Date: Wed, 29 Sep 1999 10:52:20 -0400 From: roblnopsamhiz.com (Rob Levandowski) Subject: Re: Saab 9-5 wagon vs. V70 Volvo
In article <3scI3.340$Y96.2873nopsam.rdc2.occa.home.com>, "TKART" <TKartchnernopsam.com> wrote: >Volvos are designed diffrentley in the fact that they are more of a car >desighned more for comfort. Saabs do not compare to Volvos in comfort, >Volvos seats can be set in for hours on end and you will not get tired. The >cockpits in Volvos may not look so cool but they are very easy and very nice >to use. I am begining to think you have not driven one of the newer Volvo >turbos, they have incredible power, and are just as quike (if not faster)as >the Saab. When I made my last car purchase, it came down to the Volvo V70 or the Saab 9-5 SE V6. I bought the Saab. The Volvo disappointed me on the test drive. The ergonomics of the cockpit were much worse than I would have expected, considering Sweden's government-mandated attention to ergonomics. Controls were in awkward places or difficult to use. The car did not seem to have much power; the acceleration reminded me of a Subaru. Steering was vague and over-boosted, giving a limited road feel. The stereo was mediocre. Overall, it struck me as overpriced for what you get, and a car intended for people who value luxury and brand name over performance. The Saab, on the other hand, pleasantly surprised me. The V6 engine has plenty of power; it's slow off the line, but some of that is limitations of front-wheel drive and the factory tires. You have to carefully modulate a fast start from a dead stop to avoid wheelspin and/or engaging the traction control system. At highway speeds, it's a rocket. If you hit an uphill highway onramp at 25 MPH, and floor it with the sport mode engaged, you'll be doing 80 by the time you hit the highway -- possibly more if you don't let out your favorite surprised expletive and back off the gas when you glance down at the speedo. :) The 9-5's cockpit ergonomics are superior. The only truly troublesome point is that the lever for adjusting the windshield wiper delay is awkward and takes practice to use without looking down. The cupholder is the best design I've ever seen, and can be used without blocking any of the instruments -- and it falls right to hand, making it extremely natural and easy to use. The instruments are clear and legible. The seats are very comfortable. The sound system is exquisite, especially on the SE models -- they include twin subwoofers. My friends figure the 9-5 would make a great gangster car -- you could easily fit five dead bodies in the trunk with room to spare for the shovels or concrete mix (depending upon mobster preference). The wagon, of course, would be roomier yet; the wagon wasn't available when I made my purchase. I found the 9-5's exterior styling to be preferable to the 9000, and certainly preferable to Volvo's styling. I'll probably take flames for this, but personally, the 9000 always looked like the bastard child of a Saab and a Volvo to me... too boxy, and it suffered from the all-too-common symptom of looking like the designers got around to the back end late on a Friday night, and said, "eh, screw it," and sketched in some boxes for the taillamps. The 9-5, by contrast, looks unmistakably like a Saab. The C-pillars have a slope that is reminiscent of the older 900s. The body flares up in a way that recalls the 900 and 9-3. The clamshell hood is there. It looks elegant and sporty. Saab definitely got the "family identity" thing right with the 9-5. Yep, I bought the 9-5. I've been very happy with it; it's needed only minor repairs under warranty, and they were things that I found perfectly acceptable in a new car. (For example, the plastic moulding on the side of the driver's seat which houses the memory buttons for the seat broke free; this was replaced with what seems to be a firmer, more durable version.) I find myself trying to think of excuses to take long trips in this car, because it is so comfortable and fun to drive. I definitely couldn't see myself doing that in the Volvo. -- Rob Levandowski roblnopsamhiz.com
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