December 14, 2004 - At this time of the year, it’s hard to ignore the seasonal signs of hibernation.

There’s a nip in the air, and available daylight is becoming more precious. Lawn furniture needs to be put away, and you may already have had to scrape off the frost on your windshield that only weeks ago would have merely been morning dew.

I’m also reminded of the hibernation ritual of "putting away the ragtop for the winter". Preparing a convertible car for winter storage, and driving a winter beater in the interim, only made the warm days of Spring seem that much farther away.

To remove that separation anxiety convertible owners have traditionally suffered through during a long Canadian winter, several carmakers have recently launched all-weather, four-seater convertibles. These new four-season convertibles have tops that are tauter, multi-layered, and quieter than any previous ragtops. With these modern convertibles you don’t need to count on increased global warming to enjoy them all-year round.

Over the past year, new entries in the premium four-seat convertible market have included Audi’s A4 Cabriolet 3.0 ($61,700), and Mercedes-Benz’s CLK320 Cabriolet ($73,800). Based on the 9-3 sedan that was launched in 2003, Saab's 9-3 Convertible ($58,000) recently joined this modern convertible class of 2004.



Starting from the windshield and heading back, Saab has virtually built a whole new car. The powered top can easily be stowed under a folding, hard canopy with the touch of one button. Despite the more chamfered leading edge that has been worked into the trunk lid area, the car is still recognizable as a 9-3. Ironically, a Canadian company (Magna Steyr) builds these Swedish-branded convertibles in Austria.

Thanks in part to the 9-3 sedan’s donated platform, the new 9-3 Convertible is considerably superior to the last version in chassis integrity. Saab claims a nearly 200 per cent improvement. Nonetheless, in the car I drove, the steering wheel and rearview mirror shook over mildly potholed roads giving away that the Saab was notably less rigid than the Mercedes CLK Cabriolet I recently drove.

You’ve probably heard Saab boast that their car’s ergonomics and instrumentation are "inspired" by fighter jets that the parent company historically made, but frankly, the controls are just hard to figure out. The 9-3 had driving information scattered all over its interior. The Saab Information Display (SID) was found in the center of the dash beneath the windshield and provided information such as tire pressure warnings. A secondary display in the center stack was for radio and climate settings. And, finally, a third window in the instrument binnacle in front of the driver held further trip computer data. Too distracting, I would think, even for a fighter pilot.



Some 9-3 Convertible exclusivities would make long-term ownership a pleasure. Like the ability to drop the top with the key fob, or a separate climate-control mode that automatically kicks in when you’re in alfresco mode. Hit one of the window buttons, and voila, all four windows drop for true, fresh-air motoring. Overall interior materials quality is similar to the hardtop 9-3: adequate for this class, and not to the standards to what’s found in the not-that-much-more expensive Audi and Mercedes convertibles.

For those who ride in the rear, the backseat is well cushioned, even if legroom is tight for anyone over six feet tall. This is regression from the last 9-3 ragtop as the Mercedes now leads in this area of comfort.

For the driver, the tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel and the exceptionally supportive front seats that come with the Aero package ($3,000) made it easy to find a comfortable driving position. My car had a lighter colour treatment on the lower parts of the cabin that lightened up what would have been a coal mine of a cabin.

Comfortable, top-down cruising is a major part of a modern convertible’s portfolio of tricks; here the Saab certainly succeeds. Even at highway speeds it’s quite easy to listen to the audio system, or talk to your other passengers. At the detriment of losing the rear passenger space, there is an optional windbreaker that does an effective job of keeping expensive hairdos from unraveling.



"Comfortable" can also be used to describe the Saab’s on-road performance. Even with a curb weight 222-kilograms less than an A4, the 9-3 Convertible’s 2.0-litre turbo-charged four-cylinder is 10 horsepower shy and can’t match the low-end torque of the Audi’s V-6 engine. Our car had the five-speed automatic with optional steering wheel paddles that were very effective in keeping the driver’s spinning hands on the steering wheel while switching cogs. Other manufacturers who provide manumatic transmissions take note!

When accelerating in turns, it felt like Saab has engineered out any trace of front-wheel-drive torque steer. Guiding the last generation’s 230-horsepower Viggen model down the path one had chosen was akin to wrestling a bear.

The Saab 9-3 Convertible’s relatively light weight meant this was a very checkable car when driven enthusiastically—although the handling caught me off guard a few times.

The steering is very quick on initial turn-in—you can easily dial-in too much at first. Combined with the passive rear-wheel steering this allowed the Saab to pirouette through tighter corners in a manner that reminded me of a well-sorted hot-hatch, not a criusin’ convertible.

The lightweight Saab surely holds its own in the twisties compared to the heavier Audi, and is more confidence inspiring than the Mercedes when you’re exploring the car’s handling limits. Overall, these were not dissimilar performance characteristics than what I found in a base 9-3 sedan I drove last year: nice handler, shame about the engine.

And like the other modern convertibles in the class of 2004, with the top up, you can drive a 9-3 Convertible through a Canadian winter with the same comfort you would experience in a cozy, tin-top coupe.

Arguably just as stylish, the Saab 9-3 Convertible is factually less expensive than its Audi or Mercedes contemporaries. Unfortunately, if you account for the Saab’s four-cylinder engine, less-than-Rock-of-Gibraltar chassis, and inferior interior appointments, then that price advantage disappears faster than a setting November sun.

Nonetheless, the Saab’s all-year capabilities, or surprisingly enthusiastic handling traits, or svelte exterior styling may be enough to sway your decision to buy this very modern convertible.

- John LeBlanc, Publisher, straight-six.com

2004 Saab 9-3 Convertible