By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
I think the problem with the G35 isn't lack of character..it is over the top styling.
The G35 may well be hideously outdated in a few short years because it is obviously styled for effect.
Where the BMW, Audi, and Saab simply flow and look purposeful, the G35 (much like the CTS) was styled to evoke a reaction.
It's like the difference between Wolfgang Mozart and John Williams.
As suggested by pat (thanks for the friendly welcome!), I'm retrying a question that I posted in a new discussion.
Long-time Edmunds reader, first time poster. I'm looking into buying the new Saab 9-3, Linear, and I was wondering if anyone out there who already has one can comment on the sound system. According to the most recent Road Test (updated 11/26/2002, I believe), the upgraded sound system in the Linear was ranked as being 5 out of 10, and not something for the audiophile.
Now, I'm not an audiophile, but I do like to listen to music...and the music review said that the system was terrible for anything other than AM radio.
Does anyone have any personal experience they can share please?
Additionally, it was suggested that a way to improve the system would be to add a simple set of 6x9 two-way speakers in the rear deck cutouts in lieu of the existing 4" speakers. Any estimates on cost, and will this help the bass problem?
Thanks!
Dave
I have not personally heard the sound system in the Linear yet, as I keep forgetting to bring a CD to the dealership, but keep in mind there is some big confusion out there over the Linear's sound system.
Although the specs seem to indicate that you get the upgraded stereo with the Launch Package, in fact, all that is updated is the head unit, to include the multi-function display. Otherwise, it is the same 7 speaker, 150 watt model that is on the base Linear. The Arc will have the updated head unit AND a 13 speaker, 300 watt stereo.
Main complaints seem to be that the small rear speakers produce no base and sound lousy, others say that the speakers need to break in, and sound better after several hours. Sound is a VERY subjective experience, and the only answer is to bring music you know with you to the dealer, and decide if it sounds the way you want it to. As to updates, replacing the rear speakers is truly a do-it-yourself job, and even cheap 6x9's should make a difference. If you want more power, however, adding an amp is a slightly more complicated procedure that can cost as much as you want it to ;-)
Nothing wrong with the G35 at all, it just does nothing for me. I prefer the bold looks to the CTS over the wierd look of the G35.
For Saab new 9-3, it did lots research and study to make a super refined family car. I admit it's not so high perforance sport car. But its aesthetics scense is great. Every line and corner from inside out has been detailed. I would say it's not like others. My neighbor and friends all said it looks so sharp. I don't really know what's that means but it must be means so outstanding from others. I agree with "dindak" it has its very own character. It's sure attracted some Audi and BMW drivers.
--** Mooselook
OK.
I am glad to see Saab finally enter the fray with an appealing alternative. Everyone wins!
Well I'm glad you can upgrade the sound system. I wonder - any way to upgrade the radio?
Anyways, I think I'm pretty sold on this car - and disregarding a car just because of its sound system (especially if I can upgrade it for a hundred bucks or so), well...
Off to read Edmund's car buying guide (again..for who knows how many times) - this is my first car after all, and I can't wait!
Dave
The 9/3 styling is really darn nice and in vector form is hot....the interior design of the 9/3 is good but some of the materials could be better.
Anybody have details?
Hey Saab!! If you're going to sell lots of these cars in the US, you have to upgrade the radio and sound system. XM, Satelitte, better speaker/amp system in base model, borrow something from Cadillac (Bose) to put behind your head unit.
Any thoughts?
I drove the 9-3 the other day, and while waiting for the car to test, I played around with the stereo in the showroom car. I kept trying to oost the bass, but there simply is none. I mainly listen to classical music, but even that sounded pretty flat. It is dissappointing. The car, otherwise is very nice, and fun to drive. I had a stick, and I didn't think it was sloppy. the other alternative is a subaru. Heart says Saab, but reliability and pocketbook are leaning towards Legacy SE.
