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So my wife and I decide to accept SAAB's generous warrantee service and schedule service checks for our 2002 9-5 Aero sedan and our 2003 9-5 Aero Wagon.
We had recently swapped out our winter set of wheels/tires for new summers and we thought it would be good to have the alignment checked too. Of course while we were there we had to kill time so we took the new 9-5 out for a test ride. Well the test drives went so well we decided to trade up the 2003 Wagon for a 2010 Aero with everything you could get in a 2010. (Why the wagon? The warrantee service rated the sedan as the far better car as since O bought the sedan brand new we opted to hold that one while we wait for SAAB to come out with the new 9-5 Aero wagon in 2015.)
Saturday we went for a ride to NJ for a hospital visit and as we approached the Tappanzee Bridge there was an accident that stopped us dead. Slow, ever so slow, we crawled toward the bridge and as we did something funny happened over and over. First a Jag driver hung out his driver's window to get a better look at the car. From the side he had no idea what the car was and stared: At the wheels, at the hood, at the side and then the wheels. He gave us a thumbs up and smiled. I add I was surprised he opened his window as the temp was around 100 degrees and humidity that felt like a sauna. Several more oglers before we finally got moving on the other side of the bridge. Truly a unique looking car in a land of sameness.
So we visited and head out for home and as I am driving up 287 to get onto 87 (NY thruway) I pass a new 750L BMW who is in the passing lane stuck behind a tractor trailer. I get onto 87 east and in a few minutes the 750 comes winding thru the traffic, pulls up along side and starts looking at the car. After a few he slows and pulls in behind me and then proceeds to track me onto the Saw Mill.
So the car draws attention, no doubt.
Stuff I thought was fluff proved to be very functional:
- Heads up display with the night panel makes night driving so much easier. It even works in the daytime!
- Lane alerting works and works too good. For drivers that have developed sloppy habits they will use lane alerting to strengthen their driving habits i.e., use your blinker. We tested this feature in several different conditions to see how it works and were very impressed.
- Head lights that track around the corner with you really work.
- Ventilated seats really work. 100 plus degree days with brutal humidity went unnoticed as we cruised to the hospital. The seats eased the normal long drive fatigue I often get on this 3.5 hour each way drive.
- XM on the way down was excellent. On the way back poor as the service continually white noised out. First we thought it was due to bridges but then there was no rhyme or reason to why it was happening.
- Navigation let us know why we were stopped on the approach to the Tappanzee. Next we will turn it on before we get into a traffic jam!
- AWD with the 19" tires hugged the transition turn from 287 to 87. Ropcketed away from the tractor trailers and the 750l and as we settled onto the NY Thruway I just had to say to my wife "Wow, that was fun!".
So I have come to the conclusion that SAAB marketing needs to be replaced with us! A team of SAAB owners that can sell the real reasons we buy SAABs.
I started with a '73 9-2, then '82 900, '92 9000s, '02 9-5 Aero, '03 9-5 Aero Wagon and now a '10 9-5 Aero.
This car is different from by '02 and '03 Aeros but no more so than how different my '02 and '03 were from my '92 9000s. And again how the 9000S was so different from the 900, etc.
Making the long drive to NJ in the 2010 Aero affirmed our decision to buy the new model 9-5. This is one incredible car.
Full disclosure drives me to add the one "BIG" issue my wife has with the car, "She can't see what speed I am going with the heads up and she can't tell from the ride as the car is quiet and smooth." So to be the good husband that I am I opted to play "What speed do you think we are going now" game. Almost as much fun as the license plate game on long drives!
So I recommend you take one for a test drive and really test drive it.
posted by 24.60.23...
, Mon, 25 Jul 2011 18:17:16
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