Filed under: In the Autoblog Garage, Convertibles
2006 Saab 9-3 Aero Convertible in the Autoblog Garage: Days 1-2
"Holy s**t, it's like a f***ing airplane," announced my hockey buddy as she slid into the cockpit. Like it was 'born from jets' or something.
Even given that the above expletives came courtesy of a foul-mouthed Canadian who isn't terribly car-savvy, our friend's first impression of the 9-3 Aero Convertible tester shown above would undoubtedly play like music to GM's ears. Which is just as well, because inserting the funky ignition key and listening to the satisfyingly subtle rumble of Saab's turbocharged 2.8L DOHC V6 as it fired up was music to ours.
Consider the addition of the Aero's turbocharged V6 for 2006
a much-needed bump in a segment where Saab has been trailing the pack. With just a high-strung turbocharged 2.0L
4-banger on offer, the Saab was down on cylinders, but worse-- it showed. As it gave chase to the German
competition (BMW's 3-Series and Mercedes-Benz's C-class, etc.), the previous model's 210 hp and 221
ft.-lbs. of torque didn't inspire when compared to the BMW 330i's inline-6 (226/214) and the Benz C320's
V6 (215/221). While a little lighter than both, the front-wheel drive and 40-60 weight distribution (to say
nothing of the turbo lag) caused the previous Aero to come in third in many a comparison
test.
Even for those who rue the day GM bought into the fair Swede, the
new 250 hp Australian-sourced Ecotec aluminum engine in the 9-3 Aero (a version of which also powers the Cadillac
CTS) is hard to complain about. The water-cooled twin-scroll turbocharger and variable intake valve timing
raises the bar on horsepower, and the 60-degree dual overhead cam is out to get optimal power while netting
decent fuel economy... at least according to GM. In reality, our tester has been managing about 20
mpg, despite doing a lot of highway driving (of course, the fact that we've got a heavy throttle foot has
nothing everything something to do with it).
To
accommodate the extra power rendered by the improved powerplant, Saab has added stiffer anti-roll bars, tweaked the
steering and tightened up the suspension, choosing to add a four-link independent setup in the rear. It's certainly
difficult to make a convertible handle as well as a similar hardtop, the prime culprits being weight
differences and a loss of rigidity without the hardtop, but GM asserts that its engineers developed the 9-3 convertible
alongside the sedan and Sport Combi, ensuring that driving dynamics remain stellar.
On paper, at least, the Saab's plenty fast thanks to some of the company's best technology. But let's stop for a moment to examine exactly how fast it looks. Despite its expected role as hauler of golf clubs (a page in the manual is actually devoted to giving instructions on how to fit two sets in the trunk), the Aero's aggressive stance, wedge-like profile, dual exhaust pipes, 17-inch flat-spoke alloy wheels and gaping air dams make it look like a contender. The roofline of the convertible top follows the sedan's, more or less. But with the top down... hoo boy! We've been wondering exactly what to do with a Detroit-bound convertible in February, but the look of it with the top down just might encourage us to put the heated seats, HVAC system and wind isolation to the test.
The specific test model we received boasts Saab's Electronic Stability Program, traction control, front seat head and torso side airbags, automatic roll-over protection, active head restraints in the front, ABS, mechanical brake assist and cornering brake control, an anti-theft system, cruise control, heated outside mirrors and projector beam xenons, among other perks. Of special interest to our directionally-challenged selves is Saab's navigation system, which, fortunately or unfortunately (depending on how you look at it), requires the vehicle to be at a stop in order to program it. All in all, those bennies and the $720 destination fee bring the original $41,900 base MSRP up to a total amount of $47,065.
So how's the sound system? What's it like in the interior? How does the traction control really play out? Is the turbo truly smoother than the previous model's as GM claims? Stay tuned for more when we take the Saab 9-3 Aero out for a spin or 20 later this week.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Gunnar Heinrich 12:20PM (2/27/2006)
Sweet car. Though, I think your friend has been watching too many Saab commercials...
This is good press for General Motors.
http://www.automobilesdeluxe.blogspot.com
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kevin 12:21PM (2/27/2006)
$47K ???
