Saab 9-3 Convertible packs turbo power and pop-up roll bars
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA, Calif. -- Bright sunshine, rare for this area of California's fog-draped coast, warms soft leather seats in a cool new drop-top dipped in paint of a vivid shade called Caipirinha Green.
This svelte car, hunkering low on a compact-class platform and scored with knife-edge-keen lines carved through a wedge-shaped body, comes out of Sweden from Saab under the label of 9-3 Convertible.
It's the latest in a long line of airy open-top cars for the sun set from an automaker located in a land of snow and sun-less arctic winters.
Previous convertibles from Saab simply amounted to hatchback coupes with their roofs lopped off by some after-market outfitter and the steel-and-cloth framework of a soft top stuffed aboard.
The new 9-3 Convertible, by contrast, charts a different course.
Designed concurrently with Saab's 9-3 sports sedan, as both vehicles share a chassis of long wheelbase and wide track derived from the Epsilon platform of General Motors, the convertible earned additional structural braces from the outset to improve rigidity for a body with the roof removed.
Out of sight beneath slick skin there's a ring of steel tying together front and rear and side elements of the structure. This steel girdle fortifies the body as an element of safety because it can resist impact forces during a car crash, but it also sets up a rather stiff and tight package to enhance the car's handling characteristics.
9-3 as a convertible is a dashing car.
It has a roof structure in triple layers of cloth and retracts under electric power, then tucks out of sight below an aluminum tonneau lid.
In the cockpit there are seats for four with posh appointments of a refined luxury car plus a high caliber of safety systems consistent for all automobiles that bear the Saab badge.
Yet there's more to this Saab than a plush cabin and the pop-top concept.
There's bulging muscle drawn from a high-pressure turbo-charger applied to the four-pack engine and no obvious hesitation like a typical turbo's latent manners.
And with that surging powerplant and a stiff structure we discover the traits of a sporty car that seems most comfortable when pushed through a punishing set of curves.
So cinch that seatbelt hard and fast because we're steering the 9-3 on a narrow strip of asphalt called Cachagua Road as it climbs in corkscrew contours into headlands of Carmel Valley.
Our Cachagua assault begins as left foot eases off the brake and the right one slaps the throttle to the floor.
Tires squeal and rubber bonds to blacktop but the 9-3 lurches up the initial grade while we work the shift lever on a nice six-speed manual gearbox.
First curve appears quickly and it's followed immediately by a second but in another direction, then there's the third and a fourth. Switch, switch, switch, we swing back and forth through each turn with the car taking a taut line and front-drive tires clawing for traction.
The challenge comes from keeping all wheels locked on the road as forces of physics try to pry us off each curve and into thin air.
But our 9-3 demonstrates it can master such torture in a stable and confident manner and we find ourselves zipping the route, flitting fast through each turn, pushing the G-force to max tolerances as we soar over the hills.
On and on it goes, one curve flowing into the next, suspension cocking from right to left to right, body swaying very little in a flat stance which speaks of sporty agility and tight-fisted control.
Most cars could not perform such tricky maneuvers on such risky curves. But this one acts like it's no big deal.
9-3 Convertible appears in two different trims, Arc and Aero, each with the same engine.
Saab's all-aluminum plant, a 2.0-liter four-in-line design with dual overhead cams, uses turbo-charging to boost the power while still economizing on fuel.
It produces 210 hp at 5500 rpm with 221 lb-ft of torque at 2500 rpm.
Entry issue 9-3 Arc comes with a manual five-speed transmission or Saab's five-speed automatic with Sentronic manual shift mode.
The deluxe version 9-3 Aero has a six-speed manual or the five-speed Sentronic automatic with optional shifter tabs fixed on the steering wheel.
Both trim versions contain a substantial collection of mechanical equipment geared for performance and safety. Included is a power rack and pinion steering system, four-wheel disc brakes with anti-lock brake system (ABS) and electronic traction control system (TCS), plus electronic brake force distribution (EBD), an electronic stability program (ESP) and mechanical brake assist (MBA).
Latent safety devices range from frontal air bags and front buckets with seatbelts integrated into frames of the seats to two-stage side-impact air bags large enough to shield the passenger's torso and head, and Saab's active head restraints which help counter the painful whiplash effect during a rear-end impact.
Then a new DynaCage concept goes to work in the event of a roll-over incident with pop-up roll bars concealed at the rear of the cabin, front seatbelt pre-tensioners and reinforcements built into the windshield pillars.
Cockpit of the 9-3 seems to wrap around the driver's seat with a center stack of controls tipped slightly toward the driver.
The steering wheel adjusts for both tilt and reach, and gauges -- large and round in easy-to-read white-on-black display -- glow in muted green illumination at night for enhanced night vision down the road.
Depressing one toggle switch is all that's required of the 9-3 driver to lower the lid.
An electro-hydraulic mechanism drives the fully automatic top to fold up or down in only 20 seconds. It detaches from the windshield's rail and tucks into the trunk while the tonneau moves in two-step cycle as cover.
Saab sets price points for the 9-3 Convertible at $39,995 for Arc edition and $42,500 for Aero. The Sentronic automatic transmission with shift controls on the steering wheel adds $1,350, and a touring package with rain-sensing wipers plus Rear Park Assist and six-disc CD changer tallies to $1,195.
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| 2004 SAAB 93 CONVERTIBLE VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS |
| Description: |
Compact sports convertible
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| Model Options: |
Compact sports convertible
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| Wheelbase: |
105.3 inches
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| Overall Length: |
182.4 inches
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| Engine Size: |
DOHC 2.0-L I4 H-P Turbo
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| Transmission: |
Arc: Manual/5
Auto/5 Sentronic
Aero: Manual/6
Auto/5 Sentronic
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| Drive: |
Front
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| Braking: |
Power 4-disc
ABS/EBD/TCS/ESP/MBA
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| Airbags: |
2 (front) 2 (side)
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| Gas Mileage: |
Arc M/5: 21/29 mpg
Arc A/5: 19/28 mpg
Aero M/6: 21/30 mpg
Aero A/5: 19/28 mpg
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| MSRP Price: |
Arc M/5: $ 39,995
Arc A/5: $ 41,245
Aero M/6: $ 42,500
Aero A/5: $ 43,850 |
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