Saab 9-3 Convertible Chicago test drive

For those of you who have been riding shotgun with me over the years as I write my reviews, you know that I love most cars but won’t write about or push any models not up to my standards.  I simply write it as I drive it.  That being said I recently took a Saab 9-3 Chicago test drive to test out the open-air version of the 9-3.  While I wasn’t sure how a 9-3 Convertible would look or drive, I must say I’m impressed with Saab’s work.

Before I break down the drive itself, let me examine the appearance and comfort of the ride.  My initial reaction upon spotting the car on the lot was that this Saab 9-3 Chicago Convertible looked sleek, even by already-lofty Saab standards.  Compact and stylish, the convertible-version 9-3 definitely makes you take notice.  I like feeling as though I am not stuck in my car as I cruise about town.  And since Chicago is the town I’m cruising most of the time, I really took notice of the hardtop the Saab 9-3 Convertible offers.  A total requirement for Chicago weather, the hardtop insulates the cabin nicely in the winter.

I couldn’t help but notice the 9-3 seemed relatively spacious from the inside.   Sure I’ve driven roofed 9-3s before, but even with the top up on the convertible it somehow seemed roomier.  Maybe the hardtop offers slightly more headroom.  I’m not sure.  The ride itself was very smooth.  It was as if I was driving down a basketball court rather than the potholed streets of Chicago. 

The convertible’s performance was just as you would expect from any 9-3 test drive.  The 9-3 has always met my standards for style and performance.  I knew this convertible would perform, and I was really pleased with its looks.

After my ride I took a spin on the superhighway and found the 9-3 Convertible’s fuel economy to be in line with its competitors, 19 mpg city and 27 mpg highway.  Overall, I was impressed by the 2009 Saab 9-3 Convertible.  It’s the 9-3, with nature added.

Saab 9-X Air concept

Saab has done some very nice redesigns lately, and their new cars on the horizon look excellent as well.  I’ve visited Chicago Saab dealers to drive the Saab 9-3, 9-5 Griffin and 9-7X and liked them all, but design-wise, I’m not sure I like any as much as the 9-X air concept.  It won’t happen anytime soon, but I certainly would love to visit a Saab dealer in Chicago to take one of these for a spin.  The original concept 9-X was a hatchback, but now Saab has taken the design further, installing a flat-folding canopy to create the Air.

The company has not committed to anything, saying only the 9-X Air concept is meant to display the possibilities for a future Saab convertible.  The car keeps a dynamic profile with the top up or down, as its canopy top folds flat into three sections that stow themselves fully covered in the trunk space.  But anyone who would motor off to the links in convertible mode in this car can rest easy.  There is a spring-loaded, slide-out storage compartment under the taillights that was made specifically to have enough space for two golf bags.

Something notable and something I’m a fan of is this car’s soft top.  You’ve seen a lot of different convertibles go to hardtops recently, but I prefer the look of the soft top.  Plus, with advancements in engineering, soft tops do a very good job of insulating weather and noise.  I don’t see why the hardtop is necessary.  It adds weights and takes away sportiness in my opinion.

“Air” is an appropriate name for this vehicle.  Yes, it’s a convertible, but it’s also a “BioHybrid” that will help to improve air quality by curbing a large percentage of CO2 emissions.

The hybrid powertrain on the 9-X is said to be working toward 40 mpg.  The interesting part of it is that the 1.4-liter engine is turbocharged and would run on E85 in conjunction with the lithium-ion battery pack.  Whether or not the engine ever makes it to production, if you like the design of this car and looking to buy a new Saab in Chicago soon, you can be pretty sure you’ll see a Saab 9-1 based on this design show up at a Saab dealer in Chicago in the near future.  And it will probably have some kind of hybrid engine, even if it’s not the same one that we see in the Air concept.

That really is the most significant thing to take away from this concept.  Yes, I would like to see this exact car on the showroom floor.  But most importantly, I want to see this design language become ingrained in Saab’s vehicles.