Used 2005 Saab 9-2X Wagon Consumer Reviews
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Excellent car killed by inept marketing
Take one globally respected rally car, add a pinch of style and a sprinkling of refinement; Sounds like the recipe for success. Trouble is, Saab thinks just putting their name on Subaru's econobox without any other major changes suddenly makes it worth BMW or Audi money. For what it is (a handsome, fast and agile wagon) this car can not be faulted. For what it claims to be (a premium branded vehicle) it falls way short.
The Silver Bullet
I caught WRX fever about 4 months ago and had been trying to figure out a way to buy one, but then, I stumbled upon reviews at Edmunds and then saw the GM discount and took the "You only live once" attitude. I love this car. I got a great deal on it, but more importantly, the 92x has reminded how much fun driving can be. It's only been a month, but so far, nothing but fun. It's a real head turner too, you just don't see many where I live in Bethesda, MD. The car hugs the road. My experience so far is that the 92x has a split personality. Drive conservatively, downshift and you can get good gas mileage. Hit 3000 rpm and Grandma's not going to miss bingo afterall, it feels like an F15!
- Linear WagonMSRP: $4,477767 mi away
- Linear WagonMSRP: $5,799772 mi away
- Aero WagonMSRP: N/A949 mi away
The perfect sleeper
I've lived Saabs for years. I briefly owned an unfortunate '86 SPG, but loved its quirkiness (overused adjective when describing Saabs, I know) as well as its performance. The Saabaru is a near perfect marriage of two iconic marquees, in terms of performance, quality and quirk. It's a real shame more people don't even consider this car when shopping, especially considering the ridiculous incentives GM is currently offering. The power is there, the handling is better day to day than the WRX, it's stealthy (both to cops and the kid in the modded Civic), it's well made, it has a great warranty, and it's different. That counts for a lot with me in this age of SUVs and boring Asian lookalikes.
Best of Both Worlds
Right, so I bought my Satin Grey Aero for 22,500 out the door--9 miles on the clocks, bags on the seats (9 grand off sticker?? I'll take one, maybe two). Only option on mine is the Sport Package, which is just a sunroof and beautiful 17" wheels wrapped in decent RE011 Bridgestones. Most don't realize that this car has the STi's steering box (2.7 turns vs. 3 on the WRX) which is mounted with rigid bushings to the car, for a more responsive feel. And responsive it is! Great handling, with all the body roll expected from Fuji Heavy Industries. Easily fixed, mind you. Really, the cornering is spot on--you will hug this car after driving hard in the rain! Buy it now before August 1!
Saabaru...Best five door for the money
I was going to buy a WRX until I test drove the Saabaru. This is simply the best five door available--not just for the money, but period. Sure, there are some more upscale models filled with fluff (onboard navigation, various electronic gadgets, etc.) but most don't offer 220-hp with a tried and true engine, drivetrain, and turbocharger, let alone what is quite possibly the most reliable all-wheel drive system on the market. This car moves when you want it to (especially in Aero manual form, though the automatic is still spunky), just like the WRX, but is also a friendly daily driver. It performs like the WRX but drives like a Saab!
saab2xaero
Terrific bargain at gm employee price. Fun to drive, steering is best of any car I have ever owned, all wheel drive means no front wheel spin or hop on hard acceleration. Awesome acceleration in 2nd gear when turbo spooled up. Hatchback is very useful. Like having a high performance car that looks tame.
BEST BUY
Excellent combination of Saab inspired good looks, quiet cabin and Subaru practicality, sporty performance, race proven chassis design and reliability. Umpteen suppliers from aftermarket for Impreza WRX souped-up parts.
Conservative hotrod
The Saab Aero 92x is just the thing for senior citizens who want to recapture their youthful love affair with high performance automobiles yet not flaunt their second childhood in front of their neighbors. Encased in an attractive, upscale yet conservative, body lies the mechanicals of the firebreating Subaru WRX. This implies wonderfully responsive AWD handling, breathtaking midrange acceleration, near felony range top speed, and good reliability. And when you park the car you go back to being a responsible member of society. The only giveaway is the turbo scoop on the hood. There are few downsides except the requirement for premium gas. This is the penalty for the adventure.
Saabaru
My wife and I were shopping for a used Saab 9-5 wagon when we drove this at the dealer. The ride was amazing and my wife feel in love. With the employee pricing it was a huge steal. It isn't a true Saab, but it is one helluva Subaru.
9-2X happiness
Everyone wants to know if the 9-2X is worth the price premium over the Subaru Impreza wagon which it is based. It depends on what is important to the owner. GM/Saab definitely overpriced the 9-2X at first, but late summer incentives convinced me to buy. I really wanted a hatchback (3-door), but no automaker seems to want to offer this handy configuration anymore. So the 9-2X gives me two extra doors i will never need for hauling the two of us to the park, skiing, or on a weekend trip. Fuel economy predictably stinks for a car this size, but part of that is due to the desire of the driver to truly exercise the peppy engine and actually utilise the all-wheel-drive. Overall, the 9-2x is superb!
