Saab 9-3 Viggen
I'm currently wrapped in denial. Actually, avoidance might be closer to the mark, but either way I'm currently not in a good mental state. For the past two decades Saab has been my favorite automaker because it so enthusiastically embraced three of my favorite automotive attributes: an individualistic philosophy, the magic of turbocharging, and characteristically hunchbacked profiles. The result? Magic, in the form of magnificently funky and atypically useful sporty cars like the Sonett, 99, 900, and 9000. Long-time readers may remember that the 1986 Saab 900 SPG is my personal Car Lust high-water mark.
Now, of course, Saab's future is in doubt. After two decades of generally benevolent General Motors ownership, Saab is up for sale. Over the last few months, I have been generally and perhaps unrealistically optimistic that Saab would land on its feet, perhaps with an owner that would give it both ample funding and a license to regain its uniquely Swedish mojo. Now, though, I'm no longer as sanguine.
Saabs United is all over the story, and its reporting describes the three bidders currently in the running for Saab. From a car-development perspective, the best scenario is probably a purchase by Koenigsegg, the Swedish supercar manufacturer. Based on the latest news, Koenigsegg and Norwegian investors are reportedly Saab's "preferred candidate." But it's not as if Koenigsegg has an easy road ahead of it. The other two parties are less-well-known, and regardless of who wins, what does it mean to Saab's future if venture capitalists take over?
Anyway, this is where my avoidance comes in. While I am cautiously optimistic about the Koenigsegg group, that optimism does not prevent me from being terrified that Saab will either disappear entirely or simply lose any semblance of relevance. The whole experience reminds me far too much of losing my beloved Seattle Supersonics last year, and I'm not sure my psyche could handle the slow, protracted loss of Saab as well.
So, in an attempt to sooth my jangled nerves while this story unfolds, I'd like to honor the impending end of Saab's stint as a GM subsidiary by featuring my favorite Saab made under the GM banner--the 9-3 Viggen.
It should surprise exactly nobody that the Saab 9-3 Viggen gets my blood boiling; after all, as the compact high-performance turbo hatch in Saab's lineup, it had all the elements of greatness. It was fast, rare, and, most importantly, boasted the same lasciviously lumpy profile as its predecessors. While I prefer the less aerodynamic, more chiseled lines of the older Saabs, the 9-3's smoothness and a tasteful aero package were compelling in their own right. The 9-3 Viggen was essentially the spiritual successor to the 900 SPG, and that fact leaves me completely helpless to its charms.
Before I get into the Viggen's performance credentials, let's keep in mind that it came to market in 1999. As hard as it is to believe for old fogies like me, 1999 is now a decade in the past--and the performance market back then was very different. This was before the recent horsepower boom, before Hyundai family sedans were available with 250 horsepower, and before SUVs accelerated like exotics. At that time, cars that could make the 0-60 run in the low 6-second range and hit a 155-mph top speed were considered special, and in putting up those numbers, the Viggen could nip at the feet of such brawny and expensive high-performance stars as the BMW M3 and Audi S4. New Viggen buyers even received a two-day training course at Georgia's excellent Road Atlanta road course.
Unfortunately, the combination of high horsepower with front-wheel drive resulted in major-league torque steer, a condition in which the steering wheel tries to twist to one side when the driver accelerates rapidly. This unfortunate characteristic marred the Viggen's handling and prevented it from competing seriously with the M3 and S4. Even back in the late 1990s most major manufacturers had figured out how to infuse horsepower into front-wheel-drive cars without creating torque steer, but Saab chose a different path. Instead of getting the engineering right, Saab tried a bald-faced marketing maneuver in which the carmaker claimed the torque steer was intentionally left in to pose a "challenge" for "advanced drivers." Um, yeah ... like kicking a marathoner repeatedly in the shins is a desirable "challenge" for "advanced runners."
Nowadays a V-6 Nissan Altima can run in stride with the Viggen, but despite that and the torque steer I'd love to have a Viggen in my garage. After all, it's fast, rare, and sports a bloated profile. It just doesn't get much more authentically Saab than that, and heck, its Viggen moniker was even borrowed from Saab's background as a military jet fighter manufacturer.
