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Saab 9-3 Convertible – Don’t Live Without It
If you’ve never owned a convertible car, you’re missing out on something. It’s like never making it to the FA Cup final, or not getting a seat in finals day at Wimbledon or even missing the last test as England take back the ashes. So what do I mean by that, well they’re all nice, and they are all life enriching experiences, but at the end of the day, they are all things we can live without.
But then, why should we? OK, I know I have just made a strange comparison, because given the choice, but for me, you can keep your FA Cup ticket, and the strawberries and cream on Murray Mount, and burn the ashes (again), if it meant I could use a convertible car permanently and frankly, I can't really think of many much better than the Saab 9-3 Aero that we have been testing for the last couple of weeks.
You see a few Saab convertibles on the road and that’s not surprising as the Saab 9-3 is the best selling 4 seat convertible in the UK. Yes, it surprised us as well, as you tend to see BMW, or Mercedes, and hoards of Audi A4 Cabriolets, so would imagine one of those car makers holds the “most popular” crown, but no, it’s the Saab.
Now I am going to try and make the case why all of us should at least consider a convertible or cabriolet as our next car. People don’t see Convertible cars as a real alternative to your regular business or family car, but fact is, cars like the SAAB 9-3 are full 4 seat cars that 4 real adult people can sit in and with the hood up they drive, behave and sound just like your regular saloon. OK, they are 2 door cars and they have a boot rather than a hatchback, but ask yourself how often you pick up 10 bags of cement from B&Q.
I will concede that a convertible isn’t as convenient as a normal hatchback, but then they are not as boring either and if you drive a convertible, people feel you are kind of cool and no matter what age you are and that you still haven’t given up that zest for life. Convertible suggests lifestyle, it suggests taste, it suggests fun and it looks more like your “own” car than some everyday hatch or saloon your company might have given you.
So how do they stack up financially? Well convertibles are generally more expensive than their saloon or hatch brothers, typically around £3,000 or so, but then they are worth more in hard cash when you come to sell them, so you can pretty much get that money back. Insurance is going to cost you more, as for some reason that’s always passed me by, insurance companies see them as a higher risk vehicle and I can only assume it’s because they are just so desirable, that everyone wants to steal them? Other than that, fuel costs, service costs and all that stuff are going to be exactly the same as the saloon or hatch version with the same engine, so no extra costs there.
When it comes to selling the car, buyers just flock to these things, and they are a breeze to sell because they are so rare, which not only means you can ask “proper” money for the car, but also means your going to sell it pretty quickly, so there’s no spending fortunes week after week on press ad’s to sell them, as potential buyers will be queuing up. All this translates into a good value leasing quotation as well.
Let’s get back to our Saab 9-3 Convertible. .
Everyone knows Saab has been going through difficult times following the break up of GM in Europe and whilst sorting out all GM’s problems is still going on, its been announced that Swedish sports car maker Koenigsegg, have agreed to buy Saab and have signed what’s referred to as a ‘memorandum of understanding’ with General Motors agreeing to purchase the Saab brand. The deal is hoped to be completed some time in the third quarter 2009, and will involve GM, as suppliers of components, so there isn’t likely to be any immediate change in the Saab’s we know at the moment. That said, Koenigsegg boss, 37 year old Christian Von Koenigsegg is clearly a very innovative young man, so Saab can only benefit from such a mentor.
Our test car was a top spec Aero version in a pretty blue metallic, with cream leather upholstery and big shiny alloys (you can picture it can't you) and frankly, the longer we lived with it and more we looked at it, the prettier the car became and there is no doubt that the 9-3 Convertible is a classy looking car
The interior of the car is well finished, everything fits and nothing rattles. The materials are nice and the way it’s all put together gives you the feeling you’re sitting in something that’s well built and of a decent quality. We felt comfortable in the Saab from the off and everything fell to hand easily and intuitively, as if we had been driving the car for ages.
The Saab dash still has the quirky “night panel” feature which darkens all the non-essential displays, but of course, not the speedometer and apparently, this is a crossover from the Saabs aircraft past, allowing the “pilot” to concentrate more on the job in hand. To stop you forgetting your driving a Saab, the ignition switch is still located on the console in-between the seats, its ok, but why?
Our car had a DVD based satellite Navigation System with an 5.8” colour touch screen display, which was very easy to program and always took us the right way although with the hood down in sunlight, it could be difficult to see the map, however, on those occasions, the voice guidance insured you kept on track to ensure you didn’t get lost. The systems voice recognition also made it possible control other functions such as radio, CD and of course a mobile phone connected to the system by Bluetooth.
