1994-2002 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
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I'm just back from a six week European road trip with a new factory delivery 9-3 base coupe. Nothing beats an extended road trip in Europe with a performance car, which this balanced 185 hp. car really is. Between my adult son and I we put 10,000 miles on the car in 8 weeks. The car was fantstic and ran great the whole time. No problems running on Euro midrange fuel with a comfortable 3,000 rpm cruise showing about 85 mph and 28-29 mpg on the SID. Thank you 0.62 fifth gear. The best mileage displayed was over 31 on the excellent French B level roads in Burgundy. Quick 50-80 passing on big boost in third is a really memorable SAAB driving experience, as you all know well. I did note a fairly dramatic deterioration in fuel mileage when cruising over 90 mph or so. A lot more air to push out of the way it seems.
The factory delivery people were great, and SAAB's agent in Antwerp made the turnover for shipping very easy. The car is now safely on the boat headed all the way to Honolulu with no shipping charges to me. The huge hatchback easily ate all the luggage for up to 3 people, plus a small food/drink cooler and a bucket of car care stuff. I must have killed a million bugs on this trip.
The car topped out at over 140 and did seem a little floaty at high speed on the autobahn. Driving a 9-3 base hard whould be better on bigger wheels and uprated springs and shocks with about a 30-40 mm drop. The factory would not let me upgrade to 16 inch SE wheels and 205 tires when I ordered, which would have been a help.
The only problem I had the whole trip was a truly vicious triangular piece of road shrapnel (which I've saved as a trip souvenir) destroying a rear tire on the A4 coming into Paris. The tire held up fine when damaged at speed, but the cut was just too big to patch. I'm sure this piece of metal was safely lying flat on the road and the front tire launched it directly into the rear. The OEM Italian Michelins were not available in France, so I had to buy 2 new Pilots to balance the radials on each end. I learned a lot from a helpful Paris SAAB dealer about how SAAB uses several different OEM tire brands depending on the destination of the car.
I would appreciate any comments from folks who have lost tires to road hazards during the warranty period and SAAB's response to a warranty claim. Because I had to buy 2 tires because of the unavailability issue, I think I do have an issue.
I'll have a big grin on my face for months coming down from this memorable road trip. I will be pleased to correspond with anyone contemplating a road trip in Europe with a factory delivery car. It was just the best driving experience.
posted by 131.47.1...
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