It is impressive to me that the Viggen contains so much undiluted, earthy Saab flavor despite being born during GM's ownership. In fact, unlike many other Saab devotees, I haven't especially minded Saab's time under GM's thumb. The 9-3 and 9-5 are still fast, interesting cars, with at least some residual 900 and 9000 flavor. The 9-2X was just a rebodied Subaru WRX, but as a turbocharged, AWD wagon with a rally flavor, it's a car that I can at least imagine Saab producing. Obviously I prefer Saab as an independent company creating oddly compelling cars with strong character, but things could have been much worse.
After all, GM could have forced Saab to manufacture a SUV ... say, a rebadged, generic, pointless version of the Chevy TrailBlazer. Can you imagine how unbelievably soul-crushing that would have been?
Sigh. Come on, Koenigsegg. For the sake of the small bits of hope remaining in the soup of my anguished psyche, please make it all better.
--Chris H.
Shawn on June 11, 2009 at 05:03 PM
I'm going to go on record for saying the Viggen badge is one of the best looking of any ever applied to a car. See proof:
http://www.elkparts.com/images/viggen_emblem.jpg
It's also worth mentioning that Viggen translates to "Thunderbolt". Why has there never been a car explicitly named Thunderbolt? It sounds great for a performance car!
Big Chris on June 11, 2009 at 06:42 PM
Working in a Sonics reference - ouch. I couldn't even lament the hypothetical demise of the Corvette with the same passion as my loss for the Sonics.
--Big Chris
Big Chris on June 11, 2009 at 06:43 PM
By the way, today is our good author's (Chris H) birthday - happy birthday!
Affenschmidt on June 11, 2009 at 07:46 PM
I too lusted after the Viggen--that shape, that blue, that hatchback...I actually had a 900SPG for three or four years. It had a few electronic difficulties that, until they were sorted, left me without air conditioning and with insufficient turbo, and 80s-early 90s Saabs with sunroofs didn't have quite enough headroom for me, but it was a lovely car. I traded it in on a somewhat less used 9000CSE that was never as satisfying.
Cookie the Dog's Owner on June 11, 2009 at 08:47 PM
Happy Birthday, Chris!
I don't share your passion for four-wheeled Saabs--I don't dislike them, I just don't have any strong feelings one way or the other--but the fighter-plane geek in me really likes the green tri-tone Viggen in the top photo.
Tommy's Dad on June 12, 2009 at 01:11 AM
Happy Birthday Chris! And here's a gift from Saab:
"Koenigsegg Reportedly Getting Nod as Saab Buyer"
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=150347
Hope the rumor's true, and hope they can make something good of it. Although traditionally I've not been a huge Saab fan myself, I see them around here (9-2s and 9-3s, mostly) enough to appreciate and enjoy the subtle but classy styling. I also have a friend that has a 9-3, and he seems to enjoy it a lot more than the trainwreck of a Durango he was driving before he got it.
David Colborne on June 12, 2009 at 11:04 AM
Chris, if Koenigsegg announces that they're moving Saab's headquarters to OKC, I'll be right there next to you, pitchfork in hand. Well, in spirit, anyways. Seriously, moving the Sonics there made nearly as much sense as GM's purchase of Saab.
I hate SAAB on June 12, 2009 at 12:11 PM
I have a 9-5 and it is a piece of junk! When I bought it, the engine had to be replaced at 7,000 miles. Then, the catalytic converter and the inginition pod cooked off at 93,000 miles (3,000 miles over the recall limit, but within 3 years of buying the car). Then the IP cooked off again. All the while, the Service folks at GM laughed at my request for some sort of reduced parts rate. Fark them all. They are out of business now and deserve it. I am enjoying watching the demise of this garbage dump of a company.
But hey, I am not bitter ;)
Bruce Rheinstein on June 12, 2009 at 12:21 PM
If GM hadn't purchased it, Saab probably would have gone under. Both the 900 and 9000 were growing long-in-tooth, sales were dropping, and Saab didn’t have the money to develop replacements. So, despite a few missteps, and I regard both the Viggen and 9-7 Saabrolet to be missteps, we should be thankful. Let’s hope that Koenigsegg can pull it off and give us a new generation of quirky, yet functional and appealing, oddball Swedish cars.
