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Saab 93 Aero Convertible
First Impression Review: Today, we purchased our first Saab, it is a 2006 Aero 93 Convertible 2006. Here are my first impressions in a nutshell:
PROS: Great ride, easy to drive, comfortable seats, quiet, easy automatic convertible top, V6 turbo, lots of storage, huge glove box, dual climate control, memory seat positioning, auxiliary input for mp3 player.
CONS: Horrible navigation system, poor speaker system, doesn’t support mp3 CD’s, no cup holders in the rear, rear passengers can’t control rear windows, rims are ugly, looking out the rear of the car while backing up there are blind spots, key fob is big, gas cap/cover doesn’t lock.
Here is the Long version:
KEY FOB: Wow is it a weird key. The ignition isn’t near the dash; it’s next to the emergency break. The key is thick, almost too think to fit in my pant pocket or on a key ring. There are 2 pieces to the key. A top and bottom half that separate from each other. The bottom half, opens/locks doors, the trunk (the only way to open the trunk), panic alarm, it will also open windows and convertible top remotely. The top half is kept by the owner when the car is given to a valet so they can’t get into the trunk and glove box.
SEATS & STEERING: The seats are comfortable and have a wide range of movement for all the tall and short people in our household. Having the touring package is nice since it has a 3 person memory recall on the seat positions. The heated front seats work great. The back seat is comfortable and the leg space is limited if the person in the front is tall. If a short person is in the front, then there is plenty of leg space. The steering wheel pivots and is telescopic. My only concern is the cheap plastic locking handle. If used constantly I think stress will eventually break it.
DRIVING: Ours is an automatic transmission. You can put it into a manual mode and control shifting through paddles in on the steering wheel. If you want to have additional fun, this is a will do it. The pickup is solid, and cruising on the freeway is smooth. The insulated convertible top makes for a nice quiet ride. The top is automatic and can be taken down when traveling under 20mph or remotely from the key fob. We are averaging about 21 MPG so far on a mix of city and highway driving with our first tank on 89 octane.
DASH BOARD: The dash is laid out nice. Everything is within reach and easy to find. The nighttime mode turns off a lot of lights you think you would need, but they illuminate back up when they are needed automatically. For example, if you change the radio station the new station lights up for viewing then fades out.
CD/RADIO/NAV INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM: This thing SUCKS! First off it should be touch screen. This system is about 5 years behind in technology. A dial controls almost everything and you select items by pressing the dial. Let’s look at each one:
1) CD: A 6 CD changer is nice, but it doesn’t support MP3 CD’s. You can visually see a list the song titles on store bought music CD’s, but only on the CD that is currently playing. There is a random option, but it only randomizes across all 6 CD’s, not individually on a single CD.
2) Radio: It supports 24 preset FM stations and 12 presets AM, way too many for me. If broadcasted, the station’s name will be displayed and not just the call signal. Tuning to a specific individual frequency can be difficult. The 7 speaker audio system is pretty poor quality for the money you spend on the vehicle.
3) Navigation: This is the WORST product! Data is stored/read from a CD in the trunk. The stick figure graphics are horrible and pathetic. Streets are not named so you can visually see what streets are around you. The search engine to program the destination is almost unusable. When you can find something, it will take about 10 minutes setup a destination. Finding a normal business (ie Best Buy) is impossible. If you don’t know the address or it isn’t a restaurant, then you probably won’t find it. Finding a Starbucks or coffee shop is a necessity for me and you just can’t do it. The system has extremely limited functionality while the car is in motion. Vocal directions just provide direction and distance, no street names. If the radio is too loud and can’t hear the next direction to take, you cannot hear the voice recite the direction again. The sound can be adjusted, but the CD or radio takes precedence and you have to turn them off to set the navigation audio. They REALLY need to take lessons from Garmin or Magellan.
CONCLUSION: We were looking for a convertible and this one fit all our needs over a Mustang, BMW, and Mercedes. So far, we really like the vehicle. The Pro’s really out-way the Con’s. Since for us, it isn’t all about the audio, and the Nav system, I still have to say I don’t like the Infotainment system and would go with an aftermarket had I known. These cars are hard to find in our area and we had to wait some time for this one. The dealer down played the infotainment system knowing it is a weak implementation and never demonstrated it to us. I should have forced a demo. We couldn’t wait, but Saab offers the “European Delivery Package” is a great deal if you can wait 4-5 months. You get $4000 off the price and $2000 travel expenses. Basically, a huge discount and free vacation in Europe. Check the Saab website.
I hope this helps someone!
-akak
posted by 199.181.134...
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