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Good points:
character, acceleration, handling, room, safety rating, gas mileage, cooled
seats, great door handles, top rated quality review.
Needs
improvement: too much noise, climate controls, centre console arrangement, no
side air curtains or bags, price, transmission slow to kick down, loud
sounding alarm whistle, ergonomics.
We tested the
Saab 9-5 Arc sedan and enjoyed it very much. It is very distinctive looking,
has plenty of passing power, and has an enviable safety rating. Saab has a
less expensive version, the Linear, with a four-cylinder engine. In addition, Saab has the performance oriented Aero available.
The Arc is the cruiser of the fleet with a V6 turbocharged engine providing a
smooth 200 horsepower through a new five speed automatic transmission.
The Arc also
provides standard an Electronic Stability Program, ventilated front seats,
three-position driver seat memory, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, and an
upgraded Harman-Kardon-tuned audio system.
Dad's view: Ride wise, the Arc was every bit the highway cruiser. With stiffer shocks
and thicker roll bars, the ride was just a touch sporty on the open road.
However, on broken pavement the journey became bucky. This would be acceptable
in a lesser-priced vehicle, but not in one that is clearly in the luxury car
field. I also noted that the new five speed automatic transmission was a tad
slow to react to initial changes in acceleration.
Travelling on
the freeway is great in the Arc. It is quite a grand touring type car with
lots of room and enough power to create safe passing opportunities. The brakes
were especially effective and you never felt out of control. It is not a fast
vehicle, with about 3600 pounds for its 200 horsepower to carry around, but
once the turbo spools up you aren't going to wait long to get where you're
going.
Inside, the fit and finish are very good on the Saab with the flat facing dash
easy to read even in bright sunlight. the window controls are awkwardly placed on the centre
console. The mirror controls are easy to master and are located at the edge of
the window and doorsill.
I really like
room in the front seat for my legs. Driving in the Jaguar S, I felt confined
and I have the same complaint over many sporty cars. This was not the case
with the Saab. It made for leisurely travel.
There is
character in every Saab. It feels different from other cars, looks different,
and has some features that defy logic such as the upside down window controls.
But all of these features make it a unique vehicle and give it character. Saab
has made tremendous strides under the General Motors' ownership umbrella. It
is not a BMW handling wise, it isn't a Lexus in terms of a quiet ride, and no
one is going to confuse it with an American vehicle, but its tough, durable,
and loaded with safety features.
Mom's
view: Nice ride, but a bit on the noisy side for my tastes. I also could live
without the centre mounted ignition because the location makes the console
storage area too small, renders the second cupholder virtually useless, and
when you move the seat up the console is too short to offer any elbow support.
Saab, move the ignition to the dash and swallow some pride to make a more
useful car.
Don't get me
wrong. I really enjoy Saab products. We have tested thousands of cars over the
years and when our daughter was ready to drive, we immediately bought her a
9-3 Saab. That says something about the product and the peace of mind it
offered us with a young driver at the wheel.
The Saab Arc is
solid, gets excellent gas mileage, and provides a fair amount of room for
storage and packages. What I like most is the safety reputation that Saab has
earned. They have a new Electronic Stability Program integrated with the car's
traction control, antilock four wheel disc braking, adaptive airbags that
inflate according to the severity of the crash, new interior materials that
are said to reduce injury, and upgraded child seat mountings. Then there are
childproof rear door locks and windows, auto-dimming mirrors, daytime running
lights, a side-impact protection system, Saab's Safeseat with an anti-submarining
feature, rear fog lights. Finally..
Saab's Active
Head Restraint has proven to be very effective in reducing whip lash injuries.
Saab recently touted test results from the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI)
that proclaimed the 9-5 tops in its class. Unfortunately, the one safety
feature I could not find were side head airbags or air bag curtains in the
rear.
I found the
seats very nice, with standard power movement for the passenger and driver,
heating and cooling controls that were easy to use except for the lumbar
support knob that was too difficult to reach and turn while driving. By the
way, the Saab's temperature unit comes on every time you start. They is very
annoying and can waste gas if you forget to turn off the air-conditioning.
Some features I
did not like were the cheap sun visors; they look and feel out of place on
such an expensive car; the small and shallow glove box; the difficult to find
cruise control switch; and a driver's computer that is not logical, although
it did offer the always beneficial miles to empty readout.
Our test car had
the optional Visibility package with Bi-Xenon headlights that were very
effective, and the interior lighting was highlighted (literally) by an
airplane like ball light that allowed you to focus the map light where you
wanted it. I really appreciated the "Night Panel" button that shut down all
the dash lights, except for the speedometer, and removed the glare associated
with driving in the dark. The dash lights immediately come on if there is any
problem such as low oil pressure.