...m... on June 12, 2009 at 12:37 PM
...the world would be a less interesting place without a koenigsegg-backed saab diligently developing new cars in all its quirky glory...
willis on June 12, 2009 at 01:32 PM
What bidder would want a turkey like Saab? It produces quality vehicles, operates at a profit, and isn't run by a union.
kendall on June 12, 2009 at 03:13 PM
I love Saab(s) worked as a lot boy in the mid 70's in a Saab dealership in Bend, OR. Worlds greatest snow and ie car at the time. Had a girlfiend with one in the'80s. Dumped her, really missed the car. Currently have a 9 5 2.3t and a 9 3 convertable. The 9 5 routinely achieved 33 + MPG at 75 - 80 mph on freeway drives and I never had the oportunity to go fast enough, long enough to start adversely effecting the milage. the 9 3 is very good but a GM composite, they just bought us a new engine. Best news I heard in awhile is that Koenigsegg may well buy it. God Speed
JEM on June 12, 2009 at 04:22 PM
As a three-time Saab owner (a great 99EMS, a troublesome 900T, and a great 9000T that I just parted with a few months ago) the idea of Koenigsegg getting their hands on the brand is far better news than anything I could have hoped for.
I'd like to think that they, unlike GM, will get a handle on the concept that you can't keep building FWD-only product at the 250+HP level.
And I'm fairly confident we don't have to worry about any more badge-engineered Trailblazers and WRXes in the product mix.
Mochi Mochi on June 12, 2009 at 05:08 PM
While newer Saabs may not fully excite me though the Vigen is beautiful, and I have to say Saab as a whole, and entire history of cars that are unusual, interesting, quirky, and innovative are incredibly important to me. For all it's flaws and age the 99 is a great car that I love. And of all the Saab sports cars the Sonett at the top of my list. I'm not a purist, but I hated the GM acquisition of Saab. Now nearly two decades later GM ownership imperils Saabs very existence. I have my fingers crossed hoping that a white knight will keep this wonderful company alive. Saab has always been a Swedish car company. It really needs to be owned and operated by Swedes. Fingers crossed.
gsg900 on June 12, 2009 at 05:10 PM
Still have my 93 900 CE hardtop with 28k on the OD. Last of the greats, although the Viggen was an excellent tribute to what was a funky little brand with a lot of spunk.
I'd say a prayer but this badge has been on life support for so long I can't even muster the breathe these days.
Adios innovation...
CJinSD on June 12, 2009 at 10:27 PM
I worked for a multi-brand dealer over a college summer in 1989. One location sold Hondas, Oldsmobiles, and Saabs. They sold about 45 Oldsmobiles, 40 Hondas, and 6 Saabs a month. Every day, the shop was equally split with Hondas and Oldsmobiles on one side and Saabs on the other. They had as many service bays reserved for Saabs as for the other two makes combined, and those bays were never idle. There was no employee purchase program for the Saabs. Not because of the prices, as Honda salesmen could have paid for them, but because nobody who walked through that shop every day would ever buy a Saab. Only the newest employees even trusted them to drive to lunch and back without something going wrong. Once you'd done it once, you knew that you didn't want to have to pull a brand new 900 Turbo Convertible into the service bay so that the dashboard and door panels can come off to look for electrical shorts. Best to let some Saab fan buy the thing before the interior is torn apart, never to be the same.
Experience taught us to do some thorough presale inspections on Oldsmobiles. Sometimes they showed up missing various lubricating fluids, for example. Thank you UAW. We could sort this stuff out before we sold the cars though. There was no solution to the Saabs' problems. I knew a number of people who had Saabs in the '80s. Most of them were young women who received the Saabs from their parents. I don't know if the thinking was to give them safe cars, or the parents had bought the cars for their own use before giving up and getting something that ran every day. I do recall that they were more hobbies than cars. GM didn't buy Saab because Saab was doing so well that GM was worried about the competition.
Bryan Frymire on June 13, 2009 at 12:19 AM
Back in the eighties, Gordon Baxter wrote a column for Car & Driver. He wrote one about the mystery car that he was loaned for a week. He described it in florid, loving prose as being practically an earthbound aircraft. He didn't reveal what automobile he was talking about until the final sentence of the article. It was a Saab 900 Turbo. After I had read that article II wanted one - naturally. Never did get one though. I did have a guy drop by the house once for some reason - perhaps to look at something I had for sale - and he had a Turbo 900. We chatted at length about his car. It was a late-eighties unit and it was in perfect shape. He popped the hood - sorta - as it kind of moves forward and then tilts up from the rear. So the dang motor faces the wrong way and sits north/south instead of sideways. Okay. Whatever. He did get on it a bit as it drove away and it sounded marvelous.
