Then you would know most researchers believe human (ape?) originated from Africa? Are you an African then?

Some STi’s suffer from a similar problem as the 9-3, where when you abruptly lift off of the throttle (push in the clutch), revs will continue climbing. Some people suspect that it’s a gremlin from the electronic throttle/drive by wire system. The 9-3 has an electronic throttle too; maybe the sensors or ECU mapping needs some recalibration. There’s a thread on NASIOC about it.

And before you throw Farago and crew under the bus, tell us where you can go for no-holds-barred commentary — both from the staff and the readers. I’ve checked out “Autospies” and it’s Soviet Russia compared to the free-flowing TTAC. The owner of Autospies uses his website as his beard to get into industry functions. So, the opinions on Autospies are sanitized, or removed. You can knock a BMW interior or call a Lexus suspension soft, but that’s about it!

This TTAC experiment is worth seeing through. Sure, Farago is probably the best writer on here but give the other guys time. And remember next time you post an opinion here, you won’t get censored. These are the guys who made BMW mad as a hornet. Their opinions are probably stronger than yours!

I’m a Honda guy anyway, I played the SAAB game a few years ago and just ended up with a big speeding ticket and huge, expensive, annoying repairs. And being the individual that I am, I promptly traded it in for a Chevy S-10….

You should take a visit to GMInsideNews.com sometime … many of the members there would have you believe otherwise, as they seem to take that slogan *very* seriously.

Either way, it’s not like the slogan has helped Saab’s perception, or their sales. North American Saab sales are still virtually non-existent.

As for the 9-3 Aero SportCombi … whew … talk about a long name … the only thing I really like about it is the “iceblock” taillights … the ones not available in the US … and that’s not saying much about this car. That interior might look nice, but when you actually sit in, you’ll think twice about this car, especially after you see it’s price tag. I’ve always viewed Saabs as being overpriced, and this is no exception.

I have worked with the brand’s advertising, and have sat at Trollhättan in meetings with clueless GM exec’s who refused to use the aircraft heritage (mid-90s onwards).
However, as of end of nineties, it’s Volvo that makes the jet engines in the Saab military aircraft, and the exec’s felt this killed the concept totally.
Until they realized that this is the essence of the brand – and should be used. Unless you want to change the name of the company Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget SAAB – means Swedish Airplane Shareholders’ Company.

To the person above stating he bought Saab because it was the intellectual’s car. The Saab vs. campaign was killed because it was too intellectual. A campaign everyone still remembers. Damn shame. BTW – one dealer actually said, of Saab vs. Bauhaus, that those foreigners can’t even spell.

Saab engineers were working on HUD (Head up Display) years before BMW thought of putting it in their cars. But the GM branddestroyers were out to build a luxury sedan.

He-he.

I’v e had Saabs for 22 years, and while the 9-3 SS and SC lack the carved-out-of-a-single-chunk-of-steel feel the old 900s had in the ’80s, they are not bad.

I compare it favorably to my two 9000s and my 9-5 wagon. There IS a cheaper feel to some interior pieces, and the GM parts bin is obvious, but most cars from the same parent share some parts with other model these days. I agree the little card-holder thingy (or whatever it is) cheap feeling. Bean counters!

Complaints about the back seat are valid, but most people who will buy a 9-3 SC probably don’t need lots of back seat room on a regular basis. Think about the rear cabin in a Suby Outback and a lot of other small wagons with a 6-foot tall driver and the 9-3 isn’t all that bad. On the other hand, I’m 6′2″ and I can’t drive it with the driver’s seat all the way back–I’m just too far back.

But the metal trim on the Aero steering wheel is cheesy beyond belief. Maybe they’re trying to sell accessory “sport” steering wheels!

WRONG! Saab split from Saab Aviation 25 or more years ago. They are seperate and distinct companies. No GM Saab has ever had any connection with Saab Aviation.

The “Born from Jets” tagline is a fraud, much like the “American Revolution” of Mexican and Canadian built Chevys. As a former real Saab owner I am deeply disappointed by GM’s mishandling of Saab.

it is factual…Saab the company was born out of jet-making.

“Saab is an aviation and defense company based in Sweden and founded in 1937 in Linköping. Its name was an acronym for “Svenska Aeroplan AB,” where “AB” stands for “aktiebolaget” (”limited company”), thus written as ‘SAAB’. Since the changes in company ownership in the 1990s, the company name is now Saab AB.”

-wikipedia.com

sorry as a history major, I hate to quote wikipedia, but i have to prove my point. Forgive my persistence.

I agree with Jonny that it maybe gearing/transmission related and not engine related. I know that on some older automatics that I drove (rentals, friends cars, etc.), there was no such thing as engine braking (like with a manual). If you lifted up off the throttle, the car tended to slowly lose spend, almost as if there was the mother of all flywheels attached to the engine.

That said, I’ve always preferred the 9-5.

Thanks for addressing the issue. As the Saab-blogger that brought this up I can honestly say I enjoyed the read, though I’ll be double checking that rear legroom issue at lunchtime at my local dealer ;-)

The other thing that should be mentioned is that the ‘iceblock’ rear lights as shown in the pictures aren’t available in the US market, where your regulations have mandated that they be red rather than clear.

Yuppie,

There are a bunch of tuning options available for the Saab range. The only ones available in the US though are aftermarket and may give you warranty issues if you don’t think through your mods properly. Try Genuinesaab.com in the US or Elkparts in the UK. Substantial HP and torque increases (around 25% for each) can be had for around $1000.

SherbornSean: it’s actually “Born from Opels”. When I park my Saturn L300 next to a Saab 9-5 you can see just how much both share in their general outline, shape of the C pillar, etc. The Malibu doesn’t look at all like the 9-3 due to GM’s terrific job in uglifying the Malibu.

I enjoyed driving Saabs for many, many years. Then I got the GM version last year. I kept it for 10 months. Blech.

I believe you are right.

My 9-5 also does this. It just doesn’t like to stop spooling at a moment’s notice, it seems to take about 2-3 seconds under full-0 throttle transitions.

Wrong part. The waste gate keeps the F/I system from overboosting. The blow-off valve or by-pass valve (if it recirculates the air) is the part you are thinking about. On lifting the throttle, the throttle plate closes. The incoming charged air needs someplace to go, so it is either vented to the atmosphere via a BOV or recirculated back into the intake system via a BPV. Both systems are vacuum actuated.

Qfrog, will you please post a couple of links?

The pedal welded to the floor is by no means unique to your vehicle.

I found the exact same “quirk” when I reviewed the seden. But I still think it is more a problem of gearing than engine.

A 6MT would make this such a good car.