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“The Saab 9-3 Sport Saloon Vector 2.2 TiD family car...”

written by Jim Hanna on 17/09/2004

Good Points
Stylish good looks makes this Saab probably the most attractive in its class, certainly more appealing than an Audi or BMW with their bland Teutonic looks.

Bad Points
Noisy Diesel engine and poor performance especially when you need it like pulling away from lights and negotiating pulling out into traffic at junctions. Reliability has proved to be a major let down with the vehicle spending three weeks out of the 1st month in the dealers workshop.

General Comments
The Saab 9-3 Sport Saloon Vector 2.2 TiD family car with its body kit,lowered suspension and 17" alloys looks stunning; washed and polished on a Sunday evening with the sun setting ready for the week ahead. The sporty 1/2 leather interior is without question the most desirable of any vehicle in its class and gets admiring glances from all who ride in her.

Unfortunately this is where the plaudits end. From a styling and design perspective Saab have definitely got this car right. From an engineering point of view it is a massive let down. This may in part be due to the abundance of everything stamped GM on the vehicle giving away its Vauxhall heritage. Electrics on the Vehicle are prone to failure with parts taking days and even weeks to arrive at the dealers which is unacceptable from a marque of Saab's standing. Rattles and squeaks abound hindered by a weak sound system with 7 speakers but no Base or depth to it. For the sake of probably £40 worth of speakers in the rear shelf the car is cheapened (Mine incidently has an upgraded 7 speaker system so what the basic system performs like is anyones guess!).

I have owned many vehicles from new and this ranks as the worst in terms of reliability and joy of ownership. The 2.2 Diesel engine is woefully ancient in its performance and refinement, waking up half the street on start up allied to performance more akin to Farm machinery. That said out on the open road, cruising along a motorway it does become civilised and quiet eventually. In the modern Diesel engine world this lamentable turbo injected beast belongs to the late eighties/early nineties and I question Saabs decision to put such a product into its range of vehicles. No surprise then that Saab have recently announced they have dropped the engine after less than two years of production in favour of an Alfa Romeo based 1.9 diesel!