Dr. Kenneth Noisewater on June 13, 2009 at 05:33 AM
Now what _I_ would like to see would be Koenigsegg putting actual mini turbines into serial hybrid Saab hatchbacks.. Turbines that would spin up when its batteries got low, run at full efficiency, then shut off when batteries are topped up.
Then there really _would_ be a car 'born from jets'...
David Colborne on June 13, 2009 at 12:42 PM
Dr. Kenneth - Lots of manufacturers played with turbine engines back in the day. Dodge and Rover both had fairly advanced turbine programs at various points in time. Unfortunately, turbines don't really respond well to throttle input, they're hotter than heck, and they devour fuel faster than even the worst-maintained Hummer.
Put another way, yeah, it'd be fun, but don't bet your life on it ever happening.
Dr. Kenneth Noisewater on June 13, 2009 at 03:38 PM
"Dr. Kenneth - Lots of manufacturers played with turbine engines back in the day. Dodge and Rover both had fairly advanced turbine programs at various points in time. Unfortunately, turbines don't really respond well to throttle input, they're hotter than heck, and they devour fuel faster than even the worst-maintained Hummer."
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/120/motorhead-messiah.html
If the guy can get 100mpg out of Neil Young's Lincoln (Linc Volt), think of what he could get out of an aluminum Saab.. Turbines powering a generator can spin at their most efficient speed (which is more efficient than any otto cycle reciprocating engine) in order to charge batteries in a serial configuration, and their mechanical simplicity (fewer parts) and lighter weight offset weight penalties from batteries. Exhaust heat could be reclaimed ala BMW's closed-loop steam system or possibly with Seebeck radiators as well.. We're at the point where all engine-driven accessories are now available as purely-electrical components (to accomodate the Volt and newer Priuses). You could power this thing on diesel, biodiesel, kerosene, or any fuel that a M1 Abrams could take..
And don't get me started on Amory Lovins and the carbon fibre snap-together monocoque...
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/09/04/video-rmis-hypercar-a-100-mpg-suv-featuring-amory-lovins/
This is the sort of combination of high-tech, iconoclasm, and different thinking that set Saab apart before The Dark Time, and who better than Koenigsegg (a visionary entrepreneur) to think outside the GM box?
Jean on June 15, 2009 at 04:52 AM
There's no other way than Koenigsegg for Saab. My heart wont take it, if they make it other way. Love saabs from the first moment I've seen mentioned 900 SPG, searching for my own. Great article and Happy Birthday:D from Poland Man
tony on June 15, 2009 at 06:22 AM
Looks like you got your wish Chris. I heard K did buy Saab.
Todd on June 15, 2009 at 03:49 PM
I own a 2008 Turbo X, 2000 Viggen, and a '89 SPG. I haven't had problems with any and will always buy a car built in Trollhattan (or Finland). I am lucky to have a BRILLIANT Saab mechanic at George's Imports in KCMO, truly dedicated and in love with these turbo charged wonders. Safe, beautiful, great gas milage, unique...wonderful.
Smoke_Jaguar4 on June 15, 2009 at 04:39 PM
Regarding torque steer:
Some Saab aftermarket specialists now market a 'Viggen Rescue Kit', which apparently exorcise the FWD daemons. These consist of a steering rack clamp and an underbody brace. Some also include upgraded bushings or anti-roll bars. The main offender seems to be the steering clamp, which was woefully under-designed for the HP. These kits also work on non-Viggen 1998 - 2002 9-3's. From what I read online, well worth the cost.
I've been looking for a decent Saab 900 or older 9-3, and have realized most people will drive these into the ground, then sell them only if the cost of repair exceeds their trade-in value. I personally hope Koenigsegg restores Saab to its full dorky glory.
SJ4
...m... on June 16, 2009 at 06:03 AM
WOOOHOOO IT'S OFFICIAL!!