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by Swade

Saab 9-5 – the winter car owner’s review

March 7, 2011 in Saabology

Saab dealers in areas that get snow in the winter should bookmark this owner’s review and send it out to prospective customers. Better still, make a printable version of it and pass it around when people come in to the dealership.

Nothing speaks to an prospective owner quite like the testimony of a current owner. Someone who, like they’re thinking of doing, has sunk their own hard-earned money into a vehicle. Sure, they may have a vested interest in liking the vehicle, but they’ve also lived with it and know its good and bad sides.

One of our own SU regulars, Arild, has written an owner’s review of his 2010 Saab 9-5. The review focuses on the winter driving characteristics of the car and it’s a very good read.

In conclusion, I can highly endorse the new Saab 9-5. The performance during winter is second to none. The good old Saab slogan “Vinterbilen” (The Winter Car) can also be used on Saab’s latest car!

Here’s the bookmark. Head on over there and read it for yourself.

There are some nice pics elsewhere on the site, too. Well done, Arild.

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by eggsngrits

Victor Muller interview on the BBC from Geneva

March 2, 2011 in News

Victor Muller is such a capable spokesman for the brand and for the plan moving forward.

 

The financial and business world that Saab is on track with a plan to be a player in the long-term automotive future.

Well done!!

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by Swade

An Independence Day letter to all the Saab Employees out there – from one of your customers

February 21, 2011 in Editorial

I’ve been busy finishing off a presentation I have to give to Saab dealers here in Australia on Wednesday at a function to celebrate Saab’s independence. That’s why there’s been no fresh articles from me tonight.

Instead, I’d like to share a letter I got from Till72, a Saab 9-3x owner and good friend from Germany. He sent it to me with the express purpose of having it shared on site and I think it sums up how we all feel this week – happy and grateful to all those who have stood by Saab.

——

Bad news seems to burn into your memory much more than good news. I can still remember what I was doing as the wind down of Saab was announced, yet I can’t really say what I did when the contracts between Spyker and GM were finally signed.

What I can still remember, though, is the big relief I felt as the message came through. After those weeks of ups and downs the deal was finally sealed and Saab could step into the future as an independent car maker. One big party around the world started.

We were celebrating Victor, a guy we didn’t know anything about just a few weeks before, and one who had deeply impressed us with his tenacity. We were celebrating our efforts as the community played quite a role in the whole game. And we were of course celebrating the fact that Saab was still around.

After the parties were cleaned up there were those questions: how big is the damage for the brand, what do Saab have up their sleeve for the future? We knew about the 9-5 and the 9-4x but it was also quite clear that there was quite a lot of work to do to bring Saab back on track.

During such a rollacoaster of a sales process Saab could easily have bled out regarding manpower and knowledge. I don’t have exact numbers of how many employees left Saab during those months and I won’t blame anyone who had a good offer from elsewhere for leaving. We might have lost our favourite car maker, but the employees might have lost their livelihood. However, I got the impression that most stayed.

So today I’d like to give a big, prolonged applause to the Saab employees. You’re truly one of Saab’s biggest assets, if not the biggest. In fact, you are Saab. You kept working hard through turbulent times to make sure Saab could start right through into the new future. And now that the future is there you pull even more rabbits out of the hat.

Thanks for that.

During the last year we have learned about of many great things Saab had/has in development even beyond those new models. Sub 120g CO2 TTiD, eAAM and a new 9-3 by 2012 to name just a few. It makes me quite confident that Saab has the capability to survive in today’s automotive landscape. That again made clear how much creative engineering energy there is at Trollhättan.

Thanks for that.

You gave me a lot of great Saabs over the years. Some gave me special memories, some of them got me out of tricky situations but all of them gave me a great ride and a lot of fun.

Thanks for that.

Every time I got to meet Saab employees in person or virtually, with the latest example being the Arctic Experience, you made me feel like I belong to a family. The Saab family. It’s more than just being kind to a customer, there is more warmth in the relationship.

Thanks for that.

So have a great party this week and celebrate yourself. You truly deserve it.

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by Swade

Monday Snippets

February 21, 2011 in Saabology

For those Swedes who like their cars to be green, Preem are launching a new diesel variant that’s either 16% or 20% more environmentally friendly (depending on how you read the literature).

Describing the development of the product, which hits the market in April, as “unique”, the firm claims that Preem Evolution diesel reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 16 percent due to the fact that a fifth of the raw material is tall oil.