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Akash 12:23PM (2/27/2006)
Rather Buy a BMW for that price! wouldn't you?
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source1 12:24PM (2/27/2006)
You start the article out with the cockpit "is like an airplane" and then you don't show us the interior shot. C'mon, u baited and switched.
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Akash 12:25PM (2/27/2006)
Rather buy a BMW for that price! Wouldn't you?
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snaab 12:28PM (2/27/2006)
It looks like your lense on your camera was dirty or something... why do all the pics look cloudy esp around the left side of them?
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Puff Chippy 12:28PM (2/27/2006)
Almost $50k for a 9-3? I could get a real nice car for that kind of money. Drop the price by $12k and they might have something here.
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Kamil 12:33PM (2/27/2006)
Clean your lens and take a photography course please.
I would like to see the cockpit too.
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Corey 12:34PM (2/27/2006)
$42K+ is a hard sell considering so the plethora of great competitive products out there. I like Saabs. Saab's "got personality. Personality goes a long way." But to forego RWD and relatively taut handling by its competitors, it's got to have a damn good personality, and puts out on demand. Oh wait... nevermind the latter statement...
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nastinupe 12:42PM (2/27/2006)
50 exterior shots and no interior shots and you make a comment about the car's cockpit being like an airplane? I don't get it?
Man... you know what. I'm sorry I'm sorry... you did give us an interior shot.... of the freakin keys on the seat!!! WTF!!!
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Geoff 12:46PM (2/27/2006)
Yeah, the MSRPs on the 9-3 convertibles are high, but if you look at the competition (BMW, Audi), they're not really out of whack. Besides, it's a GM car and you know they never go for close to MSRP.
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phil 12:47PM (2/27/2006)
Have any of u morons read one of these reviews before. They always do the first article as an overview. The second is of the interior. And the third is driving and a wrap up. Stop b*$ching so much.
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phil 12:49PM (2/27/2006)
But dido on the photography comments.
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RossL 12:59PM (2/27/2006)
Yeesh. Can't you guys find your own interior shots? Ever heard of search engine?
http://saab.jimburke.com/images/edmunds/VEHICLE/2006/Saab/100610534/20027363-E.jpg
But what's all the fuss about? It's the same basic design they've been using since the mid-1980s. (I remember it from my '88 9000.) Except that with the addition of the nav system, and literally dozens of small rectangular buttons (nav, audio, climate control, etc), it's now an ergonomic mess.
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Mario 1:00PM (2/27/2006)
Next time you review a $50K car, at least you could buy a $0.002K pack of cleaning paper for cleaning the lens of your $0.5K camera.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000AQJ5Z/sr=8-1/qid=1141062926/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-2728754-9765400?%5Fencoding=UTF8
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Mario 1:04PM (2/27/2006)
I meant $0.2K camera, given you used a Kodak CX7525.
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Z 1:13PM (2/27/2006)
sometimes this blog is born from lameness
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David 1:19PM (2/27/2006)
(to #12) This 9-3 convertible is very different from the "mid-1980s Saab 9000s." I won't even go on about how crazy that statement is.
Can't wait to see driving impressions to follow, I think the 9-3 has shaped up to be a good contender. And I wouldn't say there's a "plethora" of convertible choices in this class (at least in the States) though there are a number coming down the pipes...
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Gunnar 1:20PM (2/27/2006)
I guess you can't blame that one on glare.
But Saab is not on the desired list of many and the price is hard to swallow when there are great cars in its price range that people actually love. Not only will you have to hold a gun to my head, it better be someone intimidating behind that gun for me to choose this over BMW, Acura, Lexus, Infiniti....I am not going to mention Mercedes because their quality has been falling constantly and they will not be on that list until they turn things around like they promised.
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Michael Karesh 1:59PM (2/27/2006)
The "born from jets" tagline in the ads is a desperate, pathetic joke. The current Saab organization has very little to do with the one that once designed jet fighters. GM simply doesn't have a clue what to do with the brand.
I hope to drive and review the SportCombi Aero soon. It will be interesting to see how our impressions compare.
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