By Kevin Miller 

I don’t know why it had to be Saab that caught my eye in the late 1980s and made me a fan – and driver- for life. I wrote about it once upon a time for Autosavant, that post is linked here. Whatever the reason, I’ve been caught up in my favorite brand’s gut-wrenching decline for two years. Even in December 2009, I had practically written my favorite brand’s eulogy. Although the Swedish brand’s fate was delayed for two years, it now, unfortunately, seems to be for real. Continue Reading

But Will Canadian Saabers Have Any Place To Buy It?

By Kevin Miller

08.28.2009

Saab has officially revealed their new 9-5 sedan ahead of its debut on September 15th in Frankfurt. Described as employing a modern expression of classic Saab design cues, the exterior new 9-5 looks amazing from some angles and a bit odd from others, but the interior looks great. The car will be built in Saab’s Trollhättan factory, and will replace the current 9-5 which has been around for more than a decade.

Globally, the car will be available with a 160 HP, 2.0 liter turbodiesel 4; turbocharged 1.6 and 2.0 liter petrol fours (good for 180 and 220 HP, respectively); and a 300 HP, 2.8 liter V6 turbo. The 220 HP four has optional XWD all-wheel drive, which is standard with the turbocharged 6. While the most powerful motor is available only with an automatic transmission, and the least powerful petrol version is available only with a manual, the remaining powerplants offer a choice between either of the six-speed gearboxes.

Great news for Saab dealers then, right? Well, not if you are a Saab dealer in Canada. Earlier this week, our friends over at Saabs United were the first to report that GM is ending operations at all of their Saab (and Saturn) dealerships on December 31st. Continue Reading

By Kevin Miller

02.23.2009

People who know me well- and even people who know me just a little bit- know that I’m a Saab fanatic. Saab, Saab, all the time. I take my classic 900 three-door to local Saab gatherings. I try to cover as much Saab news as I can, and review as many Saab vehicles as I can for Autosavant. I read other websites (gasp!) to catch up on Saab news beyond what GM’s media group publishes. I consider myself to be fairly well plugged-in to what is going on with Saab.

In the past several days, since news broke about Saab being dumped by GM, followed quickly by news about Saab’s subsequent reorganization, I’ve gotten a number of emails and phone calls from family, friends, and acquaintances, telling me they’d heard about Saab’s bankruptcy filing, heard that Saab was going out of business, heard whatever. Everybody wanted to know how I was doing with it, what my opinion is.

Last month before all of this news came out, I was in Detroit at NAIAS. While there I tracked down Saab’s PR head Jan-Willem Vester to ask him what GM had in store for Saab, as rumors had recently been circling that Saab would have to be sold or be closed. Mr. Vester assured me that Saab was a valuable, integral part of GM’s operations, GM’s only premium European marque, a brand that attracted customers who wouldn’t shop other brands in GM’s portfolio, and that because of the technology Saab continues to develop for GM, the Swedish brand wouldn’t be going anywhere. Continue Reading

By Kevin Miller

02.11.2009

Rumored for months to be in the pipeline, Saab today issued a press release confirming the existence of the 9-3X. The release indicated the vehicle will premiere at the Geneva Motor Show in March, with its US debut at the New York Auto Show in April. The 9-3X is a new addition to the 9-3 range, and will be available this autumn in North America as a 2010 model year vehicle.

The 9-3X is essentially an all-wheel drive 9-3 SportCombi which has been raised 1.4 inches to handle more-rugged off-road driving conditions. New front and rear bumpers feature dark gray cladding, that is also present on the side sills and the edges of the wheel arches. The cladding is complemented by matte aluminum lower-door décor strips and skid panels. Roof rails, chrome-ringed front fog lamps, and visible, twin round exhaust tailpipes are standard. Newly designed, multi-spoke 17-inch alloy wheels are intended to communicate the 9-3X’s ability to handle varied road conditions. Inside, the 9-3X builds from the standard 9-3 motif, employing a dark metallic finish to the door trims, glove box and gearshift surround. Continue Reading

By Kevin Miller

01.12.2009

Late last week, we reported that a GM/Saab press conference was expected in Detroit with representatives of the Swedish government. The presumption was that the press conference would include announcement of an arrangement that would result in Saab receiving some amount of the Swedes’ promised 25 billion Kronor earmarked as loans to their .

When no such press conference materialized, I was eager for more information. Fortunately, I was able to chat with Saab’s Jan-Willem Vester at the show, and while I didn’t end up with any specific information about Saab’s financial future I came away with a good feeling that Saab will be receiving some assistance from the Swedish government, just as other nations’ automakers have received assistance from their governments.

As Saab has a strong identity globally as a Swedish product, Sweden is keen to keep the automaker in business, in Sweden. While building Saab-branded crossover vehicles in North America doesn’t do much for the business in Sweden, the manufacture of vehicles in Trollhattan obviously keeps Swedish people and their economy working. Details of any financial assistance agreement between Saab/GM and the Swedish government would surely include a guarantee of production numbers or models in Trollhattan , but so far there isn’t any such information available. Continue Reading

By Kevin Miller

11.25.2008

Aside from today’s announcement that all three vehicles in their 9-3 range have again been named a Top Safety Pick by the American Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, recent news at Saab has not been positive. Their all-new 9-4X crossover and the replacement for the eleven-year-old 9-5 have both been delayed by GM’s financial situation, and a shrinking dealer network in the US has left even major markets with few outlets for purchasing a new Saab. For example, Seattle (and the rest of Western Washington) now has just one, non-centrally-located dealership to handle new vehicle sales and warranty work.