“New thinking on green solutions lies behind the development of the Evolution diesel. The tall oil has hitherto been regarded as waste by the forest industry. Through innovative thinking and co-operation it has been developed into a renewable resource,” the firm said in a statement.

The product is developed from processing a residue extracted from black liquor in pulp mills and is the result of six years of research and costing the firm more than 300 million kronor ($47 million).

The diesel is identical to fossil diesel molecularly, but is made up of 20 percent renewables, thus qualifying it for tax free status in Sweden and thus comparable in price to regular diesel.

——

Don’t blink as you’ll miss it, but here’s our mate Etienne and his Saab 99 in the Boucles de Spa over the weekend.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6k4AJqABr-w

From what I can tell of the updates on the Saablog-in website, Etienne completed the course and finished 20th of 140 vehicle in the class.

An excellent effort by the world’s happiest Saab fan (anyone who’s met Etienne will know what I mean)

——

If you’re in North America (I think it may be cost-prohibitive otherwise and I’d recommend Maptun anyway) and you have a Saab 9-3 V6 and you haven’t already got a solution to your need for a fatter downpipe and midpipe on your exhaust, then some people at SaabCentral would like to hear from you. They’re looking for 25 people to get a job lot made up.

The thread starts here and ‘kanundrum’ from SC got in touch asking if I’d pass the word around. Consider it passed.

——

A little while ago I invited you to participate in some Saaby Student Research. A series of questions were posed and I’d like to thank the many people who completed the questionnaire and sent it to me via email.

I can pass on that I did indeed pass them along to Robin M, who in turn passed them over to the young student concerned.

More than that, though, Jette (the young lady conducting the research) went up to Robin’s neck of the woods over the weekend and a group of Southwest Saab Club members got together to provide more answers, and a few photos as well.

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BMW ownership can come at a price some aren’t willing/able to pay here in Australia.

So much so that it actually made the news over the weekend.

BMW is pursuing hundreds of Australians in bankruptcy proceedings over luxury vehicles collectively worth up to $18 million, as dreams of enjoying opulent lifestyles crash.

The social aspirants now face losing their luxury vehicles and possibly their homes to repay massive debts to car financing giant BMW Finance…..

…..The Sunday Herald Sun inspected 32 BMW actions in the Federal Magistrates’ Court, where the debts ranged from $8000 to $190,000, with most in the $30,000-plus range.

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by Swade

One guy’s view – buying a Saab 9-5

February 16, 2011 in Saabology

I keep getting these stories and I’m so pleased to pass them on.

Again and again, the people who actually spend their hard-earned on a Saab end up being very, very happy.

Great to see a story come through from Germany, too. Just wonderful.

My thanks to Mikaik for sending his story through.

——

Hi Swade,

I almost can’t believe how much happened with Saab in one year. First the shock of the announcement from GM, then the hopes of a Spyker deal and, finally, the happy moment when all became official; Saab was saved (at least for the moment). I was very impressed by the effort Saab fans invested in the convoys and all other forms of showing their support for the brand. But then I got a bit angry seeing that some people, although Saab fans, started complaining about silly things and basically, at some point trashed the 9-5 almost completely.

I figured that the best way to help Saab is to buy a new car (although at that point I was still 100% I’ll keep the 9-3). I test-drove a 9-5 over one week-end, and I knew from the first minutes that it’s a good car. Of course, this did not prevent me from thoroughly testing it for another 150 km J.

The Monday after the test drive, I put my money where my mouth is and placed an order. Finally, last Wednesday, I’ve got my new car. It’s great. And java. And powerful. And fast. Did I mention that it’s great?!

It’s the 2,8l V6, Hirsch-ed to 330 hp. With the drive-sense (it’s still an option in Germany) and the HUD (of course).

First of all, maybe some people have doubts about Java (I know I did), it’s a colour that doesn’t show its true potential in pictures. I can assure you it is great. I was afraid it’d look plain black when it’s cloudy, but it’s actually quite obvious it is not black. In the sunset it seems almost deep red…I honestly think java is the best car colour I’ve ever seen.

Build quality: I’m impressed. Compared to the 9-3 is a lot better. Compared to BMW is …the same. And it’s not only me; a friend of mine, a big BMW fan, and owner, thinks that the quality of the 9-5′s interior is on par with the bavarians.

