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Stopped by the dealer today to have P/S fluid topped off in my '01 9-3. Had several experiences I thought I'd share and look for related thoughts on.
Two new 9-3SS had just rolled into the service department when I arrived. A maroon one with the 5spd auto, and a white one with the 5spd manual. I got the chance to take the aesthetic glance (looks just like in the pictures to me, no more or less impressive), check out the driver's seat, and glance at the engine bay. No test drive today, as they hadn't been cleared by the techs yet. Some observations:
- Seat is noticably firmer than my '01. The car feels reassuringly stiffer when you get into it. More like a BMW or a 9-5 than the old 9-3. It's also noticably lower to the ground.
- I both like and dislike the new gauges. Don't like the new turbo gauge, and don't like all the green in the cockpit. But the new info display (WAY far away up by the windshield) seems cool. Didn't care for the cloth armrest, I'm mad they moved the window controls, and the interior in general seems less appealing to me than mine. But it could be partly color preferences too. This one was a very light tan, almost white. Mine is dary gray. The new key is cool. Legroom seems about the same. Footrest is the same (I know somebody here really hates the one in the old 9-3; it's the same, although I have no problem with it)
- Tires are wider, to 215/55. They told me wheels are interchangable with the old 9-3 though. The stock 215/55 probably helps with control and hints at higher potency models in the future.
- Chatting with the service advisor, he said the car is much slower than the '02 9-3SE demo he drives, but that the new one feels tighter in steering, etc. He said he prefers the old one overall. Told me a story about a guy he knows with a Viggen toting suspension mods. Seemed much more impressed by the upgraded Viggen than the new SS suspension.
- Engine bay, wow. I open the hood of a Saab and am for the first time greeted by an unfamilar looking head. For 30 years all Saab heads look the same (basicaly, except for the SOHC vs. DOHC), and now it is dramatically changed. Call me nostalgic, but I miss the good ol' engine.
Both the service advisor and the techs were saying they expect more work from the new cars than the old ones. Apparently everyone is taking turns going to Atlanta to learn all about the new engines. Service advisor called the C900 "bulletproof" and said they haven't been the same since, though he noted a customer with a 2000 9-3, already flauting 240,000 trouble-free miles.
Let's see...also saw an '03 convertible in the Dolphin Gray color. It's ok...kind of reminiscent of the old Frost Blue, though flatter. I'd call it "Dark Smurf" with a hint of green.
I was told there will soon (~6mo) be a second Saab dealer in the Houston area, up on the north end of town near Kingwood. This one (Performance) looks great with the new service center. Apparently in a year it will also be an Alpha dealer.
No brochures available yet on the new 9-3, so no torque curve or tech specs :-( Nobody could answer my questions about how the different levels of performance are going to be achieved in the new 9-3 (i.e. different turbos, larger displacement, ECU mods). I was told that there will be 4 trim levels. Linear, Arc, and Vector... the final one will be an Aero, the successor to the Viggen. It will be a Vector with a hotter engine (salesmane quoted 230hp) Again, they couldn't say what they're doing to the engine to make it hotter.
Cheers,
'Roo
'89 900S, 107k, "Kajsa"
'01 9-3SE, 14k, "Haj"
posted by 128.42.178...
, Fri, 4 Oct 2002 18:39:37
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