Videos of the last Saabs (for now) being built

A few weeks ago it became known that the bankruptcy administrators had decided that 47 Saab 9-3 convertibles, which were under manufacturing at the Saab production line when the company filed for bankruptcy, would be built. The job of completing the cars went to Ana Trollhättan. Here's a video from TTELA of the last cars being built.

Videos might not be available in your country. See comments. If you have trouble watching the videos you can try to access them directly from TTELA and SR P4 Väst.



And below is a video from Swedish Radio.

Fancy a Saab 9-3 with a Fiat engine?

Would you fancy a good old Saab 9-3 with a Fiat engine? If Youngman gets to buy the bankruptcy estate from Saab and restarts production of the current 9-3 in Trollhättan awaiting the arrivial of the next generation Saab vehicles, that can be the case.

From earlier we know that Saab has rights to most of the technology in the current Saab 9-3. Only parts of this technology is owned by GM. I assume that e.g. the engines, and especially the new direct injection petrol engine, is GM unique technology and thus technology GM wants to protect. But now news reports say that Youngman wants to source engines from Italy instead. And who else than Fiat could be the supplier? VM Motori? I think Fiat and the reason is as follows.

The diesel engine used in the Saab 9-3 was originally developed by Fiat-GM-Powertrain before the two companies decided to end the partnership. Fiat uses the same engine in both Fiat cars and Alfa Romeo cars. Maybe even in Lancia? Anyway, since this engine is more or less similar to the diesel engine Saab has sourced from GM, a engine swop should be doable.

I am not sure if a swop is just as simple when it comes down to petrol engines. The engine mounts should be more or less the same, but the engines are very different I guess. But nothing is impossible, right?

So if everything goes well, we might be driving Italian powered Saabs the next two years or so!

Saab 9-3s that stand out

So far today there is no big news about the sale of Saab, and the employees are still waiting for their wages. So let's instead enjoy a rather positive review of the Saab 9-3X from English The Guardian. Here's a snippet of what they say about the 9-3X:

This one does stand out, though it's just a re-tweaking rather than a whole new car: a modified front bumper and lights, to bring it into line with its 9-5 big brother, and a range of more efficient engines. It may not be beautiful, but it is unmistakably a Saab, and it has presence – especially this XWD model, which has a slightly higher stance than the others. Rugged even, and outdoorsy, but without the stigma-as-standard you get with a large SUV.

Talking about Saabs that stand out. Check out this Saab 9-3 SportCombi drifting!

Saab 9-5 among the best in Swedish vehicle inspection

Most countries in the EU require that vehicles three (or four) years or older, every year or every second undergo a vehicle inspection to check that the vehicles conform to regulations governing safety, roadworthiness and exhaust emissions aspects.


In the UK this test is known as the MOT test (Ministry of Transport test), in Norway the PKK (periodisk kjøretøyskontroll), in Germany the HU (Hauptuntersuchung), in Sweden the besiktning, in the Netherlands the APK (Algemene Periodieke Keuring ) etc etc.


In Sweden the test authorities, AB Svensk Bilprovning, makes summaries of the results for all car models. The latest statistics are from 2010. And here we also find Saab. Below is the 10 car models with the least faults when looking at cars that were 5 years old (model year 2005 cars).

	Car model	Car related faults	Number of cars tested	Average km driven
1	Ford ,  Focus ,  Sedan ,  200401 - ,  Petrol	0,1%	104	64 980
2	Saab ,  9-5 ,  Sedan ,  199701 - 201005 ,  Petrol/Ethanol/E85	0,1%	93	106 100
3	Volkswagen ,  Jetta/Bora ,  Sedan ,  199801 - 200512 ,  Bensin	0,1%	86	65 120
4	Audi ,  A4 Avant ,  Kombi ,  200101 - 200712 ,  Diesel	0,1%	77	150 670
5	Porsche ,  911 ,  Kupé ,  200501 - ,  Petrol	0,1%	77	45 340
6	Toyota ,  Avensis ,  Sedan ,  200301 - 200812 ,  Petrol	0,6%	313	80 730
7	Toyota ,  Avensis ,  Kombi ,  200301 - 200812 ,  Petrol	0,8%	871	90 780
8	Seat ,  Leon ,  Halvkombi ,  200501 - ,  Petrol	0,9%	113	69 430
9	Audi ,  A4 ,  Sedan ,  200001 - 200712 ,  Petrol	0,9%	1 285	99 350
10	Lexus ,  RX ,  Flera ändamål ,  200401 - 200912 ,  Petrol/El	1,0%	103	109 430