I’ve seen some comments from people saying they’re not buying the car only/mainly because of that black fascia. Frankly, this is rubbish. I did say it after my test drive and I can confirm it now: it’s not bad at all. Yes, it is black, and not the fancy ice-block design, but at least it’s a nice plastic. Plus, you don’t touch it all that much anyway. And you don’t drive staring at it (at least I hope no one would). The steering wheel on the other hand…personally I think it feels a bit cheap. I like the size and the shape, but I wish it’d have a more textured surface. But it wouldn’t prevent me from buying the same car again.

Ride: It doesn’t feel as fast as the 9-3, but it is faster (no matter what, I end up doing 80 km/h). It’s just that you don’t hear much in it, so you think it’s ok to drive a bit faster. You reach 180 km/h effortlessly and it still pulls like a train. Then comes the shock, with the realization that you’re on a part of the motorway with a speed limit (yeah, there are some, even in Germany), and you see ahead of you the frame of the speed cameraJ. The car doesn’t feel big at all. Which is quite amazing, knowing that it is 5m long and about 7cm wider than the 9-3.

There’s nothing I don’t like about this car. My wife likes it as well, although she was very much against getting an automatic car.

I’m happy Saab made it so far, and I’m confident they’ll be with us for, at least, another 30 years.

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by Swade

Family rivalry – Saab 9-5 vs Mercedes E-Class

February 12, 2011 in Saabology

Carlos R lives in Spain and he’s recently purchased a Saab 9-5 2.0T. He wrote me an email to tell me about a recent family gathering and share some thoughts on his investment…..

——

Hi Swade,

I’m the lucky owner of a new Saab 9-5 2.0T Vector Aut. with Drive Sense, which I’ve been enjoying for the last 3 months.

I am 37 years old, an industrial engineer, working for a company that carries out big projects in the oil, energy and environmental industries, and at the same time I’m doing my doctoral dissertation on strategic management.

I love cars and driving. Since I was 17 years old I’ve been always reading regarding cars in magazines, internet, etc.

The last two cars I drove before buying my own cars 11 years ago, were my father’s cars: a Mercedes E-class 2.3 E (W124) and an Audi A6 2.4. I drove a lot of kilometers in these cars, so I know these brands very well.

I had been always a Mercedes fan until I discovered Saab 6 years ago. My first car was a Mazda MX-5 10th anniversary, which was a lot of fun to drive. One day I brought my Mazda to a repair shop for maintenance, and whilst the work was being done I took a walk and went to a Saab dealer, where I saw a Saab cabrio. I felt in love instantaneously and I thought I wanted this 4 seat cabrio to be my next car.

After having my MX-5 for five years I changed for a new Saab 9-3 cabrio 1.8t. Ever since that moment I have been a Saab fan…………… :-)

I had my Saab cabrio five years, when I changed for my new Saab 9-5 2.0T Vector Aut. with Drive Sense, a really wonderful car.

I live in Madrid and last weekend I went to the coast to meet my parents. My uncle had bought a new MB E-class 250 CDI Avantgarde Aut. and I called him in order to take a look and test it.

First, I took a look of his car and drove it several kilometers. Then, when we came back to my parent’s house I took my Saab 9-5 and I parked it beside the Mercedes. My first impressions were:

- The test was too short in order to have a conclusion regarding the handling. But I would say both cars are very good in this matter, with the advantage of the “multiple personality” of my Saab thanks to the Drive Sense.

- The MB looked like an old car in comparison with the Saab. The exterior design of the Saab is much more modern, clean, fluent and fresh.

- In the interior, the design of the Saab also seemed much more modern than MB, and the interior finishing was not worse in the Saab than MB. Perhaps, and according to what has already been said several times on this website, the central console and the glove compartment of the Saab could be improved a little.

- The Saab had more interior space than the MB.

- The chassis size (sections of steel structure frame) of the Saab is much bigger than the MB. At this respect, the Mercedes seemed a toy in comparison with the Saab. The Saab is like a tank……………I LOVE it………….It gives a big safety sensation. If the steel used in the chassis of the Saab has the same rigidity as the MB, it’s obvious which car is safer in a strong accident. Now I really understand that Saabs are built by Trolls in Trollhattan and this, the safety, is one of the most important reasons why I buy and I will buy Saabs in the future.

Both my parents and my uncle and aunt (from their faces) liked the Saab more than Mercedes. In fact, my uncle and aunt were really impressed with my Saab. Perhaps they were thinking why did we buy the Mercedes…………………perhaps because 98% of the people don’t know about Saab.

