Updated: It’s been a few months, but this info is finally going to come in handy for a new series we’ll be starting next week. If you haven’t already answered, feel free to chime in the poll. Also I’ve added one new poll at the beginning related to how many cars are in your household and where you park your car at night and during the day.
It’s taken a while for us to get here, but finally there’s light at the end of the tunnel and I think it’s time to start exploring the possibilities of what a future at Saab could be. As part of my research for a lengthier piece, I need to conduct a quick poll to see how far the average SU reader commutes to and from work and how far they drive on their days off (or if they don’t drive to a typical stationary job). And who doesn’t love a good poll every now and then? 🙂 Feel free to sound off in comments and explain how far you drive and where you are. This isn’t the time to read into the question yet, that’s for the next post I do shortly after we have results. Thanks!
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Just over 50km but NOT in a Saab. No fun at all. 🙁
Swindon to Reading… so it’d better be a good electric car!
Almost exactly 30 kms.
And I drive either our Saab 9000CSE2.3T -93 or our Opel Omega Caravan 2.0 -99.
I’m sad to say that now that the summer heat is finally here, the ACC in our Saab has gone sauna on us. It only delivers very hot air. Thankfully, the car is equipped with sunroof. 😉
Regarding the amount of cars; we live on a farm and have a lot of space for our cars. So, apart from the Opel (and some other vehicles), we own six Saabs; 93b -58, 96 -61, 96V4 -69, 95V4 -69, 9000CD2.3 -90 and 9000CDE2.3T -94. And we have a Fiat campervan (mobile home) for the longer trips.
I’m like Mike – I travel to Sunny Berkshire everyday, but from Richmond – 29 miles each way.
Split the journey between a Dame Edna Aero and an 11 year old Golf SE 1.6 Auto (SWMBO’s)
Economy is the same on both….9-5 more luxurious, Golf more nimble, and has sunroof.
Because of bad traffic, even if you drive short distance, you can spend more time in your car, that’s why the quality and friendliness of your car is as important, as car’s behaviour at distance.
I don’t drive to work by car, I’m using a train. For long distance drives I take my 9-3 from 2003. In the summer days (as today in Germany) I always drive with my 900 Convertible.
I tend to be on the road all day for business, so my work driving varies considerably. It is not unusual for me to put on 100 miles a day or more on either of my old Saabs which each already have near 300,000 miles on the clock. (Right now I’m favoring my ’86 900S since the weather is getting warm and the A/C is not working on my 9000.)
i am in the (fortunate) circumstance that i live close to my work: a 5-7 minute walk should do. despite this, i have 3 Saabs:
the Good Old 1986 Saab 9000i (149k km)
the 1993 Saab 9000CD Griffin (214k km)
and the 1999 OG9-3 2.0i with Aero interior and LPG-i.(340k km)
🙂
keep on Saabing!
My office is 15 miles (25 kilometres) from my home, but as i frequently work at client sites varying from 25 to 300 miles distant, my commute varies wildly.
My furthest commute is from my home to Kleve, Germany via the Harwich to hook of Holland ferry, 455 miles, in a 9-5 Aero I had as a loan vehicle while I waited for my 9-3.
i’m on a bike 75 % in the week. Driving my Saab is 100 % having fun or travelling in holidays (more fun) or just cruise on the weekend and Saabine like’s to get topless. 🙂
Anyway work is circa 4 km, sometimes when i have things to do after work i take the car… or in the winter.
cycle into Shrewsbury……8 miles, at all hours of the day, then 8 mile sback knackered. Drive a variety of police vehicles thro the course of my shift…love the vivaro van !!!! clock up around 35 mile a shift depending whats going on
I do 70miles/113km each way in my ’06 93 SC, but only one day a week, as I telecomute the other 4 days.
Hope I don’t skew the results. I’m retired so it’s 0-10km for me but it was 50km+ for a good part of my working career, being that I live in a rural area.
130+ miles a day five days a week to work at the Saab dealer plus extra personal driving = 35K – 40K miles per year on my 9-3. I would have loved a diesel 9-3 here in the US to bump my mpg from low 30’s to mid 40’s plus. If a ‘loaded’ VW Golf tdi diesel can cost approx $30K here in the US (and they sell ALL they can get!) I think there was definitely room for a Saab to sell a significant number of units this way. I also think an eco version of the current gasoline… Read more »
While I selected the third option (20km-30km (12.4mi-18.6mi) ), that is only part of the story. Several evenings a week I need to travel not just back and forth to work, but also to other parts of the city for other meetings and activities. I also own only one car (which is why I own a 9-3 hatchback….very multipurpose)….except for my Sonett III. My primary car needs to be multipurpose, both for commuting, traveling around the city and for the occasional out of town trip. In a typical year, I put 15,000 miles on my 9-3, even though my daily… Read more »
If I had a shorter commute and did not drive as much each year, I would not need a Saab for the very comfortable seats. 🙂
@Jeff
Do not assume that it is always possible to commute by car. In fact, in Central London it is becoming unthinkable to commute by car. Where I live they’re building flats, whose new occupants do not even have the right to ask the local council for a permit to park on the road. Parking spaces, if you can get one, underneath the blocks cost as much as the car. And there would be no chance of a parking space the other end unless you’re the CEO. Then there’s the Congestion Charge. Forget it! Absolutely!
