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I wish I had the time to write all my thoughts on this. We could probably discuss this topic for a long time.
Safety is a complicated term. There are many different kinds of safety. There is active safety -- handling, braking, agility, stability, etc. There is passive safety -- survivability, injury criteria, crash tests, etc. Ergonomics play a significant role -- anything that makes the driver uncomfortable or distracts him makes the car less safe. That there is criminal safety -- how hard is it to steal or highjack the car, how desirable this model is with thieves? I could go on and on.
Looking at passive safety, the NG900/OG9-3 is fairly mediocre. Its roots are in the 1988 GM2900 platform that was used for low-end euro-GM cars like Opel Vectra and Vauxhall Cavalier. SAAB has made significant improvements to NG900/OG9-3 passive safety over the years and the same platform was used in a slightly modified form for the 9-5. NG900/OG9-3 has been crash tested numerous times and these results reflect the relatively humble origins of this car. At the same time, there are unique safety enhancements such as improved roof strength, active headrests, etc.
Active safety of the NG900/OG9-3 is weakened by it's basic chassis design. The steering feel is compromised by the weak front end. High speed stability suffers from cheap rear suspension design. This is where improvements of the GM2902 platform used for the 9-5 really make a big difference mostly in the form of IRS (independent rear suspension). While capable of very high cruising speeds, the NG900/OG9-3 cannot be in the same league as its BMW and Mercedes competitors simply because of their rear wheel driving dynamics and extremely expensive (and expensive to maintain) multi-link IRS. The amazing five-link rear suspension introduced in 1982 Mercedes W201 (190) is also used in BMWs, while the NG900/OG9-3 basically uses wheel-barrow rear suspension. NG900/OG9-3 is far superior in snow than any rear wheel drive car, so it does have some advantages in this area.
Driver ergonomics and criminal safety are two areas where NG900/OG9-3 really shine, like all other SAABs. Outstanding seating position, excellent control layout, supremely comfortable heated seats, terrific heaters and many innovations like night panel make SAAB drives feel more alert and more ready to handle difficult situations that arise in everyday driving. This car has won insurance company awards for being very difficult to steal and to highjack. Theft statistics reflect significantly lower criminal desirability of SAABs in comparison to BMW and Mercedes.
Overall, your friends are partially correct. E46 BMW 3-series that was a direct competitor to your 1999 SAAB 9-3 probably does have a superior level of passive and active safety. E46 platform was brand new for BMW in 1999, with superior survivability in a crash, as well as significant innovations like head protection tubular airbags. Its active safety was similarly superb, particularly thanks to newly available electronic aids (traction control and stability control). In comparison, the 1999 9-3 platform origins were in the 1988 Opel Vectra, a relatively low end European car.
posted by 108.2.209...
, Tue, 8 Jun 2010 17:17:21
, Tue, 8 Jun 2010 15:43:05, Tue, 8 Jun 2010 16:13:58, Tue, 8 Jun 2010 17:12:47, Tue, 8 Jun 2010 21:22:48
, Tue, 8 Jun 2010 23:28:21, Thu, 10 Jun 2010 13:03:25, Wed, 9 Jun 2010 07:39:16, Tue, 8 Jun 2010 16:12:23, Tue, 8 Jun 2010 14:11:47
, Tue, 8 Jun 2010 12:01:13
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