2003 SAAB 9-3 t 1.8t

Summary:

Great car, great performance, and good value for money

Faults:

Nothing as yet.

General Comments:

The Saab 9-3 Vector 1.8T. What a car!

I recently drove it into the City, through the South of London to test the car's ability to handle random, poor/crazy urban driving and it handled beautifully.

In a city of BMW's, Mercedes and the odd Lexus, the SAAB 93 sport has charisma and stands out indeed.

Its 150BHP is more than enough to pull away from the lights and other cars to get to the other side before, in typical London style, the road merges into a single lane.

I used to drive a BMW 323 which cost about £3k more when it was new. Put the SAAB next to a BMW 3 series and there's no comparison. The SAAB wins hands down. For looks, for performance, for features, for comfort, for that big grin on your face.

The interior is very well decked out in leather. Leather seats, leather steering wheel, leather gear gaitrr, leather trim. Beautiful car.

When they said that BMW is the 'Ultimate driving machine', their marketing department forgot to sit in the SAAB 93. Its comfortable on roads and boy does it go round those tight corners on a country road. It sticks like glue to the road.

Take it from me buy one, as I believe when the SAAB gets more exposure, they'll become the new 'BMW' and sadly BMW will be a has been.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th February, 2004

7th Jan 2005, 16:07

I drive the 93 1.8t for two years now. The big plus is the comfort and torque that's always available. The big minus however seems to be the poor quality of the interior plastic fittings. I encounter lots of loose plastic molding, on bad tarmac my car sounds like a cab from eastern Europe. On good tarmac there is no real competitor on the market, and believe me I drove BMW 3 series, Citroen, Peugeot's, C-Class Mercedes, Alfa's. It's handling, speed and looks still are great after two years. Best car I've ever driven. Doing 120 MPH on the German autobahn for hours and hours feels very solid and secure. I get out totally relaxed and actually regretting getting out of my car. Two thumbs up.

6th May 2005, 01:20

I agree. It's definitely the funnest upscale sedan I've ever driven. The only thing that concerns me is the reliability. There has been higher than average recalls and electrical problems with past models, I love this car, but if I'm gonna pay $40k for a car, I don't want to spend a lot of time getting it fixed. any responses?

14th Nov 2006, 04:41

Well unless BMW is taken over by GM, I don't think that SAAB will be a threat on their competitors radar screen for a long time to come. Pity, becuase SAAB used to make very solid, interesting and well engineered cars. Now, unfortunately, due to GM and a lack of investment, they are Opels in fancy clothing. At least the new 93 handles well whereas the old model was an absolute dog and an unreliable one at that.

14th Nov 2006, 09:58

The old 93 certainly does NOT handle like a dog!

It in fact rides better than a 3 series BMW and handles just as well.

As for reliability - "top notch" I would say.

2003 SAAB 9-3 Arc 2.0

Summary:

Good car, but a lot of teething problems

Faults:

Ignition failure.

Key problem.

Handbrake locked in up position.

Condensation in front fogs.

Door locking mechanism failure x2.

Immobilizer failure x2.

Comfort windows have minds of their own.

Software conflicts between the phone and stereo system.

General Comments:

Very good level of comfort and cabin space.

Plenty of power when required.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 1st February, 2004

26th May 2004, 14:42

I absolutely agree with this review. I have a 9-3 2.0, with less than 9,000 miles on it. I have had to call roadside assistance THREE times in the last year, twice for a jump start because of an unexplained battery drain (the first time the car had not been driven for 6 days -- it was only 7 months old, and the second time the car had not been driven for 36 hours -- it was 9 months old), and once because the key simply would not turn in the ignition at all, and the car had to be towed. I have also experienced brake slipping when hitting a pothole or a metal plate on the road. There was a stalling issue, which has now been fixed by the recall and software upgrade. But it is literally 6 days since the last time it was in the shop for the ignition problem, and now the check engine light is on. I would say this car has SIGNIFICANT teething problems!

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2003 SAAB 9-3 Aero 2.0 T

Summary:

Performance family car

Faults:

Only minor (annoying) problems :

The interior trim has started to rattle even at this early age?

The window seals on the back door let in "road noise".

General Comments:

A wonderfully quick car with the third gear perfect for overtaking. The car handles well as a motorway cruiser or as an aggressive sports car on a twisty road. The brakes are very good and the safety features makes this a logical family car to purchase.

This premium car with its climate control and deluxe leather seats is let down by a cheap (4 speaker) stereo system. Saab needs to address this minor issue if this car is to compete in the premium sector.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 8th May, 2003

19th Aug 2005, 07:24

SAAB 9-3 2.0T AERO.

Problems encountered to date:

The car is only 18 months old and the rattles and squeaks from the interior trim and doors is driving me to distraction. There is also an annoying rattle from the passenger door locking system. The interior quality looks good, but does not compare with my previous Audi. My only consolation is that other 9-3 drivers appear to be suffering similar quality problems so this is not specific to my car. If anyone has managed to sort a similar problem under the warranty please comment.

Good points:

The Aero is smooth and quick, particularly in the mid range. First gear is a bit short, but second and third make up for this. Does not drive quite like a BMW 330i or an Audi 3.0 A4, in my opinion, but its enough to produce a grin.

The Aero is a head turner, spacious and luxurious with the full leather seats and all the trimmings. If it was not for the bad points described above I would not hesitate to recommend this car to anyone.