Thanks jond. I definitely didn’t mean to imply that people could only commute by car, I just wanted to get an idea of the daily drive of commuters from our website. For the casual Saab driver who rides the train or subway but takes their car out on the weekend or for side trips around town, only the second poll applies :).
I understand, and you also use the word casual entirely correctly, but I can tell you that there is nothing at all casual about having the Saab in my driveway (it won’t fit into the garage). It is the promise of potential freedom and escape from the confines of urban living. I just have to look at the car and know that within twenty minutes I can be beyond the City’s speed restrictions and cruising in open countryside, heading upcountry or to the coast. So its presence is calming, whether it takes me to work or not. Incidentally, an electric… Read more »
I`m retired, but my shortest journey (shopping) is a 2 mile round trip. But my driving also includes long motorway journeys, medium distance urban/semi-urban journeys and some rural trips.
About a 19mi drive to work, one way in a 1999 Saab 9-3. very comfortable ride with plenty of pep!
the first question is tricky for me – a mixture of home office / clients / office … a mixture 0 – 400 km. So an average is there.
While my drive to the office is barely five miles, I’m on the road in my region for business. Some days, I might drive 10 miles for work, and other days I’ve been in the car 200+ miles in a day. I typically drive 30k-40k miles/year. Nearly all of it’s done in my 9-5 Aero, now well past 300k miles.
I work all over the place, so I don’t have a regular commute. I do around 25,000 miles a year in my 9-3. If I am in town, I walk.
35km each way in my ’91 900S (145hp low pressure turbo T16)
From a town on the northern east coast of Sweden in land to a small village with a big Bosch Rexroth plant.
I like the 900 but it is showing it’s age especially on winter surface compared to newer Saabs/cars, so I’m planning a swap. It has never let me down though. 🙂
I live 21 miles from work, so 42 miles round trip. Mostly Boston highways, but sometimes very, very slow. 21 miles can take over an hour or even an hour and a half sometimes. Thankfully I don’t have to go in everyday. I typically work at the office 3 days per week, with other work from home. That saves on my 2011 9-3’s wear and tear and keeps the mileage reasonable. I need it to last a very long time, especially now. On weekends, evenings out, and days off the other household car gets used more: a 2005 Nissan Sentra.… Read more »
220 km five days a week. My Saab (9.3 Tdi Vector) is my “home”.
Would need a new 9.5 but with a bigger diesel (BMW?) engine.
Don`t understand Q2 – “not including driving on a trip”
@TonymacUK I took this to mean “holiday” or “vacation”.
Had to smile at…
That’s long? We often do 300+ mi on a Saturday, trip to the in-laws is c. 1000mi round trip.
Saab 93 SW Vector Sport 120 TiD ’06 113k mi, between 46-54 mpg imp (best = 64mpg)
Three times a week I trek down the M1 from J9 to London to visit clients. No way would I want to do that in an electric. Hybrid, maybe….
you would need one hell of an extension lead !!!!!!!!!
This has been an eye opening thread for me. Most of you are much braver than I am. My 1999 9-3 has 130k miles on it now and I would never dream of taking it on a trip for fear it would leave me stranded somewhere. It has never failed me yet but I would worry too much. I bought a new Outback to use on trips or when i go outside of town. I’m also shopping for a replacement for a 2003 9-5 for the same reason. It has left my mom stranded more than once and she doesn’t… Read more »
I’ve been driving Saabs since buying a new 900 in 1985. In all that time I’ve only been stranded twice, both fuel pump failures which had I done proactive replacements would not have happened. (I do keep a toolbox in the trunk just in case…)
Jersey: What are the symptoms of a fuel pump failure? Humming/vibrating noises? I posted on the technical forum—-just a couple weeks ago, when the weather got colder—-I had a hard start one morning. I actually had to push the gas pedal to get it started. First time in 8 years of ownership of this 2004 9-5 ARC that it didn’t start on the first turn of the key (not including when it needed new batteries). Anyway, since then—-it’s never been that hard to start again. But I notice if I don’t run it for a couple days, the first time,… Read more »
🙂 about 10 km to work, but I drive all the time at work to customers. I´d say about 200 km a day per avarege. This is with my 9-5 2,3t BP which I´m hanging on to although my company´s been wanting me to change car fo a year now or so. In the weekends, I can´t avoid taking my wifes car, a 2001 9-3 Aero, although the 9-5 is pratically free of charge to drive.
Love to cruise the Hirsch on German highway 😉
Use the 95 1-2 times a week and normally take the train to work. As we’ve family members/ friends in germany and austria trips from Switzerland have at least a 400 km up to 800 km distance one way. Had 24.000 km in the first year having the 95 and enjoyed the time.
