2006 Saab 9-3 User Reviews

A Great Looking And Driving Car, That Frustrated And Disappointed Me! — This is a tough review for me. I went from having a 2002 Saab 9-5, which was a great car, to a 2006 Saab 9-3 which was a very disappointing car. The source of my frustrations, for the most part, were ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS! The center stack trip computer display was a nightmare! The stereo, climate control, and trip computer functions constantly scrambled their read-outs. I drove a dozen different Saab models, in my local dealer's loaner car fleet. I only ended up keeping the vehicle for 1 year and 9 months! I also had issues with premature brake wear on the rear brakes, which created a cloud of brake dust! I also had the rear leather seat cover repaired under warranty, due to premature wear. All things were covered under warranty, at no charge. I also received great service from my local dealership, but the quality was certainly not what Iwould expect from a $30,000 automobile!

Primary Use: Commuting to work

Its Different, And If Taken Care Of, Will Run For A Very Long Time. — Performance: for a 2 liter turbo four, its awesome. Love driving it on the highway Build quality: High quality build. held up very well without any problems Appearance: Stealthily understated. Having said that, it is starting to show its age. Cost of ownership. Services are costly. But its a euro car, its part of package Fun factor: Definitely fun. playing with the turbo is great. Wish it was a manual and had a sportier tire package, but great anyway.

Primary Use: Commuting to work

Lacking Power Yet Still Fun To Drive — I like my cars styling interior and out, but it needs new wheels, window tint standard, definately more power output. I mean out of a turbocharged I-4 it should run way better than 210hp. the 0-60 is also slow esp. compared to cars with the same amnt. of power.

Primary Use: Sport/fun (spirited driving, track racing, off-roading, etc.)

If You Love Speed, Buy One. — I love my car, it has the speed I was looking for, it hugs the curves...I haven't had any problems with it. It is a great car for road trips because of the smooth ride. The interior is spacious and comfortable, the exterior is sexy and sporty. It gets great gas mileage and it is the perfect car for me. =]

Primary Use: Family transportation

I Am A Saab Convert - I Will Buy Another When My Second Car (6 Year Old Honda Accord) Dies —

I bought the Saab 9-3 on a dare from my brother who said GM could not make a car that people would like over the long haul. Fortunately, this car has proven him wrong and made me a happy customer. As mentioned elsewhere, the car has good performance and can keep up with many V6 engines with 210 with the standard four turbo. Acceleration is not a sports car, but neither is it meant to be that. It is a good mid-sized sedan with spiritied performance, about 7.8 seconds 0-60 mph. The car has typical Saab build quality, a few rattles after nearly 40,000 miles, but only a couple of minor ones. Nothing else has gone wrong, and all service has been free up to 36,000 miles under the total care package that Saab offers for three years or 36K, whichever comes first. I only wish my Honda Accord (2003) was as good with a busted transmission, broken rear defroster, and recalled wiper motor in the first 76,000 miles! The appearance is fine and not exotic looking. A solid car with a solid imagine that is fairly aerodynamic. I get as much as 36 on the highway, ranging from 30-36 mpg. In the city, if I push the engine hard I can get it down to 16 mpg but under normal driving conditions get 22 mpg. Since the handling is great the ride is a little more bumpy than normal as I suspect the GM epsilon suspension (designed in Germany for Vauxhall and Opel orginally) was tuned for maximum handling, not ride quality. Still, it makes it fun to drive although not the smoothest ride. Want a smooth ride? Go buy a Lexus. Want fun? A Saab can fit the need.

Primary Use: Family transportation