Does the panel approve?

Can't sip coffee or tea from a 'phone.

Yeah... let's go and smash all the mechanised weaving equipment while we're at it. (c:

No, Saab have for quite a long time now, been advertising 'fighter plane technology' in their cars - the dimmed dash is one of these supposedly aircraft inspired touches.

What they don't like telling anyone is that their days of making planes ended 20-odd years ago when they started making Vauxhalls.

The ones on the MX-5 have very clever little rubber bump-stopped lids but are precisely in the way of my arm when I need to use the gearstick.

I fill them with bits of cotton wool and little interesting rocks I find on the beach.

That says quite a lot about you.

It says that, aside from when I'm on a mountain road or on a track, 'comfort' options are more important than almost anything else.

If that's what you're getting at, I'm guilty as charged.

Like most things from the VAG stable, then: something that could be very useful is an expensive option.

You ought to try a Saab with Night Panel rather than guessing about how it works.

Proper night vision doesn't work in a car since as soon as you pass a road sign or another vehicle, you pupil contracts and any low light adaptation is knackered.

Presumably you shut your eyes since using a lighter will ruin your night vision.

More to the point, try the Saab's Night Panel before condemning it to the "rubbish" bin; that makes you out to not like anything your machine doesn't have.

Night vision doesn't work in the car because as soon as you pass a road sign / another vehicle, your eye goes back to compensating

Yes, obviously.

I'm not quite dim enough to be taken in by the s**te Saab spout about re-badged Vauxhalls, though.

Thing is, there are lots of motor companies that can be proud of their aircraft connections, and a fair few that can't.

Land Rovers Solihull plant made fighter planes during WW2, Bristol have closer connections to the aircraft industry than most. BMW's logo is based on that of a propellor with the quadrant set up for firing bullets between the blades (and various Nazi planes) and VW made the V1 flying bomb - which is why be bombed the f*ck outta Wolfsburg :-)

Well I'm looking forward to the day when you can.

I always used to think that a phone that could light cigarettes was a good idea too.

How many (still) use aircraft to sell their cars, even though they've had nothing to to with making them for many, many years?

There are a few things that irritate me about Saab - the aircraft thing, which hasn't been applicable to anything from the 9000 onwards, the fact they are doing the whole platform sharing thing with GM, whilst claiming to be some quirky Swedish company, and most of all, the holier-than-thou types they attract these days.

Saabs seem to attract more than their fair share of fish badges on the back....

Give me a proper C900 (or earlier) or even a 9000 over a GM Saab any day.

Not in this country as fat as I can tell. I don't think people here buy into that so much anyway. You can have aircraft inspired touches in any car. What seems to be the problem?

They advertise them as 'Born from Jets' in Septicland, but they also put Saab clothes on a Chevy Blazer, which proves that some people will buy anything.

You can't sit on a cupholder.

Actively getting annoyed at the absence of somewhere to put a beverage?

It's not that long since I last saw a Saab advert in the UK, where a GM Saab was parked next to something like a Viggen.

It's not s**te, the ignition really is by the handbrake and there really is a night panel button that dims the dash lights.

They're not single reasons to buy a car but I am getting the distinct impression that you 'hate' them because Dervy says they are a good idea.

Erm, that's not quite the same thing as effectively saying 'look, we make fighter planes, so our cars must be good', though, is it?

ffs, VW even used that boggle-eyed Marti whatsisname along the same theme.

Because that is when I pay for my car. It is bought outright, no finance package to calculate, no depreciation versus repayment to contemplate, no company tax liability sceheme fit in with.

It gets service once/twice a year depending on schedule (or just basic preventative maintenance on an older cheaper car). I include tyres in service/preventative maintenance btw if they are needed.

The only expense on a car I have is how much jolly juice it requires.

What isn't to get?

No, I love proper, classic Saabs.

I don't like badge engineered Vauxhalls.

Just as I'm not quite convinced that Volvo selling re-badged Fords or Alfa selling re-bagded Fiats is a good thing.

All the above manufacturers made their best products as independent manufacturers.