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2004 Saab 9-3 Compact Near Luxury Convertible
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Ride and Handling
The 2004 Saab 9-3 Convertible is much more responsive to driver input than the previous model. Its ride is smooth and comfortable without isolating the driver from the road.
The handling is much improved helped by the car's lighter weight. Driving the twisting roads of the Blue Ridge Parkway between Atlanta, Georgia and Asheville, North Carolina, the handling was exceptional. We felt confident taking corners at quick speeds. The steering was precise. The car goes where you tell it to, and nowhere else.
To help the 9-3 Convertible carve its way around turns, Saab incorporated the ReAxs passive rear-wheel steering system. Basically the system points the rear wheels in the opposite direction of the steering input to prevent understeer. This allows the rear of the car to better follow the front around a corner. Similar to how a shaped ski works.
There was plenty of power for good acceleration, even from corner to corner in tight turns. A very advanced braking system makes the car nimble - quick starts coupled with quick stops. Passing other cars on the highway was easy. The high-pressure Turbo is the best choice for this vehicle if you want near-BMW ride, handling and performance without a BMW price tag.Safety
The Saab 9-3 Sedan just received the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's "Good" rating and "Best Pick." These are the highest ratings available on their Frontal Off Set Crash test. The convertible is as safe structurally, if not better, than the sedan because of all the work done to reinforce and stiffen the chassis, necessary because there is no support from a roof.
There is a full compliment of airbags available, including adaptive front airbags. These determine whether or not to deploy, and what stage to use. Front-seat passengers have side-impact airbags with two chambers; one to protect the chest, and the other to protect the head.
Soft-top vehicles, like the 9-3 Convertible, have the added challenge of protecting the passengers in the event of a rollover. Though these types of accidents are rare, they have to be considered. Saab has what it calls the DynaCage Rollover Protection System. It consists of heavy A Pillar reinforcement. This holds the windshield, and two spring-loaded, pop-up rollover bars. Unlike other similar rollover systems using two pyrotechnic charges -- one to release the bars and the other to pop them up - Saab's only uses one. Their system releases the bars and pushes them up at the same time, engaging the rollover bars. This lowers repair costs as the bars are much easier to reset.
The 2004 9-3 Convertible has the company's second-generation Saab Active Head Restraint (SAHR) system. Whiplash, or soft-tissue neck injuries, occur when the head is thrown forward and backward violently in a rear end collision. Ouch! This simple mechanical system helps to prevent that type of injury by keeping the neck and head from moving backward too far. When the occupant's lower back is pushed into the seat during the initial impact of a collision, the head restraint moves forward meeting the head, preventing the neck from hyperextension. The system even helps those people who don't have their head bolster set at the correct height.
In Conclusion
The 2004 Saab 9-3 Convertible is a great open top car. The car competes well against other entry-level, premium convertibles like the Audi A 4 and BMW 3 Series. But it would be a stretch to compare it to the Volvo C70 or Mercedes-Benz CLK convertibles. However the 9-3 is competitive against the former.
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