I test drove a 9-7X Arc today...awesome!

[indysaaber]

My review will consist of the following phrase: Very nice interior, very good handling, extremely quiet ride and sweet! That sums it up for me. My wife is looking to trade in her 2002 Ford Explorer. I think we will be buying the 9-7X Linear. About 25 9-7Xs are due in to our Saab dealership next week.

My wife loves this SUV! She says it handles like my 9-3SS Arc. Well, it does handle well for a heavy SUV, but I think my wife may be exaggerating just a little bit.

Bottom line is that we are both impressed and it now looks like we may be a two-Saab family.

[Swade]

Hey, congratulations!! Make sure you post some pictures.

[Buddhabman]

Well this sounds encouraging. Did you get a chance to test the brakes on any quick stops? How did they feel? Was the interior quiet during acceleration. What does the exhaust note sound like? Best of luck on your future purchase.

[AudiSAABfans]

How does it feel compares to new M-class, X5, Touareg and Cayenne?

[Lodro]

Is the new M actually on the road?

[AudiSAABfans]

Originally Posted by Lodro

Is the new M actually on the road?

Its already on the road.

[saabfan]

Yep, and the new M looks like a great improvement over the last.

[indysaaber]

Originally Posted by Buddhabman

Well this sounds encouraging. Did you get a chance to test the brakes on any quick stops? How did they feel? Was the interior quiet during acceleration. What does the exhaust note sound like? Best of luck on your future purchase.

I did test the brakes on a quick stop and was satisfied with the results. The brakes did seem more "touchy" then other SUVs I have driven in the past.

Regarding interior noise under acceleration, the 9-7 seemed quiet while cruising and reasonably quiet under heavy accerlation.

I didn't pay much attention to the exhaust note; however, if it was irritating, I certainly would have noticed.

I was most impressed with the handling especially during high speed cornering. The 9-7 really hugged the road. I'm assuming the 9-7 has ESP. However, I don't recall seeing an ESP button in the interior. Perhaps, I just missed the ESP button.

[AudiSAABfans]

Originally Posted by indysaaber

I'm assuming the 9-7 has ESP. However, I don't recall seeing an ESP button in the interior. Perhaps, I just missed the ESP button.

Or they won't let you turned off the ESP by hiding it somewhere in glovebox.

[Blackbear]

Originally Posted by indysaaber

I was most impressed with the handling especially during high speed cornering. The 9-7 really hugged the road. I'm assuming the 9-7 has ESP. However, I don't recall seeing an ESP button in the interior.

ESP will be introduced with the '06 models, along with a grab bag of other goodies, like the option to have moonroof AND rear DVD, several colors, and possibly, if I've heard right, the displacement on demand system (like in other GMs and the new Honda Odysseys) that shuts down half the cylinders during freeway cruising (for better fuel economy)

Before deciding to wait, though, realize price will probably (certainly?) reflect the changes. I think 05 will be the only model year with 100% standard equipment / no charges for any options

[Lodro]

Originally Posted by Blackbear

ESP will be introduced with the '06 models...

What? *Pathetic* for the first SUV from a company whose claim to fame is safety.

Originally Posted by Blackbear

Before deciding to wait, though, realize price will probably (certainly?) reflect the changes. I think 05 will be the only model year with 100% standard equipment / no charges for any options

Yea but by 06 the crazy incentives will have started to kick in too. Unless Saab introduces a fabulous (e.g. heavily subsidised) lease deal, I think you'd have to be nuts -- or have money to burn -- to buy one of these now. Look at money they are dumping on the 9-2x -- last I read at 7.5k!

[AudiSAABfans]

Originally Posted by Lodro

What? *Pathetic* for the first SUV from a company whose claim to fame is safety.

That's the same reason why Volvo had a sluggish start for S40/V50, its due to the lack of active safety feature from a company that known for safety.

[Lodro]

Originally Posted by AudiSAABfans

That's the same reason why Volvo had a sluggish start for S40/V50, its due to the lack of active safety feature from a company that known for safety.

Ya, I can actually see not having DSTC on a car that is already stable but I wouldn't want to be w/o it on a high cg vehicle like the TB/9-7x. My Outback didn't offer it, and I don't miss it -- hanging the tail out a bit on that car with low cg is fun, whereas I don't think I'd clasify losing an SUV as fun.

All of the ESP, TCS, and other anti-skid stuff is redundant with all-wheel drive in my mind. Why would you need all of that when you have traction going to all four wheels all the time? I just got a brochure in the mail for the 9-7x, the official one, not the cheesy flyer that some of us got promoting the free XM and OnStar. It's a pretty neat book and makes the 9-7x look like a true Saab. What I don't get is how they keep reminding people where the key is and why. They don't do that for the 9-3 and 9-5 right?

[Lodro]

Originally Posted by apzer09

All of the ESP, TCS, and other anti-skid stuff is redundant with all-wheel drive in my mind. Why would you need all of that when you have traction going to all four wheels all the time?

Because those 4 wheels can still lose grip, no matter how they are driven. Under braking there is no difference betwen 2wd and awd (well, perhaps slight) for example. That said I agree that an awd *car* is much more stable, but you give up a lot when you are carrying all the extra mass of an SUV . . . so no, I don't think its redundant at all. Remeber that TC and EPS while related are really two different things. Traction control only helps make sure that the wheels don't overspin, kind of like the reverse of ABS. EPS will actually selectivly control different wheels (left and right) if it sense an impending oversteer or understeer situation. 4wd by itself does nothing like that.

Hey indysaaber, I just realized, you've actually driven a 9-7x!!! Are they in dealers NOW?!!! My idiot dealer was like the last one in the California to get the 9-2x when it came out, so I hope it's not the same for the 9-7x since their lot is Tahoe after Tahoe after Suburban after Trailblazer, and so on. They did a nice job of burying the Saabs in the corner of the lot so no one can see them. I'll have to do some research!!!

[Lodro]

I should add that anyone who has seen an SUV in a ditch because its driver thought that 4wd gave him or her magical powers can attest to that...

[Lodro]

Originally Posted by apzer09

Hey indysaaber, I just realized, you've actually driven a 9-7x!!! Are they in dealers NOW?!!! My idiot dealer was like the last one in the California to get the 9-2x when it came out, so I hope it's not the same for the 9-7x since their lot is Tahoe after Tahoe after Suburban after Trailblazer, and so on. They did a nice job of burying the Saabs in the corner of the lot so no one can see them. I'll have to do some research!!!

I'm going to take a look at my dealer on thursday..promise to keep an open-mind.

[Stellar I]

Originally Posted by apzer09

What I don't get is how they keep reminding people where the key is and why. They don't do that for the 9-3 and 9-5 right?

Surely they're trying to reasure to those SAAB fans who were dissatisfied with the non-SAAB interior of the 9-2X.

[Raven18940]

Originally Posted by Lodro

I should add that anyone who has seen an SUV in a ditch because its driver thought that 4wd gave him or her magical powers can attest to that...

I used to drive a Jeep Wrangler and I spun that quite a few times in the snow. Of course it had a slighty rear weight bias, obnoxiously short wheel base, and I was driving it like a rally driver. As for sliding an SUV, you don't hang the tail out so much as hang on for dear life. I got pretty good at flicking the tail out at low speed turns, but only got the tail out once at a higher speed. The only reason I got it out was cause I kicked it with the clutch and I damn near lost it. After I changed my underwear I decided not to try that anymore. With the high center of gravity there's so much weigh slinging from one side to the other. You might think you're in control, but slightly too much throttle or a botched counter steer and you're looking where you're going out of your mirror.