The size of the car, 5.01 m long, although sometimes said to be very big for Europe, is PERFECT for me, for a big sedan with really good space, confort and safety. The additional 13 cm of length in comparison to the Mercedes gives a sensation of more car, and the smooth exterior design hides the actual size very well. It seems a smaller car.

Sometimes I hear strong criticism about Saab, even on this website. Perhaps we have to ask ourselves if we are too demanding and critical with Saab and not with the other competitor brands.

With this experience, my impression is that Saab is going the right way and we have to be very proud of our Saabs and the Trolls are making them in Trollhatam.

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by Swade

One man’s thoughts – Driving the Saab 9-5 for the first time

February 10, 2011 in Saabology

Seeing the Chicago Auto Show is getting underway, I thought it would be a good thing to have a little story from Chicago.

This is from Marc B, who sent it to me with a big ALLCAPS headline. I think the car made an impression :-)

——

My ’04 9-3 is in the shop and I’m driving a 2010 9-5 Aero XWD loaner with every bell and whistle for the next few days and wow, what a car.

We have my 9-3 and my bride has a ’09 9-5, and quite frankly my first reaction to the new 9-5 before driving it was that it was too big. I’ve figured that my next Saab, assuming the Trolls hit the right buttons (and I’m certain they will), will probably be a ’13 9-3.

But driving the new 9-5 is really an experience. The power, the handling, the design inside and out, the quiet, the stability, the comfort, the room are amazing.

Since launch, I have only seen one 9-5 on the street in the Chicago area, and that was about 5 months ago. What is really amazing is that I was stopped 4 times the first day by people wanting to know what it was, and received more than a few oogles on the highway.

We’ve had a lot of snow lately and the streets are a little icy. I’ve been on a couple of on and off ramps and pushed it a little, and I’ve never, in 45 years on the road, driven anything that holds, no make that grabs the road like this.

For me, there are probably too many bells and whistles here. I find many of them distracting. I’m a basic 9-3 Linear with a 5-speed guy. But as the next two days go and I get used to and understand each feature, that could change. What I have played with so far is reasonably intuitive, and I’ll spend a little time with the owners manual.

One major turnoff for me though, is I miss my Griffen in the center of the steering wheel. Are you listening Trolls? I want my Griffen in the center of my 2013 9-3 5 door, 6 speed, bright red hatchback!

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by Swade

Saab 9-5 navigation for central and eastern Europe

February 6, 2011 in Saabology

We have an SU reader in our midst who is contemplating the purchase of a 2011 Saab 9-5. He’s a very keen Saab fan and the 9-5 will suit his business requirements very well.

One problem – the 2011 model doesn’t come with maps for central and eastern Europe (CEE) as standard and there doesn’t seem to be a factory fitted solution at the moment.

His question:

I know of many successful map conversions for the older-generation 9-5s, which (also) didn’t have CEE maps standard, using maps from other car brands utilizing similar systems or even refitting the control module to take DVDs from systems with maps of CEE ready. There was apparently also some success using Mazda (I think) maps for the post-facelift current 9-3s (private imports from Western Europe came without the CEE DVD, and the GM price for it was absolutely prohibitive). Perhaps some of SU’s more techy readers do know what system the 9-5 is fitted with (it is my understanding the maps are still Navteq), and whether there are any CEE maps available for it I could somehow put on the 9-5′s disk, or any other solution that could make my possible future Saab provide me with navigational aid ON THE BUILT-IN SCREEN.

Buying a car with the best in-dash nav screen only to use an external system and mess up the great visibiity through the wraparound windscreen does not seem to compute.

I agree with that point 100%. If you buy the nav system, you don’t want a TomTom stuck on your windscreen.

I really hope this is something that Saab can address in the near future, but it seems that the 2011 model year will not see a solution for CEE, which is a shame given the support in some CEE countries.

Until then, maybe someone with a new 9-5 has found a solution for this issue, as suggested by our anonymous colleague, above.

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by Swade

At what point is it OK to sell a classic?

February 3, 2011 in Saabology

I can’t cast any judgement on the following story. I’ve owned and sold one of my own favourite Saab 900s in recent years. And I know that everyone has a time, no matter who they are, when priorities will be reorganised.

As I read this story, however, I couldn’t help but feel that if Toby does what he’s thinking about doing, that he’ll regret it.

Those Carlssons are mighty nice…..

