My wishes for the next Saab 9-3

It's been a long time since my last post. The past weeks I have had an eye infection and therefore I decided to take a break from staring too much into a computer screen. I also got an unwelcome break from driving my Saab more than necessary. But I have had much time to think and dream about what I want in my next Saab. 

I am a humble Saab enthusiast who admire the achievements Saab has made the past year. I don't expect Saab to go from being a restrained division in a global automobile company to a technology leading company in one or two years. And so my wishes for my next Saab are humble.

Fuel efficient petrol engine 
In my next Saab I want a fuel efficient and low emission petrol engine that produces around 150HP. I live in Norway and can't afford a too powerful engine as the taxation of cars is among other factors calculated on the basis of horsepower and co2 emission. It will be nice if Hirsch can get the engine up to 200HP. My current Saab 9-5 has a diesel engine, which is a good, but I have to admit that I prefer the smoothness and responsiveness of a petrol engine.

Automatic or dual clutch transmission
The engine I want in my next Saab should be connected to an automatic or dual clutch transmission, which does not increase the fuel consumption or emissions compared to a manual transmission. If this isn't doable, then I will take a 6-speed manual transmission.

Electric cross wheel drive
My current Saab has front wheel drive. Most of the time I do not need all wheel drive. And when taking added weight and increased fuel consumption into consideration, I'm not sure if I want cross wheel drive at all. But for my next Saab I want electric cross wheel drive. My understanding is that Saab's upcoming electric rear axle does not increase weight all that much and does not increase the fuel consumption. And so I want the eAAM hybrid all wheel drive. So Saab, please offer this system also with the low output engines!

DriveSense
For improved chassis performance, I want the option to get the next generation DriveSense adaptive suspension. At the moment I haven't made up my mind if I want HiperStrut or not. Do I need it? I don't drive my car like a racer driver, so the answer is probably no. But I guess HiperStrut would be nice as an option.

Head Up Display
Head Up Display is mandatory! Of all the electronic gadgets in the new Saab 9-5, the Head Up Display is without any doubt the last feature I would part with. And it's very Saab-like to offer a feature taken from aviation. Just like Saab did with the Night Panel.

Keyless entry
Apart from the HUD, the most beloved feature in my 9-5 is the keyless entry. It is very nice to not have to get the key to unlock or lock the doors. I just keep the key in my pocket and touch the door handle, that's it! So for my next Saab, I want to stay lazy.

Design
For the design of the car, I trust Victor Muller, Jan Åke Jonsson and Jason Castriota. I am sure that they will see to it that the car gets an unique and beautiful design. The only thing I want to say is hatchback.

That's it. Shouldn't be too difficult to achieve, right? Anyway, I trust that Saab will make the upcoming 9-3 the Saab I am dreaming of! :)

The head-up display through sunglasses

With the new Saab 9-5, Saab does of course for the first time offer a head-up display (HUD). The HUD displays information such as speed, rpm, temperature, navigation info etc. on the windshield. A HUD consists of a computer that sends the information to be displayed to a projector unit, which displays the information on a reflective foil or coating which is on the windshield. But how does wearing sunglasses affect the visibility of the projected image on the windshield? And especially how does wearing polarized sunglasses affect the displayed image?

So earlier today I decided to take some pictures to show how sunglasses affect the HUD image. The brightness of the HUD in the Saab 9-5 can be adjusted (as well as turned off) with a switch. There are 10 brightness levels available. I set the brightness to level 5, i.e. the average brightness, before I took the pictures below.

Here's a picture of the HUD as seen without wearing sunglasses:

And a picture taken through Ray-Ban "ordinary" sunglasses:

 

And finally a picture taken through Polaroid polarized sunglasses:

 

Polaroid's polarized sunglasses are supposed to block glare or reflections. Polarized sunglasses are also known as anti-glare sunglasses. From the pictures it is obvious that the Polaroid sunglasses do a good job, as they eliminate the reflection of the HUD!

 So does this mean that if you use anti-glare sunglasses you can't see the HUD at all? Well, the visibility if the HUD is definitely reduced, but if you adjust the HUD to full brightness, then the visibility gets better.

Here a picture of the HUD at full brightness taken through polarized sunglasses:

Freezing HUD

This morning the temperature was -17 °C. It was freezing cold. I think that even the Head-Up Display longed for summer:

The Head-Up Display

Last month I wrote a owner's review of my new Saab 9-5. You might remember that I wasn't totally convinced that the HUD was all good. Now, five weeks later, the HUD is starting to feel like a necessity. The past weeks I have had it on constantly and I more or less have stopped looking at the speedometer. Why should I take my eyes off the road when all the info I need is there on the windshield?

When you start the car, the HUD displays the good old SAAB logo:

You can chose between three different views on the HUD.


Speed and RPM:

 Speed:

Speed and temperature:

The HUD works with the front park sensor and gives a graphic display of the distance:

Close enough!

It also display navigation information:

Setting the cruise speed:

In addition to speed, temperature, RPM and the different information shown above, the HUD also displays a high beam symbol if you have the high beams on and it tells you when the traction control system or electronic stability program is activated. It also shows different alerts.

I can honestly tell you that when I get my next Saab, I will get the HUD again. So Saab, please include a HUD in the upcoming new 9-3!