Dropping the cars cloth hood is quick and easy, it’s the touch of one button, no levers or catches to mess with, just hold the button down for 20 seconds and the jobs done and just in case you get caught in the rain, putting it up is just as quick and the clever Saab even lets you do it on the move at speeds of up to 20mph (great in traffic on the way home after a hard day at work) and head room with the hood down is fabulous!
The cars dual zone “intelligent” climate control is pretty smart as well, as soon as you drop the top, it changes from auto mode to manual and letting you play with 11 different settings and even with the hood down, the system will still blow icy air at you for those mega hot days and just in case you need to keep your prawn sandwiches in the glove box, well that’s air-conditioned too.
Saabs first convertible was made over 20 years ago and the early cars were notorious for scuttle shake which made the back and front of the car seem as if they weren’t joined properly, but over the years of development, they’ve got that one beaten and the car now feels as solid as any of its competitors, in fact more so than some.
The Saab 9-3 has become the first convertible to achieve a maximum five-star Euro NCAP safety rating and that’s pretty damn impressive for a car with no roof. There are loads of safety goodies, which I guess helped win the coveted five-stars, including active front head restraints to protect against neck injury, there are 6 airbags and the front airbags are “adaptive” which means they deploy differently, depending on the strength of the impact. There are also two-stage side airbags to protect your head and thorax. Mechanical safety comes in the form of ABS brakes, Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), Mechanical Brake Assist, Cornering Brake Control (CBC), Traction Control System (TCS) with brake and throttle intervention and Electronic Stability Program (ESP). The Saab convertible also has an “Active Rollover Protection System” roll over bars and strengthened A-pillars which are able to withstand load ratings of 2.2 times greater than the weight of the car. So whilst no one can ever be perfectly safe in any car, Saab seems to have minimised the risks as much as possible and that’s important for a convertible.
Our test car was the 250bhp 2.8ltr V6, but unfortunately that’s being dropped for 2010, but what a stunning engine and gearbox combination it is, but then there is little point in telling you how wonderful this car was, as you’re not going to be able to buy one, so Saab did the next best thing and sent us an identical Aero saloon version of the 9-3 with the 180bhp TTiD engine, so we could kind of get a feel for that as well.
Model wise, there are three specifications, the Linear SE, Vector Sport and range topping Aero. A quick run down the engine line up reveals its all change for 2010, as out goes the V6, leaving just 3 petrol units and 2 diesels. Petrol’s are the 1.8t which produces 150bhp, the 1.8t BioPower which steps it up to 175bhp and the highest output petrol, the 2.0T which produces a fun 210bhp. The diesels are both 1.9ltr but the TiD produces 150bhp, whilst the TTiD (twin turbo) offers a reasonable 180bhp (for us heavy right footers).
Prices for 2010 will be £25,760 for the 1.8t Linear Se, up to £32,361 for the top spec Aero with the TTiD 180 unit.
In terms of the cars drive and performance, we adored the 2.5V6, because of its enormous power, but being absolutely honest it would be the 180bhp diesel we would opt for, and whilst we were using the saloon version with that engine, we were getting almost 48mpg, and that wasn’t being driven with particular care. In terms of performance, it was good, really good and honestly offered most things that any one of us would expect and you felt content knowing that despite the performance it delivered, you were not paying through the nose for it, unlike the V6 where a long trip might involve taking out a second mortgage.
On the road, the car is refined, it’s sharp and easy to handle and with the hood up, it’s pretty much like driving a saloon. With the hood down, the car comes alive and as you sit pretty low in the car, even at motorway speeds, there isn’t much wind or buffeting and it’s gorgeous. Our car had heated seats, which I have to say, were amazingly comfortable and with the heaters on, I am sure they will keep you toasty warm, even with the hood down on a winter’s day.
Earlier, I tried to convince you to look at a convertible for your next car and there are loads to choose from. Yes there is a trade off or compromise in choosing a convertible over a regular hatchback, its isn’t going to let you fold the seats down and pack it full of stuff, that’s not what its about, but for most people the boots on these cars are big enough and in the case of the Saab, that’s 235 litres with the hood down and 253 litres with it up, so for those of you that like to wander round a field wearing silly trousers, well you can comfortably get two golf bags and bats in the boot, so you can take a friend along.
We love convertibles, driving them with the hood down is a unique experience, you feel fresh and might sound odd, but more at one with the world, as driving a drop top car allows you to see and experience things that just aren’t possible in a saloon car. Its not easy to put it into words, you have to drive one for yourself, but its exciting, its exhilarating even at city speed limits and you just don’t have to drive fast to have fun in a convertible as it brings a whole new dimension to any journey you need to make.
For a quotation on the Saab 9-3 Convertible, or any Saab, please contact us
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