The 2005 Saab 9-5 Sedan with petrol/E85-ethanol engine is among the absolute best cars. Only 0.1 percent of the Saab 9-5s with this engine failed due to car related faults. As a comparison, 26.9 percent of the Volvo V70 diesel failed.

If you look at the full list, the Saab 9-5 SportCombi with petrol/E85-ethanol engine also do well and is placed 31st with 2.1 percent fail.


Other Saab cars:

	Car model	Car related faults	Number of cars tested	Average km driven
2	Saab ,  9-5 ,  Sedan ,  199701 - 201005 ,  Petrol/Ethanol/E85	0,1%	93	10 610
29	Saab ,  9-5 ,  Sedan ,  199701 - 201005 ,  Petrol	2,0%	352	10 246
31	Saab ,  9-5 ,  Kombi ,  199701 - 201005 ,  Petrol/Ethanol/E85	2,1%	1 101	11 840
43	Saab ,  9-5 ,  Kombi ,  199701 - 201005 ,  Petrol	2,5%	3 023	11 296
128	Saab ,  9-5 ,  Kombi ,  199701 - 201005 ,  Diesel	7,8%	166	18 516
132	Saab ,  9-3 ,  Cabriolet ,  200208 - ,  Petrol	8,0%	113	6 290
152	Saab ,  9-3 ,  Kombi ,  200208 - ,  Petrol	10,0%	1 151	9 614
166	Saab ,  9-3 ,  Sedan ,  200208 - ,  Petrol	12,0%	1 739	9 605
177	Saab ,  9-3 ,  Kombi ,  200208 - ,  Diesel	15,0%	214	14 112
185	Saab ,  9-3 ,  Sedan ,  200208 - ,  Diesel	17,9%	251	14 304

How far the car has been driven and how well you service and care for your car will of course affect the result on this test. But it is always nice to Saab do well!

Saab 9-3 SportCombi - a second hand test

The Swedish newspaper Göteborgs-Posten has done a test of a second hand Saab 9-3 SportCombi. From the test one can read that when buying a second hand Saab 9-3 you get a car that is fun to drive and very safe. Below is a translation of the test.


Nimble and safe Saab
The nimble Saab 9-3 Sport Combi tempts you to pressing down the accelerator. The car also has superb comfort and high safety. Not even the problems in Trollhättan casts any shadow over this second-hand Saab.
Saab has long been on everyone's lips. Will the brand survive? The crisis in the production of new cars makes current Saab owners and future buyers of used cars ponder. Many has certainly considered the issue of availability of spare parts.

In conjunction with this test, a Saab dealer said that availability of spare parts has been uncertain during the summer - among other things, it was difficult to get hold of spare keys - but that the situation has stabilized. The subsidiary Saab parts can reportedly produce spare parts no matter what happens with the main company. That is the current situation.

Soft and supple
As far as I can judge, the tested SportCombi from 2006 does not need any repairs. It has the 1.8t engine with 150 horsepower, has been driven over 97,000 km and behaves exactly as I expect, that is nimble and powerful when accelerating.

It has excellent road handling. It is soft and supple in steering and suspension. It is not too hard or bumpy and the car calls for active driving. In other words, it makes me want to press down on the accelerator, preferably through challenging bends. The balance of the car feels good and the cabin is well isolated from noise.