Running errands
in the Saab was very relaxing. The turning radius is very good for a front
wheel drive car with a 35.4-foot requirement. There is good visibility to the
rear and the passenger side outside mirror has a dandy "fold" in it reducing
the size of the blind spot created by the C pillar. The trunk is very large,
but when you hit the remote the lid barely opens. This is not good. The rear
of the car is usually quite dirty and there is no need for Saab not to be able
to give the lid more of a boost so you can easily get your hand under it.
I want to take a
moment here to commend Saab on having some great door handles. They are very
easy to grasp, the kind that let you slip your hand through and pull. You can
easily open them with long nails, in cold weather, when wearing gloves, and
when your hands are damp. Thank you, Saab.
Add to that the
9-5's recent honour as the best mid-luxury car in the J.D. Power and
Associates initial quality study, and you have a practical argument to buy a
Saab.
Recently female graduate: Okay, I've moved from college to the
unemployed sector in one afternoon. From the top of the feeding chain-double
masters degrees in information services and business administration-to the
bottom; resume' writer. At these times a girl needs a great car or a liberally
credit limit. I have the former. I own a Saab and they are great. With a gas
tank holding 18.5 gallons, I can go nearly 400 miles without stopping. Even
with the Arc and the larger engine, I was still able to average 23 mpg on
premium fuel in mixed driving. I also like the warranty of four years or
50,000 miles and the fact that Saab wants your business.
Driving the Saab
Arc was very enjoyable. You have a commanding view of the road and the brakes
were superb. The tire noise is a bit much, but the stereo is quite capable of
handling that problem. I did notice that there was a hesitation from the
automatic transmission upon initial acceleration or when attempting to pass.
Perhaps Saab's new five speed automatic transmission is programmed for more
civilized gear change responses. There is a button to change the transmission
shift map to a sport mode, but the unit still gave a pause when pressed.
By the way, you
will notice an immediate change in attitude with the car in sport mode as the
Saab becomes more responsive. Be advised that the sports setting has to be
reset every time you start the car and a small-lighted sign on the instrument
cluster acknowledges your wish for quicker action. The Aero I tested at a
latter date was much better at downshifting and overall, a more dramatic
vehicle to drive. I think I would go with the Aero.
Coming out of
the dash, the brilliantly engineered single cupholder was worthy. However, the
second cupholder is housed in the centre armrest and is impossible to use by
the driver unless she is double-jointed. Otherwise, the interior was a nice
place to spend a journey. There are large dials and buttons for the stereo and
climate systems, redundant audio controls on the steering wheel, and large
vents that made it easy to control the inside temperature.
And
that leads me to the worst feature of the Saab, the temperature control unit.
You can not get it to remember to stay off. I never learned how to get the
unit to provide outside air without the air-conditioning being on, and I was
constantly fiddling with the fan speed. Moreover, the noise from the fans that
send cooling air into the seats was significant, bordering on irritating.
What is the
second worst feature on the Saab? That was easy for me. When you use the
remote, it alerts you to the activation or deactivation of the alarm by a
silly whistle. Yes, it whistles, and not just one time. It whistles once for
each of the front doors, and three times for the trunk. Speak about drawing
unwanted attention; the whistle is not to my liking at all. Perhaps there is a
way to silence it, but I didn't find it. Again, another quirky Saab feature.
Finally, as most
women, I worry about the care given at dealerships. I have been ignored and
treated like a child at many of them. I have found the Saab dealers mostly
good. I have noticed that the outlets that specialize in Saabs provided the
most professional service.
Working
teenage male: I like black Aero Saabs. This was a grey metallic Arc sedan. It
looked old. It acted old. It rode old. It wasn't fun. Next week we get a black
Aero wagon. Now that's progress.
Oh, well. The Arc is a comfortable car with an above average Harmon Kardon
stereo, plenty of room in the backseats, a pass through for skies into the
trunk, and a really large trunk. It had a floaty ride and sort of reminded me
of a Ford LTD, except the Saab could turn corners and stop much better. They
say the Arc is a highway touring car and it acts that way. The parents were
constantly commenting on how easy it was to find themselves going faster than
they thought because it was a very soothing ride. The Saab had good backseat
room for three adults and it didn't take long for the air-conditioning to
reach the rear passengers because you got your own vent as well as heated
seats.
Of course, this
is not the car for me or my "peeps". I doubt teenagers know about this car. I
think that is a problem for Saab. It appeals to a limited amount of people.
They don't have anything exciting to bring in the young blood at a realistic
price.
Family
conference: There is a lot of competition in this price range for
Saab, and as much as we love the product, we find the Arc's appeal limited.
Certainly the V6 turbocharged engine is very efficient and user friendly, but
for the same price you can get the much more enthusiastic Aero with 50 more
horsepower, the same safety features, and a tighter ride. Overall, the Arc is
a nice car for touring in safety and comfort.
Written by The Car Family |