On the way to work (40 miles of winding country roads through Oregon wine country in a manual aero wagon), I heard a story on public radio on how researchers have found a way to triple the life of lithium batteries. I think batteries are very much in their infancy. Hybrids are only a short term solution around the battery life problem. I think the industry realizes that they need a car with a 500-1000 (or greater) mile range, the ability to charge enough battery for a 50 mile trip in under 1/2 hour, and the ability to travel 2-3… Read more »
Our two 9-3s cover nearly 100 miles between them every day, whilst the classic 900 convertible only does around 100 miles a week. Whichever we choose to drive, they’re all hugely comfortable and a pleasure to spend time in, 1 year old or 20, it really doesn’t matter.
So what most respondents to the poll have indicated is that an electric and/or hybrid SAAB could be a solution.
Keep an open mind folks, you never know what might fall into it.
SAABBob It’s actually the exact opposite….. For me, I average on 300+ miles / 480+ km. 5 days per week and 100+ miles per day on the weekend. When doing that kind of mileage there are certain non-negotiables in the car one drives… To name only a few: • Great Seats: Comfortable and supportive, soft yet firm, side bolsterings, gripping you and “letting you breate” all at once, with lumbar suppor and power operated…etc. • Comfort: it needs the perfect blend of size, roominess; functional storage, clean aura, able to eat, sleep and live in the car and not… Read more »
I travel 28 k one way to work I live in Brisbane Australia I have 4 Saabs 1988 9000 turbo hatch 2004 93 arc 2004 93 Aero conv 2008 93 vector lux diesel all garaged
This poll is indeed somewhat flawed. For example, it seems to assume that on working days, you will only commute from home to work. That is a pretty short distance for me. However, I also drive to the riding stable after work (and then back home), so that my daily stretch is about 50 km.
None in our family commutes by car everyday. We all walk, cycle or take the train to school/work. Regular trips for shopping, transport etc are seldom longer than 10-30 km. However, our car (or at least one of them) must work for longer trips too. We have relatives living 60-100 km away which we visit relatively often. Our summer house is 370 km away and we make several trips a year thither. During those trips a halfway charge of more than 30 minutes is not viable. Currently we have two cars, a 9-5 2.0t Sedan MY99 and a 9-5 2.0t… Read more »
I thought of putting that option down, but I was mainly looking to address commuters and people who use their car on a daily basis. Can I ask why a pit stop for 20-30 minutes isn’t an option for you for a trip you make maybe a dozen or so visits to a year (sorry if it’s more trips than that, I’m just making a guess)? Just curious why you couldn’t budget that time for a break on a trip, especially if the cost for plugging in vs. refueling with biofuel is a fraction.
Maybe I was unclear (I’m not a native English speaker) but what I was trying to write was that a halfway charge of MORE than 30 minutes isn’t viable. Up to 30 minutes would be OK, as long as there are charging poles/stations in relative proximity to a restaurant since one needs lunch breaks on such trips anyway. 🙂
🙂 got it.
I wouldn’t mind a 30 minute stop as long as it isn’t every 3 hours. When I drive long distances for holidays (typically 1,500 km to my destination) I stop when I need to fill up, usually after 6 or 7 hours of driving. Stopping every three hours for 30 minutes isn’t economical time wise.
Further to the note above; the trip is always done in one day.
Not possible yet. The maximum current presently defined in IEC is 240 kW. However, plugs only reach 43 kW in Europe, or 62 kW for the CHAdeMO. For the “big” Tesla S at 80 kWh battery, that would mean 1.5 – 2 h charging time. Which would give you a range of 300 miles in the USA, at 55 mph. However, if you drive faster, like in Europe, the range will crumble. I did an estimate, based on data from Tesla’s home page, and iirc, the result was that at 180 km/h, the range goes down to 240 kilometers, i.e.… Read more »
Tesla is bringing their superchargers to Europe according to Musk. And directly from their page, At 90 kW, a Tesla Supercharger delivers 4.5x more electricity to your battery than Twin Chargers [which deliver 62 miles of range per hour charge time]. All this power is safely routed using special cables that connect directly to your battery, bypassing onboard charging equipment. This allows Model S to efficiently charge at highway speeds when you’re out on the open road. And, at many locations, solar cells mounted on the weather canopy charge your Model S with solar energy. I highly doubt NEVS will… Read more »
I work for myself based at home but travel to give presentations and training sessions, mainly across the UK but occasionally over in mainland Europe. My mileage varies enormously from month to month. I’m still using my 2001 9-3SE TiD which has 166,000 miles so far and hasn’t missed a beat yet …except when I drowned it in a flood last year!
I replaced the air filter and MAF sensor and it is still alive and performing!
Ok. This poll is ostensibly to research the viability and practicality of the EV. Well I drive 15 mi to work and park in a lot. Sometimes I leave it overnight and take the company car to the field. No place to plug in an electric and get juice from the coal fired power plant. Anyway I have my eyes on a Chevy Camaro, 350hp. This would be a nice anti-establishment vehicle guys. I might get one just to kick ass. In the meantime I’ll drive my Saab 900, it’s very exclusive. Have a nice day!
I drive 25k to 35k kms /year exclusively in Saabs for the last 20 years 🙂
Good news. Nevs will start the 9-3 production next year.
http://www.nyteknik.se/nyheter/fordon_motor/bilar/article3587472.ece