Saabs need fresh design appeal

[pupp1]

Monday, March 14, 2005

credit goes to John McCormick / Autos Insider


US-bound Saab 9-3 SportCombi is a sporty wagon with a touch of old Saab styling flair.

Saabs can be sensible but need fresh design appeal

John McCormick (foreground) and French guide Michel Fauquet tackle Chamonix's challenging Vallee Blanche glacier.

Chamonix, France - "This part is almost safe," says our highly qualified but ever so nonchalant ski guide, Michel Fauquet. The words are hardly reassuring, but Saab PR manager, Steve Janisse and I have no choice but to keep going.

Taking advantage of a day off from the launch of the Saab 9-3 SportCombi in this famous French ski resort, we are making our way down Europe's longest skiable glacier, the Vallee Blanche.

It is a five-hour endurance test of quite challenging powder skiing, punctuated by scary ice cliffs - requiring roped descents - and the knowledge that a false move could mean tumbling into a crevasse hidden by a thin layer of snow. In case of such a fall, Michel has fitted us with harnesses so that one could be pulled out. That's the theory. The reality, he states blithely, is that some crevasses are so deep that should one even survive the fall, his rope would probably not be long enough to help.

Halfway down the glacier Steve and I reflect that we are the only skiers in sight and wonder why we agreed so casually to try the Vallee Blanche earlier that morning. Once safely down in the village we feel drained but exhilarated. We realize that a calculated risk had paid off with an experience we will never forget.

For me the day's connection to Saab seems entirely appropriate. In my view this slightly oddball Swedish car company has long been about spirited performance, a risk-taking attitude and a willingness to be different. That spirit and an associated design ethic pretty much died in the early 1990s, when lack of investment and a mistaken desire to create more mainstream sedans left Saab with a distinctly uninspired portfolio.

While fellow Swedish brand Volvo successfully transformed itself from safe but stodgy-looking, to safe and good looking, Saab lost its edge and sales drifted downwards. In recent years General Motors Corp. ownership has brought some life back to the brand. The 9-5 wagon, while long in the tooth and underwhelming visually, is great to drive and remains an undervalued luxury market contender. The GM Epsilon platform-based 9-3 sedan and convertible are decent looking, crisp handling and head and shoulders better than their very disappointing predecessors. But the 9-3 still lacks sufficient visual distinctiveness and struggles to compete with the crushingly dominant BMW 3 Series.

The first, quick-fix effort by GM to give Saab a much needed entry in the US SUV market, in the form of the Subaru-based 9-2X, has yet to move the needle. As for the forthcoming 9-7X, which uses the GM360 truck platform (aka GMC Envoy), it remains to be seen whether such a conservative design can be transformed into a truly entertaining Saab. Coming later is the 9-6X crossover, which better look a lot better than goofy Subaru Tribeca on which it is based.

The 9-3 SportCombi, however, demonstrates some promise. Structurally it's a fairly straightforward wagon, but its design shows some flair, particularly with the swept up rear side windows. And equipped with GM's powerful new 2.8-litre V-6, the SportCombi is claimed to be the fastest Saab yet. This combination of performance and eye-catching styling recalls the spirit of the mid-1980s 900 Turbo sedan, a highly distinctive Saab that still encapsulates the appeal of the brand in my mind. I remember movies from that time often featured Saab 900s. These days, Saabs don't seem to be on movie producers' wish lists.

The latest news from Europe is that Saab's likable boss Peter Augustsson has resigned over GM's decision not to build the next generation Epsilon architecture models in Sweden. Saab's Trollhaettan plant will live on to 2010 building Cadillac's BLS, its entry-level European market sedan, but the writing is on the wall; Saab's days as an autonomous unit within GM are over and done with.

Given Saab's slide over the past decade, the plant decision is not surprising and GM can hardly be blamed for not wishing to continue subsidizing a loss making enterprise. What's sad about this story is that Saab's quirky spirit could not have been melded successfully into a larger enterprise years ago, before the buying public lost so much interest in the brand.
Full Article Here

[mgescuro]

Originally Posted by pupp1

MMMMMMMMMM.... the SportCombi actually looks NICE in that silvery-grey color!!

Originally Posted by pupp1

But the 9-3 still lacks sufficient visual distinctiveness and struggles to compete with the crushingly dominant BMW 3 Series.

THe 9-3 is a conservative looking car. But it's sharp looking with clean lines. THe new 3-series is a mess of angles.

Originally Posted by pupp1

The 9-3 SportCombi, however, demonstrates some promise. Structurally it's a fairly straightforward wagon, but its design shows some flair, particularly with the swept up rear side windows. And equipped with GM's powerful new 2.8-litre V-6, the SportCombi is claimed to be the fastest Saab yet. This combination of performance and eye-catching styling recalls the spirit of the mid-1980s 900 Turbo sedan, a highly distinctive Saab that still encapsulates the appeal of the brand in my mind.

I wonder what makes the SportCombi the "fastest Saab yet." Fastest 0-60?? I'd say the Viggen is a tough car to beat 0-60. And the 9-5 is limited at 149-155mph. So... what's so fast about it. I'd assume that the 9-3 Aero Sport Sedan will be "faster" than the sportCombi, as it would be lighter while still using the 2.6 HOT V6.

the 9-5 is old. But it's managed to stay relatively modern. 9-3 is sleek and stylish. do they need something radical??
Like this???


Or This???


BUt frankly, aside from the nose, I'm impressed that the SportCombi is nearly identical to the 9-3 SportHatch of 2 yrs ago.

[pupp1]

You are right, it does look nearly identical.But I don't agree with the new stylish look you are wanting.A little to radical for my taste.

[yoblues]

How about bringing the traditional Saab HATCHBACK back as one of the 9-3 models? Some PIG GM suit clown said nobody buys hatchbacks and cancelled it. Right dipstick, all those traditional Saab buyers did not buy hatchbacks. Now nobody buys Saab's. That's why GM stock is worth toilet paper, to many suit clowns like the one that got rid of the Saab hatchback. Ford buys Volvo and it's booming. King Midas had the golden touch. Everything he touched turned to gold. GM has the brown touch. Everything GM touches turns to shi###############.

[amsnare]

I've always enjoyed and used the versatility, durability, and fun to drive Saab. Hatchback or not.

I was able to transport a 15' long ladder in the 93; had but to drop and move a seat.

Impossible with a Chevy or Ford or Volkswagen (of that era).
But now these cars are catching up, and in some ways surpassed - so is there any reason for a Saab ?
I say yes !
Saab can be a "thorn in the side", to push others into making a better car - the car-makers have a long ways to go before they ever achieve perfection..
Now we need a decent car that can average 50 mpg for 100,000 miles('85 VW Golf).
We do not need any old over-powered, over-sized elephant-mobile.

Can you say 50 mpg and the ability to transport a 52'(extended) ladder ? Only possible with a hatchback and balls !

Can you say "hemi" ?? Can you say $3 per gallon for gas ??
This is 2005; not 1955(good music year)..

[yoblues]

What Saab really needs is something to match the new Volvo S40. That Saabaru 9-2 just don't make it.

[XM DUDE]

I'm not to crazy over the new look.

[LoneWolf]

I actually think Saab's design direction (9-2, 9-7) is probably one of the freshest in GM's stable.

[mgescuro]

Originally Posted by LoneWolf

I actually think Saab's design direction (9-2, 9-7) is probably one of the freshest in GM's stable.

That look started with the 9-3. ACtually, if you wanna be picky, the 2002 9-5 started it.
It's clean and conservative.