Don't let the Saab's last-place finish fool you. Several editors chose this car as their second pick, given the choice of the four. The Saab does have many endearing traits. Most salient among them is its turbocharged engine. Saab's specialty is in force-feeding air into engines, resulting in an exhilarating whirr that's as smooth as the foie gras of a goose with gravel stuffed down its throat. A 0-to-60-mph run of 7.1 seconds came forth by extracting 230 horses and 258 pound-feet of torque from this 2.3-liter inline four engine. It revs hard and fast, and before you know it the rev limiter kicks in to chastise your enthusiastic right foot. Though not difficult to use, the five-speed manual transmission is hampered by an inprecise shifter and an annoying key interlock that forces you to put the car in reverse before it will release the key.

Braking proved to be satisfactory, with the only major gripe being the pedal's long travel before actuation. Once the calipers gripped, the car stopped from 60 mph to 0 in 124 feet. That's 14 feet longer than our shortest stopper, the BMW, even though the Saab is more than 500 pounds lighter than the Bimmer. Traction control is standard, but no stability control system is available.

The Saab was the most softly sprung of the group, with plenty of lean and wallow. The body behaves so predictably that we were able to zoom out of corners with great enthusiasm, but it wasn't good at regaining its composure after transitions. It's based on a nearly decade-old design, and as such, suffers from an expected amount of cowl shake. Those Swedes — they choose a platform and they stick to it like day-old herring on Melba toast. The 9-3's speed of 61.5 mph through our 600-foot slalom, the third best in the group, seemed more due to the Pirelli P600 215/45ZR17 performance tires that came with the Viggen trim level than the actual chassis. Overall, it slotted slightly behind the Thunderbird for a last-place finish in the performance category. Ah, well, you can learn how to control the car better during a course in high-performance driving at the Viggen Flight Academy, which comes standard with this trim level.

Of course, an evaluation of Saabs would not be complete without mention of torque steer. While it was abundantly existent in our 9-3, most of our editors felt that it was easy enough to acclimate to, and that otherwise, the steering rack provided good feedback and was well weighted. On the safety front, Saab provides side head- and torso side airbags, but there is no mention of a rollover protection system.

We were smugly satisfied with our comfort level in the front seats, which more than one editor characterized as "La-Z-Boy-like." With great thigh support, side bolstering and an unusual but effective headrest (which also minimized wind buffeting), you hardly noticed the single setting for the seat heater, cramped footwell and missing armrest. The steering wheel telescopes but doesn't tilt; if you can't see the top of the gauges while comfortably seated, well, then, a compromise must be made. Rear seat accommodations were only behind the Volvo's in terms of capaciousness, allowing for 33.0 inches of legroom. Trunk space was by far the most generous of the group at 12.5 cubic feet with a large opening, augmented by folding rear seats.

Overall, the interior materials pleased, with even the hard plastics sporting a matte finish and tasteful patterns. We liked the perforated-leather-covered steering wheel, as well as the soft leather that covered the seats and door panels. Not so praiseworthy were the exposed screwheads, inconsistent gaps in the dash and rough edges on plastics. Such features as a night panel function, which allows for a totally dark cabin even with the headlights on, seems more like a cute oddity than a necessity, and we were irked by a cupholder that deployed from the top of the center stack and the one that takes up most of the teeny center console.

Stereo operation took a bit longer to get used to than most cars', given its somewhat unconventional layout, but once settled in, we liked the large buttons. The same holds true of the automatic climate control — finding out how to send air to both the torso and the footwell required some fiddling. In terms of features, we wished for a tuning knob and the availability of an in-dash CD changer. The Saab is equipped with an OnStar telematics system, and the first year's service is free. And don't forget, all Saabs come with no-charge scheduled maintenance for 3 years or 36,000 miles.

Top operation was the most ungainly of the group, requiring an unintuitive pull of the release lever before you can push the operation button. It took 24 seconds to go down, 27 to go up, with much accompanying noise and a high lift clearance. Be careful using it in a parking garage. Once stowed, it has a self-covering boot, and we were pleased with the single-button four-window control with one-touch down.

Our 9-3 was decked out in Steel Grey Metallic Paint, a $475 option. The car's wedge-like shape drew polarized opinions, although most editors agreed that this is the best-looking 9-3 variant. Much of the praise was about the Viggen package, which includes the handsome 17-inch five-spoke wheels, a slightly wider track, side skirts and deeper spoilers.

While the Saab and its charm claims more than its fair share of enthusiasts, when one considers that the 9-3 is built on an aged platform that will be replaced for the 2003 model year, and included a limited amount of features in a package that only had a $50 advantage over our winner, the BMW, it was easy to see why it placed fourth. However, it evoked much more of a passionate response than its Swedish counterpart, the Volvo, and if you're a driving enthusiast in tune with the eccentric, the Saab may just be up your alley.

SECOND OPINIONS:

Road Test Editor John DiPietro Says:
I know I'm going out on a limb here, but I was taken by the Saab. While others complained about the torque steer and rubbery feeling of some of the controls, I reveled in the way the car interacted with me. With gobs of power, it was a blast to leave the car in third and slingshot from corner to corner while dicing through the canyons. Yes, the lively wheel wiggled some in my hands, but at least I knew what the front tires where doing, and it was easy to control. And when I wasn't driving the wheels off it, the 9-3 was one of the most comfortable cars to while away the miles in, thanks largely to the comfortable seats that the Swedes do so well.

Consumer Advice Editor Phil Reed says:
When I first drove the 9-3 Viggen, I had a very negative reaction. Hitting the first speed bump in the parking garage I could feel the body flex excessively, and there was a feeling of looseness to the body construction. On the freeway, with the top up, it was noisy and the rear visibility was impossible. But then I found the right road to drive on. And the fun began. I've never had such contradictory impressions from a car. It has great mid- and upper-range acceleration, and the gear box is tight. There is body roll but it's predictable. Ultimately, I'd have to say I like the way the car handles and drives. But given its price tag, and its idiosyncrasies, I would be hard-pressed to recommend it.

Road Test Editor Erin Riches says:
I can't decide how I feel about the 9-3 Viggen. It was the only convertible in the test with a four-cylinder, but with the aid of its high-pressure turbocharger, it seemed to have the most thrust off the line — I suppose 258 pound-feet of torque at 2,500 rpm would tend to give that impression. Better yet, power delivery is unusually smooth for a turbo, though the Viggen's snarly exhaust note upset the calm. As I drove toward Big Sur on Highway 1, I was comfortably strapped into the Saab's heavily bolstered seats enjoying a smooth ride. However, on the twisty stretches, the suspension was unable to impart the balanced feel of the 330Ci or even the Thunderbird — there was just too much body roll and the overall structure didn't seem very sturdy (which would explain all of the cowl shake). To be fair, though, once the Viggen's body settled into turns, there was grip to be had — particularly with 17-inch low-profile Pirelli tires — and I had fun with this car. But it wasn't a seamless fun as in the BMW, since every time I dug into the throttle, I had to ride out the torque steer. Inside the car is Saab's familiar aircraft cockpit ensemble, this time with glossy carbon fiber inlays — great, I suppose, but cheap plastics and sloppy assembly preclude an elegant feel (not that the T-bird and the C70 did any better). This is a weird but likeable car.

Stereo Evaluation - 2002 Saab 9-3 Viggen Convertible