cdndriver
I think I will go the pre-order route, for several reasons. First, like any new car, there is sure to be some backlog of orders vs. dealer allocation, and by putting the order in, I will get my car from initial allocations, rather than waiting for the lot to fill up (which may take some time, if my dealer decides not to order too many Arc's until he moves the Launch Linear's off his lot). Secondly, I am pretty particular in my color/option choices, and waiting for a car with my specs to come in a normal allocation would probably take forever. For example, I am not willing to spend $1,000 for a sunroof I'll use twice a year, and I understand that the majority of production cars will have them. If I wait until March to buy, I probably wouldn't have the car before summer. However, the big downside is you really can't expect big bargains on a pre-order car. The people at the front of the line want it and are willing to pay for it, and the dealers know this. Further, as Linear sales have been softer than expected in the US so far, some are predicting further bargains on the Arcs/Vectors, but that is something that almost certainly will not happen until the cars have been around a few months, so Saab/GM can look at the initial sales numbers and decide whether to offer incentives or not. So, while you will get any incentives that may be in place when you take delivery, I for one am not expecting any (other than, hopefully, continuation of the low financing) in the first months of availability, and also will not expect my dealer to move much in price for a pre-order car. So for me, potentially forgoing deals in the June/July time frame is an acceptable trade-off for getting exactly the car I want, when I want it. YMMV.
http://www.saabnet.com/tsn/press/021204.html
With only the base model available, Saab sold more '03 9-3s in 11/02 than it did 3 and 5 door 9-3s in 11/01.
Once Saab has all three levels of the new Sedan available, and the wagon, it is not a stretch to think 70k 9-3 units per anum is doable.
1. Stereo. Our Linear Launch model has the 150 watt upgrade. Does lack low bass, but the high end is very crisp and I can hear every cymbal and guitar pick noises on the strings. But only on CD! The radio is duller. But reception is good. I live in the sticks and get stations my old BMW's couldn't. I listen to talk radio and CD's, not FM radio, so no problem for me. Saab also offers a 300 watt upgrade later in the year according to their accessories catalog I have. I would probably be happy with 6x9's in the back only, since I'm not insistent on audiophile quality. But the system does rock now with CD's. It DOES have a diversity antenna, according to the manual.
2. G35 sedans/coupes. I was SOLD on the new G35 last year before it came out. It had it all. Decent styling, power, handling, braking, safety, reliability, etc. But after driving them, they just lack some intangible I was looking for. They certainly would be the choice if you value performance above all else. Hard to really knock the car, but it did have more cabin noise and wasn't quite as refined. Car mag testing backs this up...67 db at cruise for the Saab, and 73 for the G35 coupe (71 I believe for the sedan). That's double the sound pressure, so it is noticeable. As far as saying Infinitis are unreliable...I've never heard that. Certainly better track record than Saab. But the future will be interesting. G35 styling is good, but has flaws. Coupe is better, but is too boy-racer for me. I prefer understated, despite my wife's choice of laser red.
4. As far as comments that the 9-3 is "nothing special". I agree. It's a good handling, moderately peppy, reasonably luxurious, reasonably good looking car. But it costs less than cars that are better than it, and is rare and carries less of the luxury car crud that I got tired of dealing with. And for whatever reason, it has more character than others I tried. Let's face it, handling at the limit and 6 second 0-60 sprints are often more important for bragging rights than real-world use. My wife drove our 540i like an old lady, which was a total waste. One of the reasons we sold it. She likes her "slow" 9-3 a lot better, too. And surprisingly, so do I.
www.caranddriver.com/xp/Caranddriver/roadtests/2003/january/0301_roadtest_saab_93.xml?&page=1
Lots of talk about the numbers and things they didn't like. They only briefly mention liking the steering feedback, seats, and don't say a word about if it is enjoyable to drive. Whatever...
The Linear, 1/3 of the 9-3 lineup, the other 2/3rds not yet available, is only one piece of the sales figure.
The Arc most likely will be the best selling 93 (I and several other people here are waiting for the Arc) So even with your low figures, say 12k Linears, 15k Arcs, and 2k Vectors, and Saab is selling more than 30k 9-3s in the US.
As mentioned in my earlier post, Saab will also have a hatch, wagon, new 9-5 and some type of cross-over thing.
The 9-3 alone is not going to bring Saab to 240k sales worldwide. But it is a good start.
Finally, you say that 12k is only a drop in this market. What market do you mean? The name entry level sports lux sell around 12k (the IS300) to around 70k (the 3 Series) per year. 12k is not going to scare BMW, but its already caught Lexus.
