MODERN Saabs- any good??

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Our A4 pissed all over the 9-3 in cornering, especially with the S-Line suspension setup. Its surprisingly neutral setup, at least that possibily is what the traction control is doing. Slides rather than understeers. The suspension and chassis setup is far more capable than what the engine can provide. Steering feel is pretty good considering what the car is and not overly assisted. I believe the facelift did away from the hydraulic system that ours has and doesn't quite offer as much.

However in terms of ride comfort, the Saab was far superior. I'm not even talking about our A4 at 200k vs the Saab at the time. When I had the 9-3, my parents had the A4 when it was much fresher. Even my mum noticed how much more supple the suspension was over the A4. The Saab had the much lamented Sports suspension too.

Having gone from an RX8 at the time, I really enjoyed the relax driving experience from the 9-3. You could buzz along in comfort and not feel the need to corner hard into every turn. It actually slowed me down a lot as a driver and mellowed me out.

The traction control system did a pretty good job on the Saab as well. I always likened it to be designed for the travelling salesman foot. I.e. booting when cornering but the computers still kept the car settled.

Interior wise it's not fair to compare as completely different generations apart. The fair comparison would be to the B6 and B7, which were similar age. Having driven and travelled in a B7 and B6s, I can't say it was an order of magnitude better than the 9-3. Still suffered from the same plastic wear and degradation that most premium cars did.

Yeah an Audi like that is from a different era. The Saab up to and including the 9000 (and the Thema and others for that matter) is a type of car that simply doesn't exist any more, for people who virtually don't exist (like me).
I have barely progressed to owning a mobile phone so a 1990s Saab is a very complex, prestigious concept to me
From a layman's perspective, and I am a layman here, cars from the early 2000s are really a new mode of transport to what came before, such is the level of computing power they have, operating suspensions, engines, gearboxes. To me they are not really cars, the last cars having been built before OBD2 appeared.

The 9000 was a good car and to be fair, so was the first gen 9-5, especially when they are sub 1000 quid.

[Nibblet]

Would be nice to get the rear arches fixed or improved but yes, financially not worthwhile, hence I guess I'll have to get something else fairly soon. Right now it's a case of better the devil you know though, although I can afford to spend a fair dollop on something tidy.

No offence Rev but BMWs just aren't me, could get
another W124 I guess, fab autobox and great turning circle were boons for me. Don't know about more modern Benzes, of course the corrosion and edible wiring puts you off a bit. Or I could go back to Skoda ownership and get a petrol Octavia.

[AutoshiteBoy]

A lot of the comments here are why I drive a Rover 600 daily. I just like it and while it does nothing especially good, aside from reliability, its does nothing bad and is a very comfortable place to be.

[SiC]

Would be nice to get the rear arches fixed or improved but yes, financially not worthwhile, hence I guess I'll have to get something else fairly soon. Right now it's a case of better the devil you know though, although I can afford to spend a fair dollop on something tidy.

No offence Rev but BMWs just aren't me, could get
another W124 I guess, fab autobox and great turning circle were boons for me. Don't know about more modern Benzes, of course the corrosion and edible wiring puts you off a bit. Or I could go back to Skoda ownership and get a petrol Octavia.

Give a 9-5 a go imo. Even if its just a test drive. They're cheap enough to buy one and try it that way too.

[wobert]

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I'm rocking a £400 95 AERO HOT currently. It's not a car for sharp corners but it does the bumpy roads around here better than any BMW I've ever driven, has fantastic seats and I'm getting 30mpg. Seems alright to me.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

This looks quite superb for 600 sovs.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Saab-95-esta ... 890.l49292

[Hooli]

Considering I got two house doors in the saloon without a struggle you'd get the entire world in the back of that.

[wobert]

Must admit the saloon does slightly dampen the practicality of it.

I had a large water butt to move, with two kids. Easiest in the 205, drop half the seat and put it front to back on that side. Couldn't have got it in the saloon without losing both back seats.



Also, where can you change a baby's nappy in a full saloon. I always just use the parcel shelf, but in the Saab yesterday I had to use the driver's seat. Grim.

[Hooli]

Saab drivers are often old enough to be back into nappies anyway.

[SiC]

pre-10s Jag drivers are old enough that they shouldn't be on the road driving.