It's official - Saab on a deroute.....

Any link to this? At the same time, the Vauxhall (Opel) Vectra in the UK now has the 175 bhp Saab 9-3 2.0t engine as an option.

Johannes H Andersen wrote: :: Any link to this? At the same time, the Vauxhall (Opel) Vectra in :: the UK now has the 175 bhp Saab 9-3 2.0t engine as an option.

Recieved Saab Magazine this Friday, there was a leaflet with it, promoting the Saab 9-3SS 1.8i.

Cheers!

Saab have to do this if they want to sell any cars at all in certain markets. In Germany there is some type of limit at 130hp on company cars, and without this 122hp engine no Saab manages to get below the limit.

I don't think anyone buying the cheaper step-in model with 122hp expects a speed monster.

Saab must sell cars in segments that have a large volume. This kind of car is a must to be able to enter these volume segments.

Goran Larsson wrote: :: Saab must sell cars in segments that have a large volume. This kind :: of car is a must to be able to enter these volume segments.

Thought that this was what the 9-2X was for....

Cheers!

I don't think we'll see that model in the UK, here image and branding is all important. The all turbo range of Saab worked quite well; hey Saab are turbo cars!

Audi was reluctant to introduce the 5 door A3 model because the 3 door A3 had a sporty image, whereas the 5 door was seen as a common family mover. Advertising must work as I remember being quite dismayed by seeing the first 5 door A3.

in article 3f9e9abb$0$29415$ snipped-for-privacy@dread15.news.tele.dk, Henrik B. at saab@tdcadsl_nospam_.dk wrote on 28/10/2003 16:35:

I think all things considered, it's not as bad as it seems. For the last few years we have had turbo only models and, while the diesel was a seriously bad move, the lack of normally aspirated models was a shame.

Follow me through here. The first 9-3s were poor. They were just re-badged

900 GMs. Saab have since managed to build a good car around GM standard parts and I am a serious fan of the new 9-3 and, especially, 9-5 models. We've not seen that kind of quality since the C900. I'm sure we'll see that again with these 1.8 NA engines. There might be teething troubles (like the first 9-3s), but Saab will make a good car of this.

I for one welcome the return of a non-turbo model into the Saab family. I do lament the fact that Volvo are producing (under Ford) the kind of car that Saab should be producing under GM (what with Lotus waiting in the wings). They've produced a world-renowned safe car and are making it dangerous again with the kind of horsepower that VAG group's RS engine would be proud of.

Taking this issue much wider, Saab are losing ground to Volvo in the marque market and I wonder how long Saab will still be seen as a competitor to the likes on BMW and Mercedes, rather than Toyota or Honda!!! or VW/Skoda :)

Just my thoughts ...

Paul

1989 900 Turbo S

in article snipped-for-privacy@sizefitter.com, Johannes H Andersen at snipped-for-privacy@sizefitter.com wrote on 28/10/2003 17:12:

Is this the one that has the flat bum, stolen directly from the 9000 CSE?

Paul

Hmmm...

I've driven several Vectras, several ng900s and a 2001 9^3. To me, the only things the 9^3 had over the same year Vectra was the engine and trim level. Take away the Saab engine and you're just left with a well trimmed Vectra (IMHO of course).

Paul Halliday wrote: ::: Any link to this? At the same time, the Vauxhall (Opel) Vectra in ::: the UK now has the 175 bhp Saab 9-3 2.0t engine as an option. :: :: Is this the one that has the flat bum, stolen directly from the 9000 :: CSE?

You can say so......or an oversize Opel/Vauxhall Astra rear end.

Cheers!

Paul Halliday wrote: :: Follow me through here. The first 9-3s were poor. They were just re- :: badged 900 GMs.

Not true.

Saab have since managed to build a good car around :: GM standard parts and I am a serious fan of the new 9-3 and, :: especially, 9-5 models. We've not seen that kind of quality since :: the C900. I'm sure we'll see that again with these 1.8 NA engines.

Nope! The problem is, that Saab hasn't had their hands on the engine at all. It's a 100% Opel-engine, mounted directly into the car, as it comes from Rüsselsheim. So you'll get a great handling car, but with the poor engine-quality of an Opel. Just as well as Opel puts a 100% Saab engine into the Vectra (the forementioned 175 Bhp turbo).

Cheers!

Grunff wrote: :: Hmmm... :: :: I've driven several Vectras, several ng900s and a 2001 9^3. To :: me, the only things the 9^3 had over the same year Vectra was :: the engine and trim level. Take away the Saab engine and you're :: just left with a well trimmed Vectra (IMHO of course).

You also gets a waaaaay better safety. 10 Kg makes all the difference.

Cheers!

I haven't looked at the latest safety stats - does the 9^3 beat the Vectra by a big margin?

A four wheel drive car with a 270hp turbocharged engine? Does that describe a cheap volume car?

When the Saab 9-3 was launched with fanfare in 1999, it was said to have over

1000 improvements, some said over 1100 improvements. How bad must the 900NG model have been? However, at least one of the improvements was the introduction of a cup holder, other improvements were choice of colours.

This kind of slogans doesn't always go down well. I remember that British Leyland (later Austin-Rover) had a TV ad in the 1980's "Now we're motoring...", it really epitomised the poor quality they had been renown for due to bad industrial relations. The Saab 900NG was never a bad car, but it looked that way.

Grunff wrote: :: Henrik B. wrote: ::::: just left with a well trimmed Vectra (IMHO of course). ::: ::: You also gets a waaaaay better safety. 10 Kg makes all the ::: difference. :: :: I haven't looked at the latest safety stats - does the 9^3 beat :: the Vectra by a big margin?

Yes, that also, but I was referring to the NG900 compared to the ol' Vectra.

Cheers!

in article snipped-for-privacy@damia.uk.clara.net, Grunff at snipped-for-privacy@ixxa.com wrote on 28/10/2003 20:42:

I believe it does. In the real world, certainly.

I have seen a flat bum Vectra with a flatter bum and a new bumper 9-3 with a new(ish) bumper ... Get what I'm saying?

Paul

in article snipped-for-privacy@sizefitter.com, Johannes H Andersen at snipped-for-privacy@sizefitter.com wrote on 28/10/2003 21:17:

Sorry to pick on the final line of your otherwise well put words, but I've driven both and actually preferred the Vectra. Sorry, but ... The GM900 was a very poor car, both in style and heritage (hence, I drive a classic 900 and like the newer Saab offerings). At least the Talladega lap times gave it some credibility.

Paul

in article 3f9ed27c$0$29352$ snipped-for-privacy@dread15.news.tele.dk, Henrik B. at saab@tdcadsl_nospam_.dk wrote on 28/10/2003 20:33:

Okay, care to expand on this?

Why don't Opel/Vaux use the Saab turbo engine in their Opel/Vaux offerings? Or, do they? I only really know UK cars. I still like the newer Saab offerings and think they're starting to get things back to the quality they used to have (albeit in a mass-produced sense).

Having been to the Saab museum, the one thing that really struck me about the Saab heritage was the care that the people (right

in article BBC4A9C8.AC2E% snipped-for-privacy@blueyonder.co.uk, Paul Halliday at snipped-for-privacy@blueyonder.co.uk wrote on 28/10/2003 23:18:

Sorry, bloody odd mouse action there :) I'll finish ...

Right from the executives down, or from the assemblers up, there was a real sense of care and love for the product. Perhaps it wasn't rare back "then", but Saab *did* care. I'm not sure about now, but only time (and historians) will tell :) We can only judge from their products and we've all been critical of some of Saab's cars. Let's see what this 1.8 NA is actually like...

Paul