A bit fiddly
SportCombi came in 2005, a few years after the SportSedan, which for the first model years have caught note of the Motor Vehicle Inspection (Bilprovningen) for poor suspension springs. The Combi has done better. The three year old 9-3 got a better score than the average car in both 2009 (except for the diesel) and in 2010. After five years, both the petrol and diesel cars are slightly worse than average.
The comfort is excellent. The seats are good and are slightly curled to give side support and there is electronic adjustment in the driver's seat. Large instruments straight ahead showing speed, rpm and fuel level. The middle console has a maze of buttons, including for the climate control and audio. You don’t have to be a pilot to sort out all the functions, but before you get used to it, it feels a little fiddly.
At night you can turn off all the instrument lights except the speedometer with the so-called night panel fuction.

Easy to load

The space in the rear seat is limited, but headroom is good thanks to the sloping seat. The large rear door opens the entire rear end for an easy to load baggage compartment. Cars with the repair kit in stead of a spare wheel, has extra storage space.

The 9-3 got five stars in the safety test from Euro NCAP, with stability control as standard from 2005.

Facts
Saab 9-3 Sport Combi 2006

General
The Saab 9-3 was launched in 2002 and was at the time undoubtedly the most fun to drive model from Saab. The engines are essentially the same as in the Saab 9-5, the most common are gasoline turbo engines of 150 and 175 horsepower. In 2005 a 2.8 litre V6 engine and new diesel engines was introduced. In 2007 the ethanol Biopower engine was introduced. In 2004, the convertible was lanuced and in 2005 the 9-3 SportCombi. It has a sloping rear and relatively bulky hinges on the ceiling. It is not a huge loader. In 2009 a four-wheel drive 9-3 was launched.

Economy
Approx price: SEK 93,000 (test car's price: SEK 94,900)
Taxes: SEK 1,740 / year
Service cost / service interval: 90,000 km SEK 3,300, 120,000 km SEK 5,300 / 30,000 km or 2 years

Repar costs (workshop)
Timing belt / replacement interval: Timing chain, maintenance free
Front brake discs and pads: SEK 5,000
Rear brake pads: SEK 1,600
Spindle and ball joint: SEK 5,700 each side, Shock absorbers: SEK 3,400 front, SEK 2,900 rear
Headlights: SEK 3,900
　
Environment
Fuel: Petrol
Fuel consumption: 7,9 l / 100km
CO2 emissions: 189 g / km

Technical
Power: 150 hp
Displacement: 2 litre
Gearbox: Manual, 5 speed
Weight: 1,580 kg
Maximum load: 450 kg
Luggage capacity: 419 litres
Length / width / height: 467/180/147 cm

Safety
Three-point seat belt all over: Yes
Airbag driver / passenger: Yes / Yes
Side airbags: Yes
Anti-lock brakes: Yes
Headrests all places: Yes
Stability control: Yes
Euro NCAP crash test: Five stars out of five, Saab 9-3 2002.
Folksam’s accident statistics: Good Security

This is how the used car test is conducted
The car is tested on different road types and in city traffic. The quality of cars of the same the make and model year can vary based on factors such as driven distance and general maintenance.

Footnote
The price for a single car can vary depending on mileage, equipment, condition and place of purchase. Deviations of plus or minus 10 percent from the stated retail price is common.

One Saab - three fuels

If you or your company want to be both economical and environmentally-conscious, then ANA Trollhättan might have just the car for you! Here's an ad in todays TTELA newspaper sent to me by Alexander M.



This is the Saab 9-3 SportCombi which runs on gasoline, ethanol and biogas (compressed natural gas). Back in February TTELA could report that there was great interest for a biogas fueled Saab. 100 model year 2010 cars had already been sold and ANA was about to start building another 300 cars for model year 2011. And now YOU can buy one of these cars!

Even though the car has both a gasoline/ethanol fuel tank and a biogas tank, it is still a wagon with space for suitcases and groceries. Here's a picture from TTELA which shows the rear tunk and the biogas tank.

The Saab 9-3 SportCombi biogas car was the motor journalist’s choice when Gröna Bilister (the Swedish Association of Green Motorists) in June presented their Best Environmental Car award.

