Saab 9-2X

ateixeira

Yeah, most publications call them premium small cars, I like Premium Compact.

They're not necessarily "Sport" since base models will also exist (Linear).

-juice

buddhabman

I don't think you can truly categorize a manufacturer as a luxury car builder unless it builds a big V8 sedan with real leather, real wood, real wool, real aluminum interior accents.
 
The only true luxury brands are Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Jaguar, Lexus, Mercedes Benz.

I would consider Acura, Infiniti, Saab, Volvo premium brands.

The ultra luxury of course are Bentley, Maybach,& Rolls Royce.

Where do Porsche & Ferrari & Masserati Lamborghini fit. Exotics ?

The rest are just stanadrd brands. I guess my favaorite Subaru is just an "Average Joe".

corvette

Why stop there? We could label Kia, Hyundai, and Suzuki as downmarket brands. I'm being facetious here, but I think most of these labels are ridiculous.

r34

I think Cadallic is more Premium than Luxury.

Within each category, I still think the ranking will be

1. European
2. Japanese
3. American
4. Others

Anyway, is there any Volvo model still made in Swedan (C70 ??) ?

jchan2

sounds fine to me.

delerium_175

I couldn't believe Subaru agreed w/ GM to use the WRX parts on a SAAB. I wish SAAB had well educated engineers to make their own performance cars as good as the WRX. I can't believe SAAB uses a turbo on, it seems, every car in their line-up, but yet they have the worst turbo lag.

ateixeira

It's hard to define what it takes to be a luxury manufacturer, especially when in some cases the majority of sales are in the near-luxury class (A4, 3 series, C class).

What's the treshold nowadays? $36k? $40k? Lots and lots of Audis fall below that.

-juice

jchan2

based on its intended competition- not size nor base MSRP.

buddhabman

Saab ecotec motors w/turbos and the trionic engine management are tops in the market of turbos. If you match an Audi or VW turbo vs Saab turbo car and test lag the Saab is the quickest and most responsive. The lag is very minimal in our Saab Aero.

Cadillac has always been luxury. You might quible with their products from 80-90's, but since 99 the Caddy has come back strong. Remember what the President rides in, it's not an Audi, Benz, BMW, Jag, or Lexus or Lincoln for that matter.

My threshold for luxury expectations is 60-70K. At that price point I expect real wood, real leather, real wool, real aluminum trim. I expect power everything with memory. I expect roominess and comfort, sporting competent handling, hush quiet ride, a nice sound system, and a wonderful sounding powerful motor (Jag XJ or Audi A8 for me).
 
What sucks of course, is that I probably will never comfortably afford one. ;(

revdrluv

Well people would be crying bloody murder if he rode in anything other than an american car since we have such a big auto industry.

I don't think it has much to do with preference. It has everything to do with politics.

regfootball

If I were the pres I would much rather ride in an A8 or XJ.

robr2

But you wouldn't be President for long!!

regfootball

i would keep the car and give up the presidency then.

jchan2

I'd have a Cadillac DeVille for all those meetings with Union members, and I'd secretly buy a BMW 330i and have it registered in regular license plates, so I could have some quiet time in the countryside with a sport sedan.

Sylvia

Just a nudge to get us back on track, don't want to veer too far off topic. Thanks!

jackfrost102

This fills a category that has been lacking in the US.
AUDI A4 Avant: Unreliable (Consumer Reports)
BMW 323 325 Wagon: Underpowered (sort of) and unreliable (Consumer Reports)
Toyota IS300 SportCross: No manual..come on Toyota...Im a big fan, but I need manual
Subaru WRX: No luxury features.
Infiniti G35: No wagon.
Saab 9-2x: Reliable Subaru parts, manual, luxury

I will defn buy a 9-2x, and I hope I am one of the few who does: it's cheaper and Ill drive a unique car.

purduealum91

Can we expect similar lease deals that can be found on all Saab cars? Is there worj on pricing yet?

badjura

Prices are listed on the 92-X website from 22K to 30K- but this has not been confirmed yet. I would think the lease deals would be the same on all models, but perhaps not initially. I see the IS300 starts at $31.3 K in the US, so the Saab will be a bit of a bargain fully loaded.

sebastian1980

Finally saw the new 9-2X and S40 at the auto show. The 9-2 looks pretty shart, better in person I think. The S40, on the other end, seemed like the smallest car I have ever sat in. Granted I am 6'4", it was still pretty cramped.

ateixeira

I also felt the S40 was cramped, especially head room. But the V50 wagon looked better, and the Saab will be a 5 door, FWIW.

