Driving Impressions of the 9-2X and S40 T5
07-03-2004, 01:06 AM
#1
Driving Impressions of the 9-2X and S40 T5
So I hope you all didn't miss me too much. 
I know that the S40 has been discussed before, but I promised that I would put up some driving impressions. I also took the opportunity to drive the 9-2X at the local Saab dealership and I thought I'd write some impressions of that too, especially as it compares to the WRX, off which it is based.
So let's start with the S40. Let me just say that the Volvo dealership is one of the dumbest I've been to in a while. The salesperson didn't want to let me try the S40 and instead kept pushing me to try the S60, which I've driven before and didn't like too much.
Anyhow...first visual inspection of the S40 was pretty positive. The car looked decent from the outside, especially with the 17-inch wheel package (a must after having 17s on the TSX). Of course, the V50 parked almost right next to it looked even better, so if I had a choice between the wagon and the sedan, I'd probably pick the wagon.
Interior impression at first was good, but after sitting in the car for a few minutes, I came to the conclusion that Ford's ownership of Volvo is not a great influence. Many of the switches felt low quality and the plastic on the doors felt cheap. The overhead console really felt cheap, especially on a car costing near $30K.
Driving impressions didn't help it either. First, the shifter felt kinda cheap in my hands. Steering feel was vague, numb, and underwhelming (especially for a car fitted with the sports package). The transmission (which apparently is only available as the automatic for now) is slow to shift, especially in manual mode. The air conditioning was also very much not up to snuff, and even at the highest setting failed to cool the cabin sufficiently during my test drive. My final gripe came with the brake pedal, which had no feeling for the first several inches of travel, leaving me wondering if I was actually doing anything with it. Overall, not impressed with the car.
I know that the S40 has been discussed before, but I promised that I would put up some driving impressions. I also took the opportunity to drive the 9-2X at the local Saab dealership and I thought I'd write some impressions of that too, especially as it compares to the WRX, off which it is based.
So let's start with the S40. Let me just say that the Volvo dealership is one of the dumbest I've been to in a while. The salesperson didn't want to let me try the S40 and instead kept pushing me to try the S60, which I've driven before and didn't like too much.
Anyhow...first visual inspection of the S40 was pretty positive. The car looked decent from the outside, especially with the 17-inch wheel package (a must after having 17s on the TSX). Of course, the V50 parked almost right next to it looked even better, so if I had a choice between the wagon and the sedan, I'd probably pick the wagon.
Interior impression at first was good, but after sitting in the car for a few minutes, I came to the conclusion that Ford's ownership of Volvo is not a great influence. Many of the switches felt low quality and the plastic on the doors felt cheap. The overhead console really felt cheap, especially on a car costing near $30K.
Driving impressions didn't help it either. First, the shifter felt kinda cheap in my hands. Steering feel was vague, numb, and underwhelming (especially for a car fitted with the sports package). The transmission (which apparently is only available as the automatic for now) is slow to shift, especially in manual mode. The air conditioning was also very much not up to snuff, and even at the highest setting failed to cool the cabin sufficiently during my test drive. My final gripe came with the brake pedal, which had no feeling for the first several inches of travel, leaving me wondering if I was actually doing anything with it. Overall, not impressed with the car.
07-03-2004, 01:16 AM
#2
As for the 9-2X, it took my 20 minutes of scrounging through the car to get someone to finally pay some attention to me. I hate it when I walk into a dealership and they ignore me. That shows me that they're not ready to sell me a car. Especially since I would actually consider something with AWD for the east coast weather.
Anyhow, my impressions of the exterior were good. The car looks nice, especially with the Saab nose. Even the hood scoop doesn't look out of place.
The interior impression was not quite to good. The cheap looking cloth interior didn't suit the car well. Especially in a car costing upwards of $30K, leather interior should be mandatory. The seats were standard WRX fare, with Saab's active head restraint system added. The fake aluminum interior looked out of place for the most part. The doors sound hollow and close with this rattling noise. Not a good sign.
Driving impressions were similar to the WRX. Weak off boost, strong on boost. Suspension under damped. Steering feel fairly vague with not a great deal of feedback on-center. Shifter is vague, rubbery, and imprecise. Definitely doesn't like to be rushed. Really just drives like a WRX with more sound deadening.
In summary, all of the pros and most of the cons of the WRX, with slightly better styling. Again, not impressed.
Anyhow, my impressions of the exterior were good. The car looks nice, especially with the Saab nose. Even the hood scoop doesn't look out of place.
The interior impression was not quite to good. The cheap looking cloth interior didn't suit the car well. Especially in a car costing upwards of $30K, leather interior should be mandatory. The seats were standard WRX fare, with Saab's active head restraint system added. The fake aluminum interior looked out of place for the most part. The doors sound hollow and close with this rattling noise. Not a good sign.
Driving impressions were similar to the WRX. Weak off boost, strong on boost. Suspension under damped. Steering feel fairly vague with not a great deal of feedback on-center. Shifter is vague, rubbery, and imprecise. Definitely doesn't like to be rushed. Really just drives like a WRX with more sound deadening.
In summary, all of the pros and most of the cons of the WRX, with slightly better styling. Again, not impressed.
07-03-2004, 07:02 AM
#3
The Voice of Reason
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One review said that the Saab 9-2x is the best Subaru WRX ever built! But $30 plus grand for a WRX??? I'd wait for the inevitable deep GM discounts!
I'd also wait on the S40-V50 until they iron out the glitches that come with any new Volvo model.
A TSX with a set of snow tires ain't such a bad place to wait!
I'd also wait on the S40-V50 until they iron out the glitches that come with any new Volvo model.
A TSX with a set of snow tires ain't such a bad place to wait!
07-03-2004, 09:11 PM
#4
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Agree that neither the Saab or the new Volvo S40 meet their hype. Steering in the Volvo felt like the classic Volvo "tank" feel. If I were to hazard a guess, Ford will succeed in making the Volvo line a replacement for their Mercury line. As for Saab, it has lost its mojo years ago; it used to be a bizarre idiosyncratic car with great, great handling and a somewhat rowdy quality to it - my old Saab 93 was a great rally car. Volvo is now a Ford product and Saab a GM..... Neither of them had the quality of fun combined with the understatedly clean interior of my new TSX Carbon/Quartz
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