Auto123 have published a pretty good, slightly frustrating, somewhat baffling and downright staggering review of the 2009 Saab 9-3 Aero. Most of all, it’s a good review, though.
It’s looking good in red, though I must admit I’m wondering what a darker red would look like on this car. Anyway…..
The review is quite good in that the reviewer is very enthusiastic about the car. He covers pretty much all areas of the car and has a lot of good things to say.
Let’s make it clear: a Saab is not your Average Joe’s car. A bit like Ferraris, each model from this Scandinavian automaker has unique little quirks which require some getting used to. Brand faithful have no problem with that, while everybody else fumes…..
….Up until now, I would have never imagined that a Saab interior could be as quiet as a BMW 335i’s. Furthermore, when I first sat behind the wheel of the 2009 9-3 Aero XWD, I expected to feel overwhelming torque steer, especially when the turbo kicks in. My fears were quickly dispelled.
This sort of positivity permeates the review, and that’s the slightly frustrating part of things.
Almost all recent reviews of the Saab 9-3 have been pretty positive. The main complaint is pricing, but everyone appreciates the driving characteristics of the car, especially the XWD system.
What’s frustrating about that is Saab really do have a good car on their hands right at the time when their existence is so tenuous. GM haven’t given Saab adequate resources to market it and now all this talk of a Saab sale is going to drown out any positives that the cars themselves might provide.
The somewhat baffling part is the reviewer’s awarding of only 3.5 stars for safety. A five star rating from the actual safety agencies and multiple Safety Pick awards from the IIHS aren’t good enough for ya?
The staggering part is pretty well summed up at the end of the review:
During my road test, I came across another Saab 9-3 Aero owner who, much to my surprise, claimed that he was disappointed. According to him, the car has one major shortcoming that ruins the entire experience. It’s a “design flaw” that reportedly makes you forget about the incredible handling, clever ergonomics, orthopedic front seats and great build quality: the trunk!
The man argued that four golf bags can’t fit in the back of the car.
As the author has mentioned, the fact that a once-a-week hobby could override a seven-days-a-week enjoyment is just stupid.
Don’t his friends have vehicles, too? Can’t they carry their own bags? Did you size up the trunk before you bought?
Sometimes I think our expectations as lazy fat-arsed gimme-gimme-gimme consumers are just way out of whack.
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