lgt_nube Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 My 2005 LGT 5EAT Wagon is in the body shop for a few days and I'm renting a 2011 Saab 2.0T sedan (of course automatic). The Saab is a very tight-feeling car, comfortable, handles well, and seems more refined and quiet than my LGT. However, at first I assumed it wasn't a turbo because the throttle response was so much less than I was used to. But it is a turbo, and you get the performance by standing on it and getting the engine to rev. My LGT has way more power in normal non-extreme driving, an effortless power at part throttle and lower revs that the Saab is missing. I am enjoying the so-far-excellent climate control that I set once and forget :-) A few photos of the LGT My current ride Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Donated Too laff79 Posted September 15, 2011 I Donated Too Share Posted September 15, 2011 http://sourcehop.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/cool-story.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmmrdwn Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 My 2005 LGT 5EAT Wagon is in the body shop for a few days and I'm renting a 2011 Saab 2.0T sedan (of course automatic). The Saab is a very tight-feeling car, comfortable, handles well, and seems more refined and quiet than my LGT. However, at first I assumed it wasn't a turbo because the throttle response was so much less than I was used to. But it is a turbo, and you get the performance by standing on it and getting the engine to rev. My LGT has way more power in normal non-extreme driving, an effortless power at part throttle and lower revs that the Saab is missing. I am enjoying the so-far-excellent climate control that I set once and forget :-) Saab uses a torque limiter in their software mapping to prevent wheel hopping. You can tune the engine to boost the power from a standing start. Saabs are more well known for their passing speeds. One of their models was faster 40-70 than a Porsche. Saab's climate control is fantastic. Like you say, set it once and forget it. The problem is that if something goes wrong in the dash, you are in trouble. One of the motors to a damper went bad in our 2007 and I found out there are 12 motors at $90-$150. Saab's ride and body control is much better than a Subaru. Less NVH, road noise and better lane tracking. The downfall for Saab is the front wheel drive. Massive understeer and not as good in snow as Subaru. Those things being said, Saab has much more of a premium feel than a Subaru. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LosAngelesLGT Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 Gosh with a FWD that has a more premium feel than Subaru AND better climate control? Saab, the king of cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmmrdwn Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 Gosh with a FWD that has a more premium feel than Subaru AND better climate control? Saab, the king of cars. When you consider that many people bought their Saabs for around 24K-28K with GM rebates and incentives...and Subie owners paid more for their LGT's, it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDork Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 i prefer my LGT to my wife's turbo x but if she had opted for the third pedal, id probably change my vote. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LosAngelesLGT Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 My LGT was had for under 25k brand spanking new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gire Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 Didn't Saab go tits up?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmmrdwn Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 My LGT was had for under 25k brand spanking new. Was it new or used? Probably not much demand for awd cars in Los Angeles. It's about the same price they were selling new 9-3's for. Recall on the models Subaru made for Saab and others: http://www.saabcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=218353 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmmrdwn Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 http://www.saabcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=218348 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LosAngelesLGT Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 Was it new or used? "My LGT was had for under 25k BRAND SPANKING NEW" /unsubscribe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bbc84 Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 "My LGT was had for under 25k BRAND SPANKING NEW" /unsubscribe My brand new 08 LGT was 24k or 25k too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmmrdwn Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 The original poster summed it up well and I agree completely..."The Saab is a very tight-feeling car, comfortable, handles well, and seems more refined and quiet than my LGT." It's a fact that the Saab 9-3 doors close without a boing, the windows close quietly, the seats are comfortable and they handle tighter/very well. The original poster wasn't aware that Saab mapped the ecu to reduce torque at lower rpm's to make it an easy driver with power when passing, merging and at speed. Saab has worked hard to eliminate lag and noticable excessive boost. Like he says, it's more refined. No loud noises, no whistling, no blow off valves pffffting. Just a quiet building surge of acceleration enabling you to pass and drive when needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lgt_nube Posted September 21, 2011 Author Share Posted September 21, 2011 That may be true, but I prefer the effortless lower-rpm power in my LGT, if not the held-in-lower-gears-too-long result that sometimes occurs in "D" which should have been limited to "S". An update, Saab just got bankruptcy protection from a court of appeal. http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/story/2011-09-21/saab-bankruptcy-approved/50488934/1 The original poster wasn't aware that Saab mapped the ecu to reduce torque at lower rpm's to make it an easy driver with power when passing, merging and at speed. Saab has worked hard to eliminate lag and noticable excessive boost. Like he says, it's more refined. No loud noises, no whistling, no blow off valves pffffting. Just a quiet building surge of acceleration enabling you to pass and drive when needed. A few photos of the LGT My current ride Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmmrdwn Posted September 22, 2011 Share Posted September 22, 2011 That may be true, but I prefer the effortless lower-rpm power in my LGT, if not the held-in-lower-gears-too-long result that sometimes occurs in "D" which should have been limited to "S". An update, Saab just got bankruptcy protection from a court of appeal. http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/story/2011-09-21/saab-bankruptcy-approved/50488934/1 Scary to think a Chinese company might own Saab. All I can think is that this is not good. Yes, while not being as quiet an engine due to the exposed timing belt and other mechanicals, the boxer does perform very well. I don't entirely agree with the logic of Saab limiting low end torque. Must be their target market demographics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJS5689 Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 My LGT was had for under 25k brand spanking new. My dealer wouldn't budge a penny below $33,000 for mine . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will816 Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 A buddy of mine has an 08 9-3 turbo with a 6mt. It's nice but meh... He loves it but I think he was a little disappointed in it after he drove my 08 LGT a few weeks ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmmrdwn Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 A buddy of mine has an 08 9-3 turbo with a 6mt. It's nice but meh... He loves it but I think he was a little disappointed in it after he drove my 08 LGT a few weeks ago. He's got an orphan. Your friend might have paid substantially less for his Saab since they were practically giving them away for quite a while. The front wheel drive is the biggest drawback to Saab's performance. The overall premium feel of most Saab's is fantastic though. Performance wise the LGT will blow it away. Depending on which 9-3 (Aero or Arc), the Saab will probably get better mileage. The turbo 4 gets 23 city and 31-33 mpg highway. Considering the state of Saab, the Subaru is a much better choice at this time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will816 Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 He's got an orphan. Your friend might have paid substantially less for his Saab since they were practically giving them away for quite a while. The front wheel drive is the biggest drawback to Saab's performance. The overall premium feel of most Saab's is fantastic though. Performance wise the LGT will blow it away. Depending on which 9-3 (Aero or Arc), the Saab will probably get better mileage. The turbo 4 gets 23 city and 31-33 mpg highway. Considering the state of Saab, the Subaru is a much better choice at this time. Yeah he got a good deal and he had an old Saab once before so he was happy to get back in one. Agreed on the front drive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDork Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 He's got an orphan. Your friend might have paid substantially less for his Saab since they were practically giving them away for quite a while. The front wheel drive is the biggest drawback to Saab's performance. The overall premium feel of most Saab's is fantastic though. Performance wise the LGT will blow it away. Depending on which 9-3 (Aero or Arc), the Saab will probably get better mileage. The turbo 4 gets 23 city and 31-33 mpg highway. Considering the state of Saab, the Subaru is a much better choice at this time. You can get a 9-3 with AWD but fuel economy is truly pathetic. Turbo X gets ~12 around town with me driving. Lucky to get 23 on the highway.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmmrdwn Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 You can get a 9-3 with AWD but fuel economy is truly pathetic. Turbo X gets ~12 around town with me driving. Lucky to get 23 on the highway.... You are right about the gas mileage. The turbo X is a turbo six and sucks gas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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