I leased this car in the spring of 2003. I was living in New Orleans, LA and was driving a 2001 Audi TT. With a baby on the way and my beloved TT getting beaten up by the horrendous New Orleans roads (I lived in many places throughout the US, from Michigan to Texas to California, and I’ve never seen bigger potholes), I decided it might be time for a new car - something a little bigger but hopefully just as fun to drive.

For 2003 Saab introduced the new design for the 9-3. I had never been a huge fan of Saab styling, but I found the pictures of the new 9-3 very attractive. It has a nice wedge shape and an aggressive stance that I found appealing. So when I took my TT in to be serviced at my local Audi dealer (which also happened to be the local Saab dealer as well), I took a test drive. That afternoon, I went home in a new black 9-3 Vector with a 6-speed manual and a tan leather interior.

As I near the end of my 3-year lease, I thought it would be worthwhile to offer up my opinions after 2 1/2 years of ownership.

Trim Levels:

The 9-3 comes in three somewhat distinct trim levels: Linear, Arc, and Vector. (Note: after the 2003 model year, Saab changed the Vector trim name to Aero – some conflict with the rights for the Vector name or some such). All three trim levels come with turbocharged four cylinder engines. The Linear is the base trim level, with its engine putting out 175 horsepower and 195 lb-ft or torque. Both the Arc and the Vector put out 210 horsepower and 221 lb-ft of torque. In addition, the Vector adds a sport suspension and low-profile tires.

Exterior:

As I mentioned before, when I first saw the pictures of the new 9-3 design I was immediately impressed. I must say, though, the looks in person are not quite as nice. Definitely a car that looks great from certain angles but more ordinary from others. The Vector trim offers some more sportier looking front and side body moldings – to me these improve the looks quite a bit (although my wife doesn’t so much agree).

Interior:

I find the interior of the 9-3 adequately attractive, if not as well executed and distinctive as the TT. The seats are supportive and comfortable and are easy to adjust to meet each driver’s need. There’s plenty of legroom for my 6’ 2” frame, if not as much headroom as I would like. The back seat offers less room and can be a little cramped for anyone over 6 feet. Compared to my wife’s BMW 325i, I think there’s a little more room available in the back seat – especially if you’re trying to carry three passengers back there.

The main controls on the dash are laid out intuitively, with A/C, lights, power window, and power locks controls all where you’d expect them. My 9-3 has the optional "infotainment" package, which offer a 6 disc CD player and enhanced trip computer but whose controls are too many and rather awkward to operate. As with all GM products, OnStar is standard, but since I do not subscribe to the service I can’t comment on its function.

Performance/Handling:

My favorite thing about my 9-3 would be the engine. It revs smoothly and offers a seemingly endless supply of oomph – as long as you’re above 3000 RPM or so. I find acceleration for passing readily available but off the line there is a noticeable amount of lag. For an engine with this amount of power, torque steer is noticeably absent, even with the manual transmission.

The shifter does not require too much effort, nor does the clutch. The clutch in my TT had a much longer throw so it took some time for me to adjust to the 9-3’s clutch. I’ve not driven many BMWs with manuals (my wife’s is an auto), but I would say that the clutch effort is very similar even if the shifter is not quite as enjoyable to operate.

Overall, handling for the 9-3 is good. When accelerating out of a turn you can still tell you’re driving a front wheel drive car, but otherwise the car feels solid and inspires confidence that it will go where you want it too. I also find the breaking performance to be quite good.

Although better than my TT, the ride is still a bit busy. Road noise is minimal.

Fuel Economy:

The 9-3 has an EPA rating of 22 mpg city and 32 mpg highway. 99.9% of my driving has been city driving and, although I can get about 20 mpg if I drive conservatively, I average about 17-18 mpg. On the few occasions that I have driven on the highway I have gotten close to 30 mpg.

Reliability:

Over the course of my lease, I’ve only put on about 12,000 miles. The only issue I’ve had is with the power door lock on the driver’s door. I had that fixed when I had my first service and have had no other troubles. However, the 9-3 has tended to have poor reliability ratings overall. It may just be that since I’ve put on so few miles, I have yet to experience these issues. (Overall poor reliability expectations from a GM product are the main reason I choose to lease rather than buy.)

Summary:

My 9-3 has performed admirably over the 2 1/2 years I’ve had it. I find it enjoyable to drive and still like the styling almost as much as when I bought it. If Saab would only develop an all-wheel drive system for the 9-3, I might consider another one.

Amount Paid (US$): 35000 or so
Condition: New
Model Year: 2003
Model and Options: Vector