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Posted March, 2007

Road Test: 2007 Saab 9-3 Aero

By Thomas E. Bonsall

Most cars in any given market segment are more alike than different. Of course, those of us who are auto writers tend to concentrate on the differences because without them we wouldn't have much to say. Still, reviewing cars sometimes seems like comparing the actors on one afternoon soap opera to another. The bland leading the bland. Then, there are the exceptions.

For decades, Saab made a mission of being different. Saabs looked differently, drove differently — did everything differently — often just for the sake of being different. The earliest Saabs sported a unique teardrop-shaped body, were powered by just about the only two-cycle engine on the planet (other than on lawn mowers) and had the ignition switch on the floor between the front bucket seats. And did I mention they were great fun to drive?

When General Motors bought the company in the early 1990s, we all wondered how much of Saab's differentness — its DNA, if you will — would survive. The answer has been mixed. Simply by having to share platforms, etc., with other GM brands (mostly Opel), the Saab unique character was bound to fade to a certain extent. That's the bad news. The good news is that Saabs are still great fun to drive and, yes, the ignition switch is still on the floor.

I must admit I have not been terribly fond of Saabs in years past. While their eccentricities helped build the company a small but enthusiastic following, they were a turn-off for many others, me included. I especially disliked Saabs with manual transmissions. Sure they were fun to drive, but they were also a lot of hard work.

Not so with the new 9-3 Aero sedan. I fell in love with it the first time I slid behind the wheel. Our test car, I should note, was an automatic (six-speed). Perhaps I would have come away with a different assessment had it been a stick. Never-the-less, it was one of the nicest small sport sedans we have come across in a long time.

The 9-3 Aero is powered by a 2.8-liter, 24-valve V6 engine that delivers 250 horsepower. Mated as it was on our test car to the automatic transmission, the 9-3 Aero was just a blast on the open road. It was even fun for zipping around town. There was plenty of power on tap for any circumstance, the handling was great and the ride was remarkably smooth for a car with a highly-tuned sport suspension. Saab's engineers have really done their work well.

We liked the styling inside and out. The interior is a little bit cramped but very comfortable. The 9-3 offers gobs of trunk space, so it would be a great car for traveling. The one complaint we had with the interior was that the door locks were not automatic in their operation. In most cars these days — certainly in the 9-3 Aero's price bracket — the doors automatically lock as you shift into gear and drive off. With our test car, we had to manually lock the doors, which, as my colleague Kevin Lowery put it with typical understatement in his notes, is "insane" for a car in this price range.

Which gets us down to brass tacks. What is the price range of the Saab 9-3 Aero? The base price is $32,475. Our test car had more than four thousand dollars worth of options and a final sticker price of $37,560. The options included: $550 for a special paint color, $1,350 for the automatic transmission, $550 for the heated front seats and the headlight washers, $695 for Onstar and $1,195 for the Touring Package.

The Touring Package includes: driver's seat three position memory, express up and down with remote opening for the front power windows and moonroof, auto dimming interior mirror with compass and integrated garage door opener, rear park assist and rain sensing windshield wipers. Of this whole list, the only item worth buying IMHO is the rear park assist — and it's not worth $1,195. I would never pay extra for special paint, either. The heated front seats and the headlight washers are a judgment call, but I know I could live without them. So it seems to me that a very nicely equipped 9-3 Aero could be had for just over $35,000, including destination charges.

In sum, we liked the 9-3 Aero a lot, which leads me to wonder if it is quirky enough for the traditionalists. On the other hand, GM is surely hoping to expand Saab's ownership base to a larger, more mainstream and more lucrative audience. Doing so while retaining significant amounts of Saab DNA will be a delicate challenge, but they are making excellent progress with the 9-3 Aero. If you are considering a sport sedan in the mid-30s, by all means check it out. R&D