No one knows at this point, but at least initially, the car is selling better in Europe than the US. Will that change? Will Saab hit its numbers? who knows, but Saab itself has already trimmed its sales goals based on the initial sales volume of the 9-3, and acknowledged ITSELF that 9-3 sales are "weak":
http://biz.yahoo.com/djus/021127/1259000559_1.html
My point is, that I'm buying this car because *I* like it, and I believe Saab will be around to make parts for it over the next 5 years. Seeing Saab take a chunk of the Near-Lux market would make me happy for them, but it is not driving my purchasing decision- if I was after Brand recognition by my friends/neighbors/co-workers, I would be buying another BMW.
I agree Saab has problems that need to be addressed. It needs to integrate its back office structure more completely with Opel to avoid cost overlap and leave more money for product improvement and development.
I also agree that the 9-5 sedan will be sorely tested by the newer, better and almost as large 9-3. I can think of no reason to buy a 9-5 sedan right now, unless the dealer is giving it away.
This segues into why I think the Arc will be the best selling 9-3. The Arc will come with the bigger engine, more upmarket interior and the better stereo standard. a base Arc will cost around the same as a well-equipped Linear.
Significantly the Arc should be a better buy than a well eqipped 9-5. The slight edge in space with the 9-5 will be far outclassed by every other facet of the Arc.
To meet its sales goals, Saab needs a new 9-5 pronto. It needs the 9-3 convertible to be a real star in an area where even BMW does not have the strongest of entries. It should make the 9-3x.
The new 9-3 is a very good start. It shows that Saab can attract a larger market than in the past. I hope Saab continues down the road.
He said, "right now, through GMO, you can get a $36,000 9-5 for about $28,000."
I don't particularly care for the 9-5, but for $28,000, it's a pretty compelling alternative.
1. Depreciation. 9-3 is a new design, 9-5 is due for replacement soon.
2. Handling/braking/dynamics - 9-3 is superior.
3. Styling. 9-3 is similarly styled, but sleeker and cleaner.
4. Interior design. 9-5 may have better materials, but the design struck me as a little dated.
So, for about the same price, or a little more maybe, as a Linear 9-5, you could pick up a more powerful Arc 9-3 in a few months. Sounds like they need to knock a little more off to sell those 9-5's. The 9-5's are a great deal compared to last year. But with a substitute that is so similar (but better) available in the form of the 9-3, the only 9-5 that sounds interesting is the Aero.
http://www.caranddriver.com/xp/Caranddriver/roadtests/2003/january/0301_roadtest_saab_93.xml?&page=1
As long as my shoes don't hit the kink in the pedal arm I don't care about how much room is under them. I'd be scared of what might happen to said foot in an accident, mashed by car parts or the brake pedal as you drive it to the floor with your right foot.
9-3 are designed to break away in a similar fashion as some of the Audi and Mercedes autos do. So that hazard is taken care of. Incidentally, I think the C&D roadtest was quite complimentary, overall. No front-driver will = the BMW or a well-designed AWD derivative. However, a .83g is pretty sticky in my book. Good words for no-lag turbo, xcellent seating & good ergonomics. Some thought shifting was good, while others thought it was not quite so good. However, all thought it was better than previous 9-3. As a package, 9-3 is very well executed and not a cookie-cutter car thankfully.
Maybe not being able to place my left foot is a safety feature but I've been doing it a long time. Ergonomics are very very important.
Curious, why not a G35 coupe, which is generally thought to be a superior performer?
Are my concerns about build quality unfounded? Also, I had read somewhere that the engines now used for the 9-3 are GM engines with Saab turbos. Is this true? I think more than anything, I am afraid of buying a GM vehicle - given the miserable materials and fit and finish often seen in Pontiacs/Buick...
I have narrowed my choices to a Passat or a 9-3.
Replies would be most appreciated.
The epsilon platform which bases the 9-3 also bases the Vectra (and will base the Malibu and Grand Am)appears to be solid and has been getting good reviews.
The Saab 4 is based on the same architecture as GM the ecotec 4 cylinder engines. I have a car with a GM 2.2 litre ecotec and it has worked flawlessly for a year and one half. In fact, the opportunity to have a more advanced version of this engine is a big reason I am considering this car.
When I test drove the 9-3, I saw nothing that made me think there were fit and finish problems. That is a call you need to make yourself.
If Saab management was unable to properly execute with the product it bought from GM, it can hardly be blamed on GM.