Eeyore wrote - suitably gloomily!:

Hear Hear! Saab had a small, (too small for commercial success in the
modern world). idiosyncratic and occasionally fanatical customer base who
appreciated what the manufacturer did at a design and engineering level,
even if the quality control side of the production equation sometimes
caused wallet ache! So for years we got cars with floor mounted keys to
save kneecaops, funny screens for great peripheral vision and forward
safety planning throughout the design, as well as comfort, handling,
mostly good ergonomics, reasonable economy and shedloads of space.

Move on to the 94 NG and we not only got a column key, but it started a
car with inferior torsional stiffness and crash figures to both the 9000
and the by then almost antique 900. Cue the V6 with some expensive
maintenance habits (brakes, steering and cambelts) and Subaru sales
started to go through the roof. So GM took them on board too....! (And
yes, I do concede that the recent Saabs are a great improvement.)

Maybe GM need to take a leaf from Renault's book? They keep a *very* close
financial eye on Nissan since they bailed them out, but they also trust
them to have a better knowledge of their traditional customers than anyone
else. No, I'll never buy Nissan's version of the Megane, but lots of people
will althugh they *wouldn't* buy Renault's styling or suspension package
just 'cos it had a Nissan badge stuck on.

What I won't buy is a Chevrolaab or a Saabaru. so for now I'll keep
updating Outbacks and enjoy our nighttime coast and mountain drives in an
81 turbo sedan that's just nice to drive. Cheers

"Edwin Pawlowski" <esp (AT) snet (DOT) net> wrote

I'm not surprised. The Cayenne is kind of a bargain, really. I couldn't say
that about an A6, but that's just me.

hippo wrote:


Whoa. The NG900 has the key in the center console. It was the 9000
that had the key in the dash. The 9000 that came out 8 years earlier
than the NG900, before GM bought its first 1/2 interest of SAAB in 1990.

Around these environs, you can buy a SAAB 9-2 for less than the
equivelent Subaru. After having driven them, I wouldn't want either.


--
-Fred W