Saab Shows Off Its Face Again!

This car sure looks cool. It's infact better looking than the GS.

L-finnesse watch out!

I'll put it on my shopping list because Saab has always had comfortable seats and there is a nice protective side strip to make it more difficult for lo-lifes to ding your car doors in parking lots. I only wish that GM would ditch the turbo in favour of a supercharger or simply install a slightly larger normally aspirated engine.

Why, saab was the first car to have a turbo

C'mon, ditch turbo? In a SAAB?

Why don't you just tell Chrysler to ditch HEMI, or Audi to ditch Quattro?

And your reasoning for buying this car is funny. Because it has protective rub-strips and nice seats? Is that all you care about?

He really just didnt want to dignify this true reason for wanting this car...

"Hey ma, its Shiny"...

Ditching the turbo in a Saab...You have just lost all credibility.

Yes, Matthew, in fact it is. It's peculiar that in many articles on cars, EnnNorak comments mainly on protective rub strips; in one of his first posts, he was talking about the seat comfort in Volvos.

Look at tow port in the bumper you can tell that those black strips are actually stickers/camo. On the grill you can see the black tape peeling off of the chrome, i think this car will pull of the chrome look nicely. Love the head lamps.

I am always amazed that SAAB is still around. There are so many better choices out there.

And the whole "Born from jets" ad campaign sucks too. Is the fact the company was founded by jet engineers supposed to excuse the fact that their current cars are ugly and boring?

Lame.

Boring? SAAB?

Coming from a Toyota fan?

I have now officially heard it all.

The only answer to "answer" is that Saab may have had a down period where it was bland for a few years...however don't diss the heritage of coming from Aircraft Engineers...where do you thing such a prestigious company as Bentley came from...

Matthew, I'll say it again- I owned a 900 Turbo and loved it. I was considering another 900 or 9000 when I bought my TL in 1995, and I was also considering a 9-5 when I bought my A6 2.7T in 2000. But since GM's takeover, SAAB has gone down the drain, and popped into obscurity. The 9-3 is still popular and satisfying enough to drive, but their uniqueness and simple coolness is gone. The 9-5 is a mess, the 9-7X just sits on the lot, and the 9-2X is a re-badged Subaru. Their cars are just not exciting any more.

I miss SAAB. The REAL SAAB.

I can assure you that Saab isn't boring. I haven't owned three just for this reason, but I'm quite certain that it has the best dollar:fun/excitement ratio of any car on the American market. They're also safer, faster, better handling and more stylish than anything Toyota offers--though that could be said of many car companies.

SoCaL,

I don't believe your opinion can co-exist on this website.

We don't need another ignorant 'car fan' who cannot possibly see past his Camry on the drive.

mp2dtw is correct in his assessment of SAAB, and although GM have pushed SAAB into the background while foolishly pursuing Cadillac in Europe, The 9-3 and 9-5 are genuinely excellent cars, although the 9-5 needs to be replaced fast.

Although only a slightly narrow-minded individual would consider them boring.

"The 9-3 and 9-5 are genuinely excellent cars..."

Yes, yes, that's true. But they're missing "something." Not flash- SAAB shouldn't be flashy. Design flair, maybe? They had a lot of it ten or twenty years ago. But their interiors put me to sleep and the exterior of their finest model, the 9-3, is nondescript. You have to be more than just excellent to compete in today's cutthroat market. I mean, look at their competitors: there are the "thoroughly excellent" Lexus IS and ES, which cater to their customers perfectly; the Audi A4, which has some great engine options and a beautiful interior that puts any other car in this price bracket to shame; the BMW 3 Series (need I explain?); the super-competitive Infiniti G; the Acura TL, which has a sleek design and good interior, and Mercedes's new C-Class, which is a massive improvement over the prior generation. All of these cars have great curb appeal, six of them are very fun-to-drive, and they're very well-built. Saab needs to stand out... with what, I just don't know.

Saab has always been a unique brand and since being under the ownership of GM it has stalled. Hopefully GM will now wake up and breathe life back into it. These facelifts are a start, but they need product, new product desperately. No more rebadged Subaru Imprezzas or GM Trailblazers please! The Aero X is a good step and hopefully they will incorporate many of these styling elements into the new Saabs.