-juice

jchan2

I saw both in Detroit at the car show when I visited lately and found that the 9-2X looks nicer in person than the pictures on the internet. The S40, wasn't the roomiest car I've sat in, but I've seen worse back seats. (SC430) The V50 looked very sharp though.

Kirstie_H

I also got to see the 9-2X this weekend at the auto show - I have some decent photos as well. If I can find a place to host 'em, I'll post 'em.

jchan2

if I can find a way to copy and paste them into a post, I'll put them up.

ateixeira

Register at ImageStation.com, it's free and you can host pictures there. I do.

FWIW, I do have 2 Sony cameras, that's who owns the site, but technically you don't have to own Sony.

-juice

badjura

Cool - new pics! If there is a Linear model there, I'd love to have a gander at it as well. We have to wait until late March before the show hits Vancouver. Can/Did anybody ask about confirmed US pricing?

sebastian1980

I picked up a brochure while at the auto show. It has a pretty good front view of the linear. It looks pretty similar to the Aero except for the engine intake in the hood, different wheels, and lack of foglights. I did not get to ask about pricing though. The rep said the production would be limited this year and full scale next year.

rsholland

If that's the base model, it comes with a 2.5 non-turbo engine, not the WRX engine.

Bob

Kirstie_H

The representative at the show was obviously from a dealership, and he said they didn't even get to see the car before the show, and he knew very little about it. I also tried to take some pics of the interior, but since the windows were all rolled up, it's difficult to see much besides my reflection in the photos

eman5

ateixeira

I think so. Moonroof and AWP are things the WRX wagon does not get that the Saab is supposed to get.

-juice

jchan2

probably. the 9-2X gets equipment the WRX doesn't get.

jchan2

how do you get pictures into a post from ImageStation?

theo2709

img src="http://www.imagestation.com/whatever.jpg"

Just put < and > around it.

jchan2

couldn't post. I'll try again tomorrow.

jchan2

I'll try again tomorrow. Where do you put the < and the > ???

theo2709

Around exactly what a wrote in my pervious post. They go around img and the last quotation mark.

corvette

< goes before img
> goes after the second "

Hope this helps!

jchan2

badjura

Thx for the pic Kirstie, looks good - it drives me crazy that they have to rope off new cars and lock em up tight @ shows. How did it look inside in person?
It makes sense that they are pushing the upper level Aero at the show, afterall they are the money makers. It sounds like the only visual exterior differences betweeen Aero and Linear are different wheels, missing hood scoop & fog lights.

Kirstie_H

badjura, the interior was very nice, IMO. It was a combo of black and tan leather. I'll take another look at my photos and see if there's an interior shot that isn't mostly my own reflection - I *did* turn off the flash.

badjura

Ahh, so it was leather - it was mentioned in past that it looked like cloth which didn't sound right. Wasn't sure about the dash from the manufacturers pics as there is alot of silver plastic in there. If you got some more pics kirstie_h, i'd love to have a look see.
I actually like the rims of the Linear better, and I can't say I miss the scoop either...

sebastian1980

I was also surprised to see leather in the cabin. I was expecting some type of cloth. The interior was pretty clean and basic (very much japanese). I thought they might make some more changes to give a more Saabesque appearence.

Kirstie_H

As I warned, they're not very good because it was rather dark, I couldn't get very close, and on the 2nd one, I used flash so there's a lot of reflection. IIRC, the dark portions are leather, and the lighter, middle sections are cloth.

ateixeira

I'm sure they did that to differentiate from the WRX.

-juice

jchan2

and that's why they have the Saab badge, grille, the sunroof and the Forester dash... I like the Linear Rims better... And I'm not a huge fan of the scoops... It's cheaper too, and I'm fine with 165 horses.

regfootball

why not full leather? tight wads.

corvette

Looks like a dirt magnet. Other than that, it looks classy!

ateixeira

I have kids, so you couldn't give it to me with that color fabric.

-juice

badjura

Geez, so the seats aren't all leather!? Not suede? Looks ok now that its new, but give it 6 months of regular use...The light color inserts on the door on kirstie_h's pics don't thrill me either - I much prefer a darker interior all around. I wonder what they will do with color scheme on the Linear..

jchan2

it'll either be all cloth or all leather. (The AERO's interior is a Sport seat interior, I think)