I am a salesman at a GM dealership that has Saab in it's lineup of franchises. I have driven the 2005 9-3 in pretty much every conceivable trim level, from the Linear to the Aero...and although they are cool in a quirky sort of way, they are no where near the performance or handling level of the G35. The turbocharged 2.0 liter 4-cylinder has a terrible lag right off the bottom-end that is annoying to many people, including me. Reliability is also an issue. Most of the service advisors here will tell you that the Saab's have more than their share of nagging problems, and they are very much maintainence-driven. There is an absolute maintenance schedule to follow per Saab's guidelines, or they pretty much go downhill quickly. Plus...resale is pretty pathetic. And, FWD is not my favorite. But, to each his/her own.

I'm not slamming my product, just stating fact. Saab has always been a "funny" kind of car. You either love them and wouldn't buy anything else...or you wouldn't have one. We sell about 300 vehicles a month...and only 3-4 of those are Saabs. Any questions?

I could be driving a 2005 Saab 9-3 Aero...but I drive what I want, and you see what I drive?

On the upside of GM, I just drove a 2006 Pontiac G6 GTP Coupe today that has a 3.9L V6 and a reported 230hp. Pretty impressive for a car that was introduced as the replacement to the Grand-AM. Certainly no G35 as far as power and accelleration goes...but not too shabby.

 

The C6 shares the platfrom with the Saab 9-3. The madza 3 shares the platform of the volvo 40. Volvo is ford and Saab is a GM.

 

My prior car was a Saab 9-5 and I have driven the Aero 9-3 a number of times. Here are my 2 cents:

1. Resale is horrible on a Saab. I'm not sure why, but in 4 years mine went from $38,500 list/$33k final to $10,500 at auction. YIKES!
2. Handling on the 9-3 is not that good. While the suspension is relatively firm, the steering feel is terrible. Just like the GM that the new 9-3 is. My biggest complaint was the straight line spongyness and lack of feel transmitted from the road.
3. Reliability on the first 2 years of the 9-3 was awful. It has improved significantly with the 05's according to the Saab service advisor, but he said he would never own an 03 or 04.

 

The only good saab right now in terms or performance and reliability is the 9-2x. Its basically an upgraded Suburu WRX. Come standard with 16" Enkei wheel. My buddy just pick one up 3 weeks ago with SAAB promo of $7200 off MSRP. The out of door price on it is $23k tax and fee included.

 

I TYPE IN ALL CAPS...THIS SITE CONVERTS IT TO ITS CURRENT FORM. TRY IT.

 

Things I like about the 9-3 Aero:
a) Distinctive exterior styling. Very european. Definately not bland.
b) Unique interior styling. Aircraft inspired cabin with driver oriented cockpit, joysitck vent controls, and between the seats ignition.
c) Aero body kit includes lowered springs, aero specific wheels, sills, bumpers and exhaust tips.
d) 5-door design with dual fold-down rear seats increase utility.
e) 50-plus years of automotive innovation and heritage.
f) Upright seating position with wrap around windshield offers excellent driver visibility.

The 9-3 is not for everyone, and I wouldn't put it up against the G35 for value, performance or vehicle dynamics. But saying it's not worthy of consideration is unfair. Dismissing it out-of-hand because it's not the driver's car that the G35 is or fails to be as reliable or durable is a little like saying your spouse is worthy only if he or she can make a certain income level. I like having interesting choices and that's something the Saab brings to the automotive scene.

 

Nobody on this forum would recommend 9-3 over G35. It would be more fair to compare 9-5 Aero with g35, not 9-3.
I personally like design of 9-3 and was considering getting it myself. I read in many reviews that handling is too hampered by intrusive computer aids and reliability history is so-so. It felt smooth and torquey(manual shift), but I couldn't trash it in corners to confirm or deny these reviews. Turbo lag is problem only for people who cannot properly operate manual transmission to keep engine in powerband
G35 is a way to go in this segment-value, performance and reliability cannot be matched by any other car.