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The new 9-3 takes a more traditional, and effective, approach at conquering the sport sedan market. The hatchback body is gone, as is the floppy handling and annoying torque steer.
(Photo courtesy of Saab Cars USA)
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The stark interior offers comfortable seats, clear gauges and conventional window controls. We also like the high-mounted display that can be read without taking your eyes off the road.
(Photo courtesy of Saab Cars USA)
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Short overhangs and a tall greenhouse give the 9-3 a modern, sporty look. The five-spoke, 17-inch alloy wheels (standard on Vector models) add to the car's performance image.
(Photo courtesy of Saab Cars USA)
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Road Test: First Drive Test
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First Drive: 2003 Saab 9-3
Going Mainstream
By
Karl Brauer, Editor in Chief, Edmunds.com
Date posted: 08-01-2002
Competing in today's entry-level sport sedan market is a lot like writing a Hollywood
screenplay. Sure, just about everyone's doing it, but most of the work is either
a tired rehash of an overdone theme or something so off-the-wall that its originality
is surpassed only by its lack of palatability to the typical consumer.
Landing somewhere between these two extremes (a familiar framework, but with enough
creativity to hold one's interest) is what most of today's automakers strive for,
and it's precisely where Saab has targeted its all-new 2003 9-3 sport sedan.
Abandoning its long-standing hatchback tradition, the company's new sport sedan
is, indeed, a sedan, meaning a fixed rear window and conventional trunk with a
still-impressive 14.8 cubic feet of storage space. While losing the hatchback
dilutes Saab tradition, the company's research as shown that 75 percent of the
9-3's target market is looking for a sedan, not a hatchback. Furthermore, Saab
says it has seen a dramatic increase in sales for the 9-5 sedan compared to the
previous 9000, which was a five-door hatchback.
Marketing strategy aside, we can say with confidence that the new 9-3's shape
offers an attractive blend of modern, stylish lines without sacrificing its obvious
Saabness. The short front/rear overhangs combine with a tall greenhouse and sloping
C-pillar to convey a sense of speed and performance. Think of it as an IS 300
without so many sharp edges.
The new design also offers some functional advantages over the previous version.
With a 2.1-inch increase in overall width and a 2.8-inch increase in wheelbase
length, the 9-3 offers improved shoulder room (3.2 inches in front, 2.6 inches
in back) and increased rear legroom (1.5 inches). While the increased front passenger
space is appreciated when seated in the highly supportive and comfortable front
bucket seats, the backseat is still tight by sport sedan standards. It's definitely
more BMW 3 Series than Acura TL.
Thankfully, the promise made by the sleek styling is kept with a slippery 0.28
coefficient of drag — a full 10 percent improvement over the current model.
These sleek lines, along with the tight body panel gap tolerances and slightly
lower ride height (almost ½ inch), give the 9-3 a purposeful look and feel.
Opening and closing the trunk, or any of the four doors, also suggested a high
level of build quality, as everything had a light, fluid feel without being tinny
or cheap.
Climb inside the Saab and you're treated to a traditionally stark interior as
only the Swedes can deliver. The primarily black cabin of our Vector test vehicle
was broken up by metallic trim around the shifter, on the steering wheel spokes
and near the upper part of the door panels. There were also small silver strips
of leather inside the front seat bolsters of the otherwise black leather seats.
Saab has shown innovation in designing the emergency brake handle of the new 9-3.
It is cleverly integrated into the center stack/console design and will likely
cause some confusion for valets the first time they encounter it.
More conventional are the large primary gauges and door-mounted window switches,
each with one-touch operation for both down and up. Though it's reassuring to
see an automaker sticking with a basic ergonomic design that works, we'd prefer
fewer buttons and more dials for the otherwise highly effective climate control
system. For Saab traditionalists (and for safety purposes), the company has kept
the ignition switch between the seats. But the ignition key itself uses an electronic
transponder and rolling code to keep the vehicle from starting unless the proper
key is used.
Another all-new feature is the Saab Information Display (SID). Located just below
the windshield in the center of the dashboard, SID provides the driver with vehicle
information without forcing him to look down and away from the road. Items like
radio frequency, outside temperature and climate control settings can be displayed
here. The SID is also the main interface for Saab's in-depth Profiler system that
allows drivers to adjust everything from ventilation preferences to speed-sensing
volume to parking-assist sensitivity (on models equipped with this option). It
will even inform the driver if one of the rear seatbacks is not fully locked into
its upright position. Both the SID and the Profiler system are standard on all
9-3 models.
If the basic Profiler features aren't enough to keep you entertained, Saab promises
a full complement of "infotainment" features for the new 9-3. By utilizing an
extensive fiber-optic network throughout the vehicle, the company claims to have
reduced weight and complexity for on-board systems while also increasing electronic
speed and efficiency. Current features like OnStar telematics (standard on all
9-3s) and future innovations, such as wireless high-speed Internet access, are
two examples of technology that benefit from this fiber optic pathing.
