I dont mind driving this car if its priced competitively, and 4s centres are nearby,

Oh yeah, Paul, does this car still have the butterfly cupholder? its not a car wo cupholders

The engine bay is quite ok given to the typical european demands, I mean 1 engine for soccer moms, 1 for dads and one for the raceboys.

The meter cluster with the HUD looks like it's zeroing in on a target (jetfighter inspired lah katakan). The interior… combo of black leather, graphite and aluminium.. I like!!

saab will only come back once they have established a strong sales programme in europe and u.s.

toy car,

the blacked out front pillar was an early saab design feature. general motors did not continue it when they took over. other saab design features are the hockey stick rear window design (this i think they have already omitted in recent models) and the 3-hole grille which has somewhat evolved with the edge holes now merging with the headlamps.

yoezpo,

saab (the car company) was an aeroplane manufacturer. today saab aviation still makes fighter jets and commercial planes. that is why their dashboard is always dark. it is to reduce glare as that is how pilots like their dash panels. same for the night panel feature which allows pilots and drivers to turn off specific lights on the dashboard so they can concentrate on the speedo only or other meters during night driving. so, their dashboard features will always be aircraft inspired… not sure about the direction taken by the new saab company though.

KS,

saab is not popular here because they cost more than the equivalent mercedes and bmw. nothing to do with toyota or honda. they are also more expensive than volvo. another reason is that their cbu status makes them higher in price and this will turn off many would-be buyers. in terms of performance, you have to drive it to experience it. there is a reason why owners fondly refer to their performance oriented turbocharged cars as 'jets'.

american born ah beng,

saab design has always been very scandinavian. this means it is clean, simple, functional and elegant. much like ikea. if you notice their designs, they're also simple functional and clean but at the same time being elegant. the swedes are simple people who appreciate nature and simple stuff like that. that's why their design and even volvo design is organic and simple. less fussy and if you notice, their designs tend to stand the test of time better than design-for-the-sake-of-it designs.

I don't think they are worried about competing with BMW, Audi and Mercedes. People buy SAABs for being SAABs. (Same like Alfa Romeo customers). Since the 900, they always had thier own quirky look.

Now SAAB, don't forget the stationwagon.

The front is pure Saab, but its a pity the rear ended up looking a bit lexus….which didn't quite well as a package.

Now if they can do something about the 9-3…..(for what its worth the 9-3 Sportscombi looks awesome)

Overall a very clean design. But really like those cockpit inspired meter panels

Btw the all black meter cluster looks like airplane…cool without being too fancy

y saab not famous in Malaysia? i think they r damn nice. not sure bout the performance

========================

Because there are Toyota and Honda…

simple n purely elegant unlike korean n japs who seems to overdo things a bit.