Saab-prise!
Friday, November 14, 2008
By Andrew W. Davis
Little. Yellow. Different. (Where have I heard that before? ...)
For all you Saab-ophiles out there, here's all you need to know about the new 9-3 Convertible: It's powered by a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, it looks all wedge-shaped and aircraft-sleek (especially up front where it counts) and - most importantly - it has its ignition slot down between the front seats where God and all the trolls in Tröllhatten intended.
For the rest of you, I'll say this: Saabs have always been different. But different - in this case at least - is in no way bad.
And for anyone who automatically thinks "weird" when they hear the name Saab you're only right about the old ones. You know, like the ones way back two years ago.
Seriously though, I'm the first guy to acknowledge the oddness of Saabs. And I speak from experience as I owned the oddest (non-Sonnett) Saab of them all: a '66 Saab 96/850 Monte Carlo.
It had it all: a two-stroke, 850 cc three-cylinder popcorn-popper "motor" coupled to its tiny front wheels through a column-shifted, "free-wheeling" transmission, with everything - including the deck chair-like removable seats - wrapped in a distinctly beetle-like (not Beetle-like) body.
When it ran it was great. Like piloting an abused riding lawnmower great. But it didn't run very often or for long. And while it usually comported itself in a truly car-like fashion, in the end, it was the equivalent of a half-inflated bounce house: from the outside it sure looks like fun, but once you're in there it falls flat.
But as I mentioned they're (mostly) not like that anymore. In fact, the ultra-limited edition one I'm about to share with you is so good that if it didn't change your impression about Saabs it'd at least revise your opinion about what makes any car good.
[Just get your "revising" done soon: with only 140 made for the US market they're selling (or have sold) fast...]
Lynx? Try "Big Bird"
My '66 was pale shade of buttercup yellow. It was one of its most redeeming qualities. There's just something about the color yellow-almost any yellow-that can make even the most Igor-ish cars seem friendly and cute.
But Saab addicts see all that and more. To them, yellow is a hallowed hue, applied only to the most special of Special Editions. It - and to a lesser extent, dark blue - is "the" color, although I'd guess Saab just started using them because they're the colors found on the Swedish flag.
Be that as it may (or may not), the days of "mild yellow" usage are gone. Saab's completely committed to yellow as an eye-searing hue, the latest of which it calls "Lynx Yellow."
[Why "Lynx" when my monster Webster's says it means "wildcats of North America with grayish-brown fur marked with white"? It's anyone's guess, although "No! Bad! *hand smack*" doesn't sound that great either and it's harder to fit on the Monroney.]
Incorrect animal name assignation aside, should you be lucky enough to find - and buy - a 9-3 Convertible with the ultra-rare "Lynx Yellow Convertible Package" you'll discover that you get more than just snazzy paint for the extra $2,495 it adds to the standard 9-3 2.0T Convertible's MSRP of $39,590.
[Add in the $745 "Destination Charge" you pay on all Saabs for an "true" total of $42,830.]
Those added buckaroos get you the exterior paint on everything, including the interior door "caps" and a deck lid spoiler that's part of the package. They'll also swap the 2.0T's 16-inch wheels out for snazzier 17-inch five-spoke alloys and install a stereo that's almost as loud as the paint.
Named the "Prestige 300 Premium" sound system after its 300-watt amp, it channels its AM/FM/XM radio, 6CD in-dash changer and auxiliary input jack through 10 speakers with enough gusto to give you the same great audio performance during top-down freeway driving as you'd get in your driveway with the top up.
Speaking of which, though having to start the car from the center console will seem weird, none of the 9-3's other controls are. In fact, the one-touch power top-operating toggle switch - perfectly placed beside the gauge cluster - puts other carmakers' complicated controls to shame.
And while the "Nightpanel" button just below it is fun to goof with after the sun goes down - just trust me and try it - it's the "Sport" button at the bottom that you'll get the most use out of (if you go for the automatic).
[I wouldn't, but...]
Oh, no Aero?
I can tell that the price of gasoline (or the average person's perceptions of "fuel economy") is getting to the carmakers, too, when they swap out their "biggest and baddest" high-horsepower powertrains for their most conservative - read: "base" - versions.
Often times this explains why lots of "special edition" models pop up based upon these bottom-shelfers as the average car maker's way to move these unexciting units.
So I can see how you might be skeptical about Saab's motives for making the "Lynx" package available only on its entry-level "2.0T" model. But Saab's penchant for super-duper models with teeny-weenie engines is well-established (and the Saab 9-3's base power plant is still a good one).
The 2.0T gets its name from the 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 you'll find sideways beneath its hood. And while its 210 horsepower and 221 lb.-ft. of torque may pale when compared to the 255 hp and 258 lb.-ft. "Aero" models get from their turbocharged V6, keep in mind the fact that those horses cost $135 each thanks to the Aero's $45,640 MSRP.
Besides, so long as you stick with the Saab's standard slick-shifting six-speed manual transmission the 2.0T will give you all the grunt you're likely to need. But as I mentioned before, most Lynx Convertibles - and every other version - is built with an optional slushbox, be it a five-speed for the 2.0T or six-speed in the Aero.
Both "Sentronic" automatics run $1,350 and have the typical "manual" shift gate (the "+/-" slot that fools no one). And while many appreciate the fact that their inability to drive a stick can be hidden from their friends and enemies alike, they suck the low-end life from both engines.
[They also make the Saabs accelerate like there's a giant wet sponge on the gas pedal, though the severity of the condition can be lessened by using the "Sport" button I mentioned before.]
Besides, that money is better spent applying it to the other options, the $1,695 Premium Package (8-way power pass. seat, steering-linked HID headlamps, front fog lamps, memory driver's seat and rear park assist), $550 Cold Weather Package (heated front seats and high-pressure headlamp washers) and the $600 "Blue" or "Sand" convertible tops (vs. the standard black one).
Just about everything else you'd want on a premium small convertible is here standard, including leather upholstery - on four beautifully-crafted and comfortable seats - power seats/mirrors/locks/etc., dual-zone automatic climate control and every safety anagram in the business, including ESP, ABS and LATCH.
Safe, sporty, svelte and sleek; what more could you ask for?
[Actually, I know one additional thing I'm asking for...]
Bottom line
So here's my idea guys: I want you to build another special-edition convertible 9-3 in Lynx Yellow - and maybe dark blue, too - with the 2.8-liter six and the rest of the "Aero" goodies. But rather than re-use the "Viggen" name, I want you to take pride in what most experts call "the most advanced fighter aircraft in service today": The Gripen.
Yes, folks, it's not the American F-22 Raptor, the European Eurofighter Typhoon nor the product of any other "junior superpower." It's the Gripen - "Griffin" in English - made in Sweden by Saab (with Volvo engines!).
[When they say their products are "Born From Jets", they ain't messing around.]
There are enough car buyers out there that like their ignition switches down between the seats to buy-up a limited run of 200 to 300 cars (as they did with the 2008 Lynx Yellow Convertibles) and it's a win-win for you guys because you're really advertising just how jet-like your cars can be when they get hold of the most powerful power plant you make.
Anyway, at least tell me you're considering it. I'll even pretend it wasn't my idea. Really!
[Then again, if you want to give me credit - and maybe a fighter aircraft ride-along - I'm game if you are...]