With so many technical features on board, along with generally high-quality interior
materials and a host of advanced safety features like side-curtain airbags, cornering
brake control and active head restraints, Saab effectively conveys the "premium"
nature of the new 9-3. However, the company's PR representatives and press material
repeatedly refer to the 9-3 as a "sport sedan." Known previously for its somewhat
floppy suspension tuning and hard-to-contain torque steer when accelerating, the
company is now effectively "calling out" benchmark sedans like the BMW 3 Series
and Audi A4 with this marketing theme. We got some seat time in two high-end Vector
models and one base 9-3 Linear to see if the product stands up to Saab's claims.
Our initial seat time came in a top-of-the-line Vector with the 210-horsepower
high-pressure turbo engine and six-speed manual transmission. Though only a 2.0-liter
four-cylinder engine block, the Mitsubishi TD04 turbo system sitting on top of
this powerplant gives the engine a broad, usable torque bank with minimal lag
at low rpm. Saab uses a proprietary engine management system called Trionic
8 to maximize the engine's power delivery and responsiveness. Combined with
the all-new six-speed transmission (standard on mid-level Arc and top-of-the-line
Vector models) this drivetrain gives the 9-3 a lively nature. Acceleration figures
weren't offered by the Saab folks, but a 0-to-60 time of less than 7 seconds should
be no problem. Better still, torque-steer was never an issue, even when we were
fully hammering the engine along deserted Swedish countryside.
Our second surprise came when navigating the twists and turns that make up much
of southern Sweden's road system. Not only did the 9-3 Vector suffer minimal body
roll, but it did so while providing excellent ride quality along high-speed straight-aways.
Furthermore, an all-new passive rear-wheel steering system helped rotate the 9-3
in sharper corners, making the car's front-wheel-drive plow tendency less obtrusive
than we expected. While it's not up to BMW standards (and won't be as long as
the front wheels are pulling it around), the 9-3 Vector should easily hang with
non-all-wheel-drive A4s and Volvo S60s when the road gets twisty.
After being thoroughly impressed with the manual-shift Vector, we climbed into
a base 9-3 Linear equipped with the five-speed automatic. Although the Saab's
comfortable seats and excellent ride quality remained, the Linear's lethargic
nature when trying to accelerate left us cold. What at first seemed like severe
turbo lag from the 175-horsepower low-pressure turbo engine was quickly diagnosed
as transmission lag when mashing the throttle. Under part-throttle conditions,
the problem wasn't nearly as obvious, but ask for a sudden burst of acceleration,
from either a dead stop or when rolling at speed, and there is an almost painful
delay between when the pedal hits the floor and when the car finally bolts forward.
The 9-3 automatic's slushy upshifts were similarly uninspiring, even when controlled
by the new steering wheel-mounted shift buttons designed to "bring gear-shifting
control right to the driver's fingertips." We should note that the new transmission
doesn't offer the "sport" and "winter" modes as seen on previous Saabs (including
the current 9-5). After considering the possibility that our particular test car
had a problem, or thinking that maybe the 175-horsepower engine and automatic
transmission were simply incapable of giving the 9-3 an inspired feel, we tried
a Vector model with the 210-horsepower engine hooked to the automatic. Identical
characteristics. Take this issue as you will, but we think a brand-new totally
redesigned "sport sedan" shouldn't allow you to count "one-one-thousand" between
flooring it and having the drivetrain respond. Look for a full road test article of the Saab 9-3 in November 2002; at that point, we will be able to tell whether these transmission problems were just anomalies.
Saab will offer the 9-3 in base Linear, mid-level Arc and high-end Vector trims.
Even a base Linear comes well equipped with items like electronic stability control,
OnStar telematics and power leather seats. With the 9-3 at a starting price of
just $26,525, including destination charge, we feel this represents a solid value
in the entry-level sport sedan category, though we question the use of 15-inch
wheels on any vehicle in this segment, even a base model. Step up to the Arc and
you get the more powerful 210-horsepower engine, 16-inch wheels, a power sunroof,
walnut-trimmed interior, three-position driver-seat memory and a six-disc in-dash
CD audio system with 13 speakers for $30,620, including destination charge. The
top-level Vector adds a performance-tuned suspension, 17-inch wheels, exterior
body cladding, sport seats with a sport steering wheel and a metallic interior
trim for $33,120. None of these prices includes an automatic transmission, which
is a $1,200 option on the Linear and Arc or $1,300 on the Vector. Unless you simply
can't deal with a clutch pedal, we'd suggest avoiding the auto and saving your
money.
Saab hopes the 9-3 sedan will be the spark to ignite a sales explosion for 2003
and beyond. As the most competitive model to come from the company in recent memory,
the 9-3 should raise consumer awareness for the company while retaining the majority
of current Saab buyers. Whether Saab can also pull in buyers of the current 3
Series, A4, C-Class and S60 remains to be seen, but its chances are better with
this 9-3 model than they have been for a long time.
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