I think the current generation 9-3 was a great step ahead of the old gen. Our old model swayed and rolled like a floundering whale until I swapped out the sway bar, shocks and struts. The body was solid, but old school.
The new model handles much better, gets better mileage and is more solid structurally. I watched the IIHS crash videos and saw how the old gen 9-3 buckled right under the driver footwell. I had to get a new car due to the reimbursement program at work.
I like our 9-3, but new when we got it in 2007, I knew that front wheel drive wasn't the novel product it used to be. It still has been a great car. Granted it won't out handle a 3 series and doesn't have the build quality of a lexus or infiniti, but it does great for the price.
