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Re: One year with the 9-5 - the details (long) Posted by Caarl [Email]  (#447) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Caarl) on Sat, 16 Sep 2006 11:42:42
In Reply to: One year with the 9-5, Caarl [Profile/Gallery]
, Sat, 16 Sep 2006 11:18:20
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How does it drive? OK, I'm not trained in performance driving. I do not "know how to drive" as all the hot-shots love to boast. So I'll skip the technical points about handling and performance. But I do like to take a twisty road or a curving freeway ramp at speeds that make my wife nervous, and even faster if she's not with me. Overall, the handling is the most secure of any car I've ever driven. I don't think I've been anywhere near its performance envelope. Comfort on both long and short trips is exceptional.
Compared to my 900T: I was originally looking for a 9-3 to replace my 900T but this car fell into my lap at just the right moment. I did not like the steering at first. It just felt too easy. I'm used to it now, and there is plenty of road feedback through the wheel. The wide, low-profile tires do create extra steering effort because they suffer marked tramlining, so I guess that's an advantage to the easy steering -- avoiding fatigue on long trips. The clutch is a lot different. I'm used to the "fast" clutch pedal action typical of Euro cars, and the very soft gradual engagement of the 9-5 clutch still fools me sometimes when I'm inching along in traffic -- the car starts moving before I expect it to if I start easing the pedal up.
Gripes:
I dislike the climate controls. They're hard to use without taking your eyes off the road. There's no way to permanently keep the air conditioner off except when you want it.
The turn signal/cruise stalk feels cheap and brittle, and I don't like the loud clicks that the cruise control switch makes. Both the cruise and wiper controls are non-ergonomic...you never know which direction to move them. Hint for designers: One direction ought to mean "faster" and the other direction ought to mean "slower."
The sound system is great but I cannot play my MP3 CDs and AFAIK you cannot easily upgrade the system. A lot of dash space is wasted on a slot for some throwback to the 1980's called a "tape." I will eventually buy another system and give up the steering wheel controls.
One last gripe: no hatchback.
, Sat, 16 Sep 2006 11:18:20, Sat, 16 Sep 2006 11:49:08, Sat, 16 Sep 2006 11:42:42 <-- Viewing This Message, Sun, 17 Sep 2006 09:33:53, Sat, 16 Sep 2006 11:35:11
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