Trading a fantasy for a Toyota Corolla

Do you need a reminder why a Saab is special? A reminder why Saab needs to survive?

Then you should read Charles Saydah's story of his fantasy car, a Saab 9-3 convertible. And despite the convertible's lack of every day convenience how driving a dull Toyota Corolla makes him long for the Saab 9-3 he traded in.

"A longtime colleague tried to ease my sense of loss by extolling the looks of the Corolla. I appreciated her comforting words, but I told her the Corolla is just a car. It gets me from here to there without worry, but its lack of pickup is a reminder that Saab made jet engines, and Toyota doesn't."

Saab 9-3 and Saab 9-5 live on

Here's a bunch of Saab 9-5 and 9-3 reviews that have popped up the last two days. And it is nice to see that despite all turmoil and uncertainty these cars still get great reviews.

First American Faimly car guide checks out the Saab 9-3:

An all-new 9-3 is in the works [...] but in the meantime the 9-3 actually remains a decent family choice... The 9-3 isn't for sport-sedan enthusiasts, but it still has a lot of appeal for families looking for a comfortable, manageably sized, European-flavored sedan—and something different than staid German rivals.

We like the size of the 9-3 and think many small families will, too; it lands between compact and mid-size by U.S. standards, and feels small and maneuverable enough in the city yet has an interior that feels notably roomier than the likes of compact sport sedans like the Audi A4 or Volvo S40.

British Fleet news has taken the Saab 89-3 SportCombi for a spin and will soon come with a test:

Hidden among the 2012 model year upgrades for the 9-3 Sportwagon is the news that the CO2 emissions of the car have been reduced to below 120g/km.[...] This is equivalent to fuel consumption of 62.8mpg on the combined cycle. 

I last drove a 9-3 after its mid-life facelift in 2007, so it was good to reacquaint myself with the car and discover the performance of the 180bhp twin-turbo diesel. First impressions suggest it’s surprisingly refined and marred only by a laborious gearshift.

Irish Herald says that the 9-5 lives on:

BioPower is one of those concepts that doesn't ram the whole Green agenda down your throat, but it does give you a choice (ethanol or petrol).More importantly than that though, the 9-5 is one of the fastest improved cars on the planet - a thrill to drive, with great poke and performance which makes it the Darren Clarke of motors - a heavyweight performer which many thought was long past its best, only to make a sensational comeback.

Australian Car Guide likes most aspects about the Saab 9-5 Aero:

It's an impressive car to look at particularly around the three quarter rear section and from straight on. The interior is awash with electronics and plenty of luxury kit including lashings of leather and woodgrain fascia and an impressive audio system. 

The engine is a sweet sounding Holden 2.8-litre, petrol, twin cam V6 with a twin-scroll turbo fitted.

Due to its abundant equipment, the Aero is a weighty beast tipping the scales at close to 2.0 tonnes but the way it goes and handles belie this.

UK: Saab 9-3 has had a dramatic improvement in residual value

Last week I wrote about an article in Swdish Vi Bilägare where they concluded that it was still no big risk to buy a new Saab. Earlier we have also seen that Ynnor AB, the Swedish company car consultant company, concluded that it is still safe to buy a Saab company car. And now CAP, the leading industry analysts in the UK has observed that the residual value of the Saab 9-3 has had a dramatic improvment and risen with over £ 1,000 the last 10 months.


Here is what Jeff Knight, Monitor Editor at CAP, says to ContractHireAndLeasing:

- The rise in forecast values for the Saab 9-3 over the last ten months has been driven by an increased confidence in the brand; allied to an improved product content creating a better future used car.

And Saab GB’s General Manager Corporate Sales, Paul Adler, is pleased:

- These rising residual values show that Saab is moving swiftly in the right direction . This significant trend is due to a number of factors: greater confidence in the brand, improved specifications offering greater value, and a competitive advantage in terms of CO2 emissions for our best-selling models. With more new products to come later this year, such as 9-5 SportWagon and 9-4X crossover, Saab is in good shape to continue its renaissance.

So if you're living in the UK and need a company car, then you should check out the Saab 9-3!