1999-2009 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
I've always liked sportwagons, and once I was in a position to afford a nice European wagon I was just about set to buy an Allroad. Other cars I was considering were a 540 wagon (too expensive), V70 wagon (too sloppy and hard to find MT variant), Outback wagon (looks good on paper, didn't like the interior) and A6 wagon (really a tossup with the Allroad) I'd never considered the Saab until a coworker persuaded me to check it out and I'm very glad I did:
(all advantages are my opinion only)
Saab advantages:
Signifigantly cheaper- I ended up paying about 8-10K CAD less for the Aero
Better handling
Much Better dealership experience (service EXCLUDED)
Nicer interior
Exclusivety
More performance oriented
better fuel economy
better warranty, I believe
Audi advantages:
AWD (Never gotten stuck in the Saab though even in ski country)
Adjustable ride height (neat feature, but I'm not sure if its worth the premium over the A6 wagon- and that's essentially the difference between the two)
Interior is nice, but the seats aren't as good as the Saab.
More utility oriented (Don't get me wrong- Saab is double plus utilitarian)
Both cars are turbo with almost identical power outputs, Saab does it with an I4, Audi needs a twin turbo V6 (I think there's a reason the new S4 has gone V8) Audi gets a 6sp MT, Aero gets 5. Not sure about Audi, but Saab AT is also a 5sp. Misplaced Yankee doesn't like the AT on the Allroad.
Changing the tires- I'd still want snow tires on the Allroad AWD or not. It only takes half an hour to change the tires- and the extra cost is absorbed by the fact that each set of tires only gets 6 months of wear/year. (two sets of tires are two sets of tires whether you wear a summer and winter set concurrently, or wear 2 sets of "all season" in series) I read in a review that the Allroad requires "special" tires- not sure if that is true, or what "special" entails. The Aero tires might be considered "special" in some parts too.
For me, the Saab was the right choice. My reasons for getting a sport wagon were I wanted a useful vehicle for carrying things like camping gear and my dog- but I still wanted a sporty fun to drive car- otherwise I would have gotten an SUV. From a true "sportwagon" point of view, the competition between Saab and Audi IMO is 9-5 Aero wagon vs. S6 wagon. S6 has the same V8 as what will be available in the new S4. Performance is similar although the S6 looks much better on paper- and you'll need quite a bit more money to drive the S6. IMO, if that's the route you're considering- spend the difference on Hirsch or Speedparts goodies for your Aero for a super exclusive "ne plus ultra" sportwagon.
happy shopping!
bRAD
posted by 65.123.118...
, Mon, 16 Jun 2003 23:40:38
, Tue, 17 Jun 2003 08:58:42
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