——

As a regular poster and Saab nut you will have heard me rattling on about Saabs enthusiastically for many months now-certainly since the run up to Jan 17th last year when things reached a “peak” and when I started tuning into to SU, which seemed to be the hub for the willing coalition of Saab fans.

Before that, and for many years, I have had a deep love for Saab not least because my Father worked for Saab Scania and always had the latest Saab on the driveway as part of the company car scheme, his first being a rust coloured 1973 95 and his last being a 1992 Red 9000CSE. Since I was able to think and reason my Father let me help him choose his next Saab. It happened roughly once every 3 years or 60,000 miles and was far better than Christmas.

I took over from him with real ownership (company contract hire is for wimps!) with a lovely back Saab C900 T16s Aero. Well, I say lovely…it looked nice but other than that it was a dog, a very, very expensive dog.

I recall with a smile the time it let its gearbox go through the tail pipe in tiny pieces at 80mph littering the A14 with cogs and teeth and bringing me to an emergency stop without even touching the brakes… or a week later when she was repaired and needed a clean – the electric windows packed up as the car wash started to squirt gallons of water into the cabin and I thought…”I do like Saabs-just not this one” as I held my coat up to the window ineffectively. I did have a nick name for her but I’m afraid I can’t tell you that for decency’s sake.

I then bought a convertible 9-3, 2.3 in Nocturne blue, and a 1992 Black 9-3 Aero and now I own that plus 2 x 900 Red Carlsson’s and a black 900 t16s Aero (LPT).

My wife is beginning to think I’m obsessed and 2011 is the year I have to make some tough decisions about what is most important to me. I just have too many hobbies – I take photographs of jets, I fly model helicopters and have thousands of pounds worth of UAV equipment which needs testing and flying and I have 4 Saabs when I only really need one…… or maybe two ;-)

To that end I am having a wee sale and at the end I might just have enough for the 2012 ng9-3.

This is not intended to be a sales advert to those here – for that purpose I have enlisted Piston Heads. It is however a look at what one of your SU friends is doing this year, and an excuse to gaze at what I consider to be a fine looking car, it is tinged with some sadness but frankly I’m stretching myself too thin, so Its time to give a couple of things up.

First up is the best of my Carlsson’s she is close to showroom condition and secretly I don’t really want to sell her anyway, despite what the wife thinks. She sure is pretty, ain’t she?

For close followers of SU you will notice I finally found a replacement for the rear Décor panel that got broken by my “Valet/ Wash” guy. I won’t tell you how I found another one but let’s just say I was the one that was robbed…

Grrrrr. I’m ok about that now though…no really I am.

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by Swade

Is anyone here scared of Night Panel?

February 1, 2011 in Saabology

The reason I ask the question in the title to this post is that I’ve seen two articles in the last few days that refer to situations where the author was supposedly called to panic by the use of Night Panel (or Black Panel as it’s referred to in one article).

The first one is on TTAC, by demon driver, Jack Baruth:

This was also the era of the ridiculous “Born From Jets” advertising. To provide that advertising with the barest connection to reality, Saab equipped the 9-3 with the “Black Panel”. The Black Panel was an enormous button that, when pressed at night, cut the illumination to every gauge except the speedometer. The idea was that only critical information would be communicated to the pilot, I mean, driver. If one of the gauges reached a “critical area”, it would light up. Supposedly this was the way LearJets worked. The way it worked in practice:

  • Explain “Black Panel” to passenger;
  • Press Black Panel button;
  • Observe the non-impressed countenance of passenger;
  • Drive for a while in Black Panel;
  • Shriek like little girl when the fuel gauge falls below a quarter-tank and lights up out of nowhere in CRITICAL MODE;
  • Never press Black Panel button again.

And the second one comes from none other than Jeremy Clarkson himself, writing about the Saab 9-3 TTiD in the Sunday Times last weekend:

Oh, Saab is still banging on about the aircraft connection. It fits a button that turns off all the dashboard lights at night, so you can feel like a night fighter pilot. But you don’t really. You just feel as if you might be running out of petrol.

My thanks to Dave R for the transcript of that one.

Returning to the point, however…… Have any of you ever felt this worried with Night Panel on? Are people that unaware of their fuel situation before taking off on a trip where Night Panel might come into play?

I have to admit that it’s been quite a while since I’ve used Night Panel. I tend to use it mostly for longer trips only, and I don’t do many long trips at night any more (I’m usually too busy writing up this stuff). But when I have used it I’ve never been in a situation when I wasn’t aware of the conditions I was driving in (i.e. fuel, etc).

