[Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup
Both the 9-7x and 9-3 SportCombi were at the NY Auto Show.
SportCombi on a rotating stand, no doors, trunk, etc, open which was disappointing. Car *really* looks great. I was impressed.
But honestly, not one person (other than me) looking at it. Most other car makers had a model on the stands with the showcase cars, talking about it, opening doors etc, not so Saab!
9-7x was "open for inspection" -- lots of people interested in this car! (Black/graphite with black/tan interior) The exterior looks as good as in the pictures. I thought the dash and seats were very nice.
But after seeing the Trailblazer, Ascender, Rainer, Envoy at the show -- despite the Saab touches, there are lots of shared components. So I'd say its "Saabish" -- but not purely Saab. (and not world class, when compared to the XC90 at Volvo next door).
But the pricing seems to be about in line with the higher end Rainer, etc. -- so that's smart of GM. It means the Saab 9-7x offers another choice, particularly distinctive on the exterior, without a "premium" European price.
Did hear a Dad telling his young sons (as they approached the Saab booth) "they're owned by Chevrolet" (OUCH!).
The 9-2x had a lot of curious lookers -- including Subaru owners "that's my car!".
Saab had a crashed 9-3 there -- so its clear Saab was pushing the safety image of the brand.
In general walking around -- either the "sexy cars" SLK, DB9, Vette, etc were attracting attention -- OR the SUV's. There didn't appear to be an SUV (with the exception of Isuzu and Mitsubishi, no surprise) -- that did not have long lines of lookers. I thought the new M Mercedes series was fabulous looking, while the R series looked an awful like like the Pacifica's a few booths down (and its a big big vehicle)!
By the end of the day (first day yet!) I was amazed how bad cars looked overall -- the Saab cupholders were all broken off. The Mazdas -- literally every one of them -- every dash knob and shifter knobs were gone. DVD screens ripped off in various models. People were treating the cars like cr*p. I sure hope Saab (and other car makers) have teams of mechanics and parts available -- or todays visitors are not going to get a good impression!
At this show, Subaru's star vehicle was the B9 Tribeca -- so I can understand why Saab did not show the 9-6. The Tribeca truly is the fugliest thing around (did they hire the former Aztek designers?) Interior looks "Star Wars/Japanese" -- overly sculpted, overly designed. I sure hope that Saab cleans this thing up a lot before it hits the showroom!
THe cars I thought were best -- without a doubt, the Solstice and Sky (which look SO similar in person, there is virtually no difference) -- were stunning. Also the new Saturn Altezza (sp??) -- which was positioned as "European" -- with "matching performance and styling" was touted as the new direction for Saturn -- European performance, attention to detail, looks.
(ok, so I really liked the Ford GT and the new Jaguar -- but that's a bit out of reality range for me!)
Toyota was a total yawn -- a sea of Avalon's -- what a boring looking car! Hyundai has a new model that is an absolute knock off of the Acura TL -- very nice looking.
Pete
, Sun, 27 Mar 2005 11:52:46
No Site Registration is Required to Post - Site Membership is optional (Member Features List), but helps to keep the site online
for all Saabers. If the site helps you, please consider helping the site by becoming a member.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
