2008 Saab 9-3 Convertible TiD review

Of course Saab and GM are not as bad as the Germans.Say what you want, but
“The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.” Saab 9-3 convertible is one the best known convertibles on Australian roads today. After all, it has been here for around ten years and there is something special about it that sets it apart from the rest.

Over the last decade, however, things have gotten a little confusing. There are currently 16 different variations of the 9-3 convertible available in Australia. Your choices range from a 2.0-litre turbo, the same 2.0-litre turbo with more power, a 2.0-litre turbo biopower or a 1.9-litre turbo diesel (all available in auto/man and linear or vector trim) as well as the range topping 2.8-litre 9-3 Aero.

So if you’re a tad puzzled as to which 9-3 convertible is for you, join the club! The reason companies like Mars and Coca Cola don’t flood the shelves with products suited to every man and his dog, is to not confuse the market, something car companies are doing more often.

Mercedes-Benz has clearly made a car for every single person on the planet, yet it’s still afraid of holes in its range, so every once in a while a new class is added, which is nearly identical to an existing class, except that it has an extra seat or 2kW more power.

16 choices, one week, which one should I pick? Tony had already decided he wanted the Aero, because Tony likes things that go fast, besides I wanted something different, something that would turn a few heads. Nothing does that better than a diesel convertible.

After picking up my 9-3 TiD 1.9-litre turbo-diesel from Saab Brisbane I headed for a meeting with CarAdvice’s advertising agent. We ended up out for lunch at the Emporium in Fortitude Valley (one of Brisbane’s trendiest bistro districts).

Arriving at the Emporium in anything but a European car is out of the norm. Thankfully the 9-3 stands out like a beautiful girl holding your arm at a pretentious dinner party, it fits in perfectly. That’s not to say the car is pretentious, far from it, only that it can play the part, what ever that may be