I could understand if you were at the 500km mark of a long trip in the middle of nowhere, but in that situation I’d be keeping an eye on my fuel all the time.

Is it just me, or did these two play up the fear factor for dramatic effect?

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by Swade

Charles River Saab 100K Clinic

January 31, 2011 in Saabology

If you’ve got an older Saab, you’d probably love to have someone with 30 years Saab experience take a peek over it and lead you through a review of the entire car, yes?

Next time Charles River Saab holds one of these 100K clinics, I’d suggest you sign up.

Luke Lewis did, and here’s the report he shot through via email today.

——

On Saturday, January 29th, Charles River SAAB hosted a 100K- Mile Clinic, which was open to anyone with a SAAB that had 100K or over on it. The idea behind this clinic (from my perspective) was to bring people in and give them a chance to not only meet the people who work on their vehicles, but also give those customers an opportunity to see their vehicle from a Tech’s perspective.

I was there with some other members of NESA (New England SAAB Association). I tagged along with my buddy, Ryan, who brought in his 9000CS.

The day started with an introduction from Pierre (to introduce the technicians and customers). We then went with the Tech to the car, did the initial walk-around. We then got in the car and went for a brief test drive. The entire time, the Tech was telling us what he was looking for.

When we got back, we went inside to the Service area and through the car up on the lift. Our Tech was Peter and he gave us an extremely thorough walk-down on this car and was extremely descriptive in his actions. (Note from Luke – Peter, a service tech for SAAB for 30 years previously drove a 9000Aero and knew this car inside and out).

(Note from Swade – I met Peter Maitland at Swedish Car Day last year and his knowledge is indeed Britannica-ic when comes to Saabs. He’s also got a nice little collection of them, too, including Ol’ Blue and a Saabo caravan).

I have provided some pictures of the event.

I wanted to thank Charles River SAAB, Pierre, and Peter for this awesome experience.

  • Pic 1: Peter (Tech in the driver’s seat) and Ryan in the passenger seat – getting ready for the test drive.
  • Pic 2: Fellow SAABer, Mike M, was getting a detailed walk around with his Tech on his 9-5 Aero SC.
  • Pic 3: Down the way, an other customer was taking advantage of this opportunity with her 9-5 Sedan.
  • Pic 4: With gloves on, both Peter and Ryan are ready for a thorough exam of the engine bay.

——

My thanks to Luke for the report.

It’s always great to see people getting to know their cars a little better. And it’s outstanding to see a dealer going to this length to help them do it. CRS are straight from the top shelf.

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by Swade

One man’s view: Why I will always drive Saabs

January 22, 2011 in Editorial

I occasionally get stories like this via email and I love receiving them. I’ve written plenty about why I Want The Saab. It’s always great to hear why others want the Saab, too. It feeds my Saab-Fu.

This story comes from Daniel B, who lives in Sweden.

——

My love and passion for Saabs began in 1987.

When I was about 13 years old, my father came home one day driving in a white Saab 9000i. It was a 1987 model, 2,0 liter 130 hp with burgundy velour interior. Today one might say that there is nothing special about that car at all, but in 1987, this was just something else.

My family had had Volvos since I can remember and the change from a Volvo 244 GLT 1981 to a Saab 9000 1987 – well, let´s just say that it was one HUGE step. In the public eye in Sweden, Saabs had always been the standing in the shadow of Volvo, and to be honest, were quite heckled.

With the 9000, Saab had made a car that had something of a halo-aura around it. In the late 80′s, it was THE car to have.

For me, personally, I was struck by love immediately. Car-wise.

In 1988 my father changed the 9000 for a 1988b model, with blue interior, and all the extras except leather. I remember sitting in the back of the car watching the interior, the dash and the various buttons with their glowing green symbols, and the ACC-panel with its small lamps besides the buttons. The SID which looked like it was taken directly from Star Wars.

I made my mind up back then. Saab was the car for me.

In 1992 when I got my drivers licence, I bought my first Saab. A brown 3-door 1980 900 2.0. It might not have been a beautiful color, but it was a great car. It was comfortable, great to drive, with great winter handling. My friends in their Volvos, well they were mostly gliding around in the snow with the rear wheels spinning.