The past month has seen several rumors that Saab would withdraw from US sales entirely, and those rumors were fueled by the fact that Saab USA had no MY2009 vehicles available at dealerships, and there was no online tool for building a 2009 Saab. As 2009 marks the availability of Saab’s XWD all-wheel-drive system in the 9-3 range, the online configuration tool was to provide a valuable insight into pricing of vehicles with the new drivetrain.

Automotive News (subscription required) recently reported that Saab will continue sales operations in the US. In a conversation with Saab Managing Director Jan-Ake Jonsson, AN was told  that “The Saab brand is very attractive to U.S. consumers. There are no plans to pull out at all. The U.S. is a very important part of our strategy.” While that is a relief to Saab customers and dealers alike, Saab’s US sales are down thirty-one percent through October 2008. Continue Reading

Another Year, Another Special Edition 9-3 Convertible

By Kevin Miller

11.13.2008

Saab has announced they will show a special edition 9-3 convertible at the LA Auto Show this month, which is expected to be available at Saab’s remaining US dealerships in January. This special edition comes twenty-five years after the first ever Saab convertible made its world debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show in the fall of 1983- and just two years after the last Special Edition 9-3 Convertible, which commemorated Saab’s 60th Anniversary.

The 2009 Saab 9-3 2.0T Special Edition Convertible will be showcased in a signature bright champagne metallic color. The vehicle will feature Saab’s 2.0-liter, 210 hp four cylinder engine which can be mated to six-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmissions.

The special edition 9-3 Convertible will be available in three metallic colors: Jet Black, Carbon Grey and the new Bright Champagne. The vehicle features styling cues from the Turbo X, including the design of the front bumper and steering wheel plus carbon fiber interior finishes and black floor mats with gray binding. Like the 9-3 Aero, the rear of the special edition convertible features dual exhaust pipes (a first for four-cylinder 9-3 models) and an anthracite gray bumper insert. Five-spoke, 17-inch alloy wheels will be standard. The Saab 9-3 2.0T Special Edition Convertible will be priced starting at $ 46,725 including destination charges.

The LA-bound convertible is similar in appearance to Australia’s Spring Edition 9-3 convertible which made its world debut in Melbourne earlier this month, featuring the same signature colors and carbon fiber trim. Continue Reading

By Kevin Miller

09.22.2008

From reading my review of the Saab Turbo X, you may recall that I am a Saab fanatic. I remember when I saw my first Saab convertible- I was in middle school, in the late 1980s, and the vehicle was at once so yuppie, stylish, pretentious and unobtainable that I knew I someday had to have one. In the twenty years that have passed since, I have driven a handful of Saab convertibles on test-drives and overnight trials, but I have yet to own one. When I learned I would be reviewing a 9-3 Aero convertible for a week, I was elated. Perhaps I built it up so much in my mind, that the car was bound to let me down in real life. Or perhaps it would live up to every expectation. Only a week spent with the car would be able to determine which of those is the case.

My test vehicle was a 2008 9-3 Aero convertible, in Snow Silver Metallic with a Sand ragtop (which didn’t match the silver exterior very well in my opinion). Standard equipment on the Aero includes the 2.8L 6-Cylinder, turbocharged with 255hp, a 300 W, 10-speaker audio system with AM/FM/XM stereo with in dash 6-disc CD changer and AUX input, lowered, sport-tuned chassis, dual exhaust with bright-finish tailpipes, swiveling Xenon headlamps, front and rear fog lamps, leather-trimmed Aero sport steering wheel, and 17-inch, 5-spoke low-split alloy wheels. Continue Reading

Understanding Why Convertible Drivers Don’t Always Have The Roof Open

By Kevin Miller

09.16.2008

I had an epiphany on the way to work today. This week I am testing a 2008 Saab 9-3 Aero convertible. Having wanted a convertible since before I had my driver’s license, this is the first time other than a vacation when I’ve had the opportunity to actually live with one. September is typically one of the best months weather-wise in the Northwest, and this week is living up to that reputation. Daytime high temperatures in Seattle are reaching the upper 70s to the low 80s, one of only three spells all summer where we have reached those temperatures. So right now is the perfect time to be testing a convertible.

Living in Seattle, we have mild summers, pleasant autumn and spring days (if the sun shines), and gray winters. Whenever a day reaches the mid-60s or higher and there is sunny weather, I would consider it to be “convertible weather”. As such, I would assume that a convertible driver should take any opportunity to drop the top and let in some sun. In the past I’ve rolled my eyes at convertible drivers on beautiful days in Seattle driving around with their roofs closed. But I’m beginning to understand why people sometimes have their convertible tops closed on gorgeous, sunny days. Continue Reading

By Kevin Miller

09.09.2008

Over the weekend I attended a fairly large gathering of Saab enthusiasts in Washington State. The group consisted of a diverse cross-section of Saab owners, who showed up in an array of vehicles ranging from a 1976 99 GL to a 2008 9-5 sedan, with plenty of classic 900s and 9-3 Viggens between. During our low-key car show and drive, a number of us were chatting about the current state of Saab, in terms of its existing model lineup, upcoming vehicles, and marketing. Saab enthusiasts, in general, are concerned about the state of the company and about GM’s stewardship of the marque (or lack thereof).

Throughout its history, Saab has been an innovator of vehicle safety. Beginning in the 1970s, Saab became a leader in economical vehicle performance through the use of turbocharging, which supplemented vehicle performance while maintaining fuel economy. Saab is still making incredibly safe cars, and they are among the most fuel- efficient near-luxury vehicles on the market. So why aren’t either of those facts highlighted in Saab’s current marketing? Continue Reading