20 with me to the dealer to have him add some of those things back in (if it were only possible). In this case, I’d gladly pay $20 for the umbrella storage net, the rear cargo net, the locking gas cap door, weather band radio and a fascia for the console. More misses.
One last note on the interior -just in case somebody from Saab ever drops by to read these remarks…..It would be really nice if the owners manual kit would fit in the rear seat arm rest storage compartment. Sometime between 1999 and 2004,they adopted GMs standard woven nylon manual holder folder thingamajig. The old one fit nicely, sparing extra room in the glove box where I’d prefer to put other items –like gloves or CDs. Anybody know where I can find the old one? Senseless miss.
So there you have it. My critique of the '07. I hope the foregoing is of some help to others when the choose theirs.
posted by 71.87.7...
, Mon, 21 Jan 2008 09:56:22
, Sun, 20 Jan 2008 13:26:59, Sun, 20 Jan 2008 12:50:00, Sun, 20 Jan 2008 11:26:24
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