One of the best things (mechanically) with that car IMHO, was how the drivetrain was mounted. One day I had to change the clutch. Let me just say, changing a clutch on an OG 900, is like a dream:

1. Off with the bonnet.
2. Get some tools
3. Your butt on the radiator, your feet somewhere in the enginebay where you can find room.
4. Get the old clutch out. Put the new one in
5. Put the bonnet back on.

What a car…

In 1994 I got my first job and I needed a better car, so I bought my dreamcar (well almost). A 1986 9000 Turbo, Silverish blue.

It had some rust on the doors, which I fixed, but there was more for this car to come since I crashed it in 1995 and made a total restoration as well as rebuilding it as a black 1990 Aero. I loved that car.

Since then I have had about 12-13 other Saabs, my current 2010 9-5 SC TiD GriffinSport being the latest and definitely NOT the last. I love this car as well.

I have sometimes come to wonder why I have come to love this particular brand. Why Saab? I’m sure that there are a lot of cars that perform better in some areas on paper, but for some reason the heart and mind keeps sticking to Saabs.

The only answer I have is that at least for me, Saabs have been the only cars that have perfomed best in the combined areas that I value the most.

Sure, VW´s might be more spacious, Audis might have better build quality and material in the interiors, BMW might have better handling in the hands of an experienced driver, Volvos may have better reliability, and Toyotas may (a big may) be more fuel efficient etc etc.

BUT in a Saab you get a combination of great performance in terms of all these features, a combination I just can’t find in any other car.

VW’s are boring, Audis are just the same (and they have looks like milk cartons – they all look the same but in different sizes), BMW is too “look at me” for my taste and too conservative, Volvos are….well…. just boring too. Toyota? No thanks, not for me.

Saab needs to be more Saab. The best comment I’ve heard from Victor Muller, one that Saab needs to adhere to: Say what you are. Do what you say.

What I feel that Saab have lost though is the way it was DIFFERENT from other cars in the past. And I truly hope and wish that this thinking will gradually come back to how it was in the old heyday.

The way the gauges looked, with green lights and orange needles, the compressed speedo. Controls for power-windows that you pressed down, when you wanted the window to go down, and lifted when you wanted the window to lift. At the same time other car maker had switches that you pressed forward to get the window down and backwards to get it up.

Controls for heated seats that were like reostats that you turned with the tip of your finger instead of pushing a button over and over in order to get the right level of heating. Other cars had just an on/off switch.

Doors that went down with the threshold integrated so that your pants or skirt didn’t get dirty getting in and out of the car.

The way the rear spoiler on the OG 9-5 SC was designed in order to keep the rear window from not getting dirty.

The clamshell bonnet that made engine bay access easy.

The hatchback

The list just goes on and on…

Don’t get me wrong. I love the NG 9-5 and 9-4X, and if there had been a 9-5SC back in August I would have got one instead of my 2010 OG 9-5. BUT, I get a feeling that instead of going their own way – The Saab Way if you like – the main focus has been to make the cars as equivalent to the competition as possible, and in that process, they have kind of not looked the other way, and thought out of the box. It may be a result of GM being the overlord of the decisions being made (I truly believe it is – SW)

It’s not that the cars don’t perform good enough. THEY DO. It’s not that the cars don’t look good enough. THEY MOST DEFINITELY DO.

It’s just that the I feel a lack of the intuitive solutions of controls, instrument layout. The HUD is fantastic though!!

It is my firm belief that people who buys Saabs do so because they want a car that is different and special (Intelligent if you like –which I personally think is a good description of what Saabs should be like. Kudos to Curvin O’Reilly) – and not just as good as the rest out there. We kind of take that for granted, we Saab drivers, and in some way we can live with the flaws as well.

It’s just like any other lovestory:

-You love her because she is just THAT. Special, different, to you just perfect. And the small flaws sometimes just makes you love her more…

/Daniel

Tags: 58 Comments »

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by Swade

Brief thoughts – Saab 9-5 TiD

January 21, 2011 in Saabology

Mats is a good mate of mine living quite close to Trollhattan. He’s got fine automotive tastes, but as far as I know is yet to add a Saab to his garage. I’ve been waiting for him to drive the new Saab 9-5 for a little while now.

This is a good story, because it not only fulfills my wish to get Mats into a 9-5, it also sees his boss fulfilling a wish to finally buy a new 9-5 of his own. And it seems he’s very happy with it.

The two of them took the boss’ new 9-5 TiD (160hp) on a 450 mile trip – just enough time to stretch the legs :-) .