Fit for me and fun to drive
I choose this car for fit to my driving style, safety and fun to drive. I like a manual, compact car and the styling suited my step up from traditional GM cars. I knew it was a Saaburu - but for someone who wanted a manual 5 sp with AWD, and didn't look like a boy's car (I'm middle-aged professional woman), the 9-2X is a kick to drive. I feel safe with some fun power. I hit a deer doing 50 mph and the car didn't even quiver (the windshield didn't fare too well - but held). While I don't disagree with the reviews - I still love my car - and that is what counts.
Better than it's WRX cousin
Purchased the car during in July 2005, and have been very happy with everything, except turbo lag. The 2006 model gets a larger engine and should fix this problem. The car performs very well, so well that in snow and ice I can punch the gas and the 9-2x flys off the line. I also like the interior, easy to read gauges and very supportive seats (much better than WRX seats), also I chose the cold weather package w/ heated seats. The WRX only offers heated seats w/ the limited package (a $2000 option on WRX)!!!
A good but not great little car.
I have had some problems with the tires and wheels on this car. After only about 10000 miles all of the Bridgestone tires bubbled and half my rims were bent. I had to buy new tires and aftermarket wheels. The car handles great but turbo lag and cheap seats are a downfall.
Electrical Problems - beware
I had heard Saab was reliable and the new models did have pazazz and class. Wrong. Uncomfortable seats, and from the first I had problems with electrical. After setting for 3-4 days, the battery was completely dead. Then it would be fine for a month or so; then repeat the problem. The dealer was clueless. They replaced the battery and the alternator, which I told them was not the problem. I had a Jeep once with same problem. It was a wiring problem that drained the system. But, they knew best. Finally they offered me an insulting trade down to a used VW with outrageous payments. I took it to Carmax and got a Honda. Carmax is where I now buy all of my cars (Hondas). Great place.
Equilibrium
Of all the car i've try and own it's the car that has give me the best balance between praticality and driving pleasure. Quick the suspension is amazing and in perfect harmony with the steering. The suspension is superb too use and the acceleration are more then adequate. The AWD system with the lsd is the best i've ever tried tied with the wrx sti, just mind blowing. Sound system is good tissus seats were right between confort and sportiness, superb. Trunk and fuel economy is good. Maintenance is expensive tho but a well maintain subaru is reliable. In the end the driving experience ressemble the one of a miata but with hhhuuummmfff of a wrx and the praticality of station wagon. A mind blowing gems forget by everyone. If i could find a clean one for sale where i'm living i'll jump on it.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Saabaru NOT at it's Finest
Having owned 4 previous Saabs, this Saab is not their best by any means - nor is it up to Saab standards. I "downtraded" my Saab 9.5 Linear to save $150 on monthly car note - definelty not worth it! I drive 100 mi/day tho it is mostly highway driving. I feel every road bump - road noise - engine noise - not a comfy car by any means. I'm getting worse gas mileage, 25mpg (is a 5 speed) compared to 30 on the 9.5 - and it's a very small fuel tank annoys me to fill up every 3-4 days. I've never driven a Subaru - but I think this car is a Saab in a Halloween costume. I just hope it ends up being as reliable as my others - it better make up for the lack of comfort.
Just O.K.
First of all I'm a 21 year old college student. Its a black Aero with Cold & premium pkgs. I got this car myself it's my 1st car and couldn't wait to get it. With the employee pricing it was hard to pass up. But to that I add I should've gotten the new "06" Civc this car feels very questionable in the quality department. It's very slow off the line you have to practically floor it at every light to get it going which cancelled out the fuel efficiency of the 4cyl that it has as opposed to the "06" v6 eclipse i wanted it's the same MPG. The steering is said to be direct aka "Not enough power steering boost". I don't how Saab even thought this car would sell for 30k !!!
Just a car
the 2005 Saab Linear is fairly reliable and provides good gas mileage. However this car provides little if any driving enjoyment. I drive 35,000 miles annually and it didn't take long for the negative details of this car to outweigh the positive. The sound system is poor at best, the interior materials are low end economy car quality (I know if is an Impreza, but still) and the ride is noisy (yes, I have tried different tires). These elements coupled with a low fun to drive quotient strikes the Saab off of my future purchase list.
Eleanor will be missed...
I purchased my Aero used with 30,000K on her. I immediately fell in love and still miss her to this day. I had Eleanor for almost 3 years. She gave me no problems and put nothing but smiles on my face while I owned her. It was worth the expensive insurance, premium fuel and lackluster mpg. Unfortunately, the engine decided to blow at 57,000K with regularly scheduled maintenance. Thousands of dollars later it just wasn't the same and was forced to trade her in. I gave Subaru another chance and traded Eleanor in for '11 Legacy in May 2011.
Saabaru 9-2x
This is a great little car the only problems I had when I bought it was that the tires bubbled in under 10000 miles and I had to replace them with performance tires because no good tire company makes all weather tires for this car but bridgestone and they were the original tires.