Anybody rode in it or drove it? The 230Hp ones by the wya. I just found out the price its somewhere near 38,000 for a 2 door... why so much. Anyways just wanna hear your opinons about it.

 

Saab had a test drive event in our parking lot here at work a few months ago. They were offering free test drives (alone!) with a valid drivers license. I ended up with a red 9-3 Viggen 230hp for about 20-25 minutes.

My impression:

Good: Wow good power off the line. Torque peak seems to be at around 3300rpm. You can really feel that turbo rush. Smooth and comfy. Great stereo.

Bad: Horrendous torque steer. You really have to be going straight to enjoy the thrust. 230hp and FWD just dont mix. Soft suspension with way too much body roll for a eurpoean car. Questionable interior quality.

Verdict: Not much bang/buck. Only for those devoted Saab fans.

 

Saabs - not worth it (well, in my opinion). I totally agree with all the bad aspects that Iceman noted. You gotta be a Saab lover and love it for a reason.

Torque steer is bad, but you can get rid of it but putting on a suspension kit by Abbott (Saab aftermarket company). Good torque but that's it. Turbo's nice. WAYYY too much body roll for my taste. I think the interior is great, nice and comfortable and ride is firm, no shaking whatsoever.


You gotta know how to drive the car to enjoy it. Granted, I don't have a Viggen, I have the base model. I lowered mine and got bigger wheels and stickier tires to get rid some of the torque steer. Handling's MUCH better now with the lowering springs and better wheels/tires. Still some torque steer. Saabs are all LOW END power. When I hit third gear, my car feels like it's coasting. The Viggen has some better top speed cuz of the more HP. Also, the turbo lag is pretty bad. I hate it. If you get a Saab, don't EVER get the automatic tranny, oh god. That's all I gotta say. Saabs also have pretty good coefficient of drag, like .31

Another thing, you CAN'T put on a blow off valve hehe

Feel free to ask away, since I got my Saab, I've been on the Saab board and doing research like crazy.

 

for a second there, I thought you were talking about this:



Along with some of you guys, I used to build model planes as a kid and this was one of my favorites, along with the Saab Drakken.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Schatten
[B]for a second there, I thought you were talking about this:

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by awinskill
[B]
Mind you the best sight has got to have been seeing a full squadron of Vulcan's taking off at RAF Donnington. 20 Vulcan's in staggered formation rolling down the runway and then into the air on full a/b. It was all I could do to remain standing

Sadly it'll never be seen again

 

It was at RAF Donnington Air Display when the Vulcan squadron was based there. The MOD had just announced the retirement of the Vulcans. Great send off. Only wish video cameras were about then

The Vulcan was a truely stunning aircraft in the air, followed closely by the Lightning...

That's when pilots were pilots and none of this computer milarky