Writeup and photos are below.

——

I told you my boss got his new 9-5 on the 28th of December… Yesterday we did a 450+ miles trip in the line of work and I have just one thing to say – What a car !

He originally wanted the TID with the automatic gearbox but that wouldn’t fit inside the budget so he went for the manual and added the HUD and Bluetooth. (I’m used to driving manuals but my boss’s last two cars have been 9-5 wagons with the 2.3 engine and automatic gearboxes and before that two manual 9-5’s)

The last weekend was warm here in Sweden so some of the snow had melted and this morning was the first morning with below freezing temperatures. The road was a bit slippery but the 9-5 never felt nervous, just solidly planted on the road despite running on unstudded winter tires. This car comes with the sport suspension by default and I think it handled great, firm but never rough, even on ice-caked roads it was never harsh in any way.

Out on the highway the first thing that hit me was how quiet this car is. There were three people in the car and we easily carried a conversation between the front and backseats doing around 100km/h or more. I drove it myself for a few hours and you really need the cruise control in this car, it disguises the speed to such extent that the risk of speeding is evident, luckily the cruise control is all handled from the steering wheel and very easy to use.

You also very quickly get used to the HUD and being back in my own car, looking down at the speedo, suddenly felt very awkward. As always in a 9-5, the seats were sublime. We spent around 9 hours on the road yesterday and it never made me feel tired like some cars do.

All in all….Saab have created a great car, the 160hp diesel engine performs well, I never felt the need for more power when passing trucks or other cars. Sure you have to downshift to 4th gear but I don’t mind….makes me feel more connected to the car…..

The tripcomputer is never reset so the 5.9 liters/100 km is the usage since it was new. Over 1900 km’s driven. Not bad for a brand new engine in such a big car!

–

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Avatar of Swade

by Swade

Determination

January 18, 2011 in Saabology

I love it when people make a considered decision to buy, restore and preserve a classic Saab. I love the idea of these cars staying on the road where they belong. There’s nothing quite like going to a big Saab gathering and seeing a range of classic Saabs alongside the 9-5s and 9-3s of the last decade. It warms the heart.

For some of you, it’s not so difficult to find a classic Saab. You might live in reasonable proximity to a whole bunch of older Saabs. Of course, it gets harder for everyone when the model you’re looking for is a bit older. But the hunt need not be too long if you don’t want it to be.

Some of us have it a little tougher. For someone here in Australia, or Asia, buying anything older than a classic Saab 900 can be quite a challenge. I’m still waiting to see if my own personal circumstances will allow me to get a Sonett over from the US. I even found the right car, but it takes some serious commitment to source and then import a car from halfway around the world.

Then there’s a completely different class of Saab buyer – the one who sources the exact car he wants, regardless of where it is, regardless of whether there might be a model nearby that’s oh-so-close to what they want (but not exactly the one).

That’s Marko.

Marko lives in Finland and was after a particular car. The right color. The right year. And in the right condition – rust free.

Marko started his search in March 2010 and ended up turning to the classifieds over at Saabnet to get the right car from California. The fact that it had a troubled transmission and some reasonable miles didn’t worry him.

A few months worth of negotiations and arrangements didn’t worry either him or the seller. In fact, they were both of the same mind. Marko didn’t want to buy just any car and the seller didn’t want to sell his pride and joy to just anyone.

What Marko ended up with is a rather rare Saab 900 Convertible from 1991 in what I believe is Beryl Green (I could be wrong) – a car that he’s using the Finnish winter to tidy up prior to enjoying in the summer months, including the 2011 IntSaab in Finland.

——

That’s dedication to getting and then preserving the right car – and there’s something about it that’s very, very admirable.

I really hope I can make it over to IntSaab later this year and see this one in person, and shake the hand of a like-minded Saabnut.

–

Tags: 22 Comments »

Avatar of Swade

by Swade

Poll: Your planned automotive activity for 2011

January 12, 2011 in Saabology

I asked the question as to what people were planning in 2011 last night, but with nearly 150 comments on the article, it’s difficult to get a quick feel for what’s happening.

I figured a poll might be a good way to get a snapshot of what SU readers will be doing this year to satisfy their automotive itch.

In recognition of the fact that some of you might be doing a few things, you can select up to three separate answers in this poll. As such, this will be a measure of ‘events’ rather than just what’s the most popular option?

Thanks for your participation!

Your planned 2011 automotive activity

View Results

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