davidwatson.org

Jul 2005

Sat, 16 Jul 2005

Out With The Old, In With The New

So I finally got rid of the venerable Audi. It had been my third Audi to date, and while I loved it's design, I lamented it's execution.

After 3 years of a love-hate relationship with this car, I was feeling like it was about to start breaking at an even greater rate than it had previously. I remember the first time I had to have it flat-bedded to the dealership with the infamous ignition coil problem and they gave me an econobox Saturn in the middle of the biggest snowstorm in years. Lovely.

Then there was the time that the rear brake caliper froze and we flatbedded it again and the dealership horked up the repair, only to have to flatbed it again a couple months later. Apparently, competence is hard to find in either Audi manufacturing or service.

On the positive side, I did enjoy driving the car when it worked and the quattro/ESP was faultless and pulled me through more than a few blizzards where the snows were up to the front bumper.

One of the things that I disliked about the Audi, was that it was in that pseudo-luxury segment - faux-leather and all that. I really don't desire luxury, let alone pseudo-luxury. I longed for something simpler - a car that had the basics that I desire without all the accoutrements.

Enter the Saab 9-2x

I had watched this car for a while in the automotive rags. It was one of the most talked about cases of "badge engineering" - where GM had arranged a working relationship between Saab and Subaru - enabling Saab to do the Swedish treatment on Subaru's Impreza platform and produce the 9-2x. Where Subaru customer's got the stock Impreza, Saab got the 9-2x Linear, and where Subaru had the WRX, Saab got the 9-2x Aero. Take a great rally car, remove most of the boy-racer styling elements, tune the suspension, and quiet the interior. Try to keep it simple, avoiding luxury for luxury's sake.

So GM runs into financial problems and decides to do the employee discount for everyone program. The public takes notice. Certain members of the public notice that Saab discounts, particularly on the 9-2x are seemingly much greater than other discounts. I see the TV ad, look at the website, note $8,000 off the sticker price, realize that's nearly a third the price of the car (stock Aero model) and decide to take it for a drive.

And that was all she wrote. The 9-2x is in my driveway now and with very few exceptions, I find it to be quite satisfying for someone that drives as much as I do. It accelerates like a rocket sled, gives me the AWD drivetrain that I prefer, and carries my drumkit with aplomb. The fact that it is small and easy to park is just icing. If I were a large man, it might concern me, but it fits my 5'11" frame just fine.

And the good news, while these cars have been flying off dealer lots, is that GM has extended the discount program, originally offered until July 5, through August 1. Dealer stock is low, but if you're interested, they can be found.

Here are a bunch of reviews that I found useful. Note: most, if not all, of the reviews on the web were written with the car's original pricing. While I tend to agree that the original pricing was high relative to what the car delivers, it's useful to consider that when comparing the car, it will often be the cheapest model to which other awd wagons are compared, after applying the GM discount.

Autoweek reviews Saab 9-2x

Motor Trend on GP Moto Stage 4 tuned Saab 9-2x

Motor Trend First Drive Saab 9-2x

European Car Saab 9-2x Project Car

Car and Driver Saab 9-2x review

Automobile Magazine takes Saab 9-2x up Teton hill climb

Road and Track reviews Saab 9-2x

saab92x.com

Cobb Tuning AccessPort for Saab 92x

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