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8th of February 2010 | 09:21 GMT | Emanuelle Vandelay 
Saab and Volvo, Part Deux
STORY HIGHLIGHTS:
- How to explain someone's love or hate for a brand
- Both Volvo and Saab are too "old" for current times
- Darveight's "car exchange" ballad
![Click to enlarge [An XC90 similar to Charles'.]](http://www.autoevolution.com/images/news/saab-and-volvo-part-deux-thumb-16446_1.jpg) |
| An XC90 similar to Charles'. |
When you have to get up two hours early in order to reach your office, when the previous evening you didn't have time to pick what clothes to wear today and the hot water is “running late”, when you know that a dented car with the fuel economy of a truck is waiting you outside, then you start searching for meanings.
You start searching for the meaning of your predicaments, your choices, the things you own or you might own, the meaning of the universe, etc. As long as the meaning is life on the move, then everything is perfect. The second you start wondering why does it all have to happen to you disaster strikes.
And we, as spectators to the character of my little story, become the people who throw the first stone, rushing to reach a conclusion: "The man's nuts!".
This is exactly what happened to my colleague, Charles, who woke up one morning and instead of just living pure and simple he began analyzing the mistakes he made in choosing his cars so he decided writing about Saab and Volvo. What a nut!
I've known Charles for a while now and I should probably tell you how he intersected with these two brand a few years ago. Let's start with Volvo. He actually owned one, a monstrous XC90, a car that caused him his first white hairs, with an engine he loved so much.
He was often telling me stories about this great manufacturer, about their pioneering work and about how much he loved his car. I have a friend who can draw the engine of the plane she flies, with total precision. So was Charles with his Volvo. Except his car was disintegrating at 130 kmh (80 mph). It was like an old athlete, one who perfectly mastered breathing techniques, articulation movement and the exact spot where the heel should touch the ground to provide that special spark, but it was all for nothing!
Younger athletes would run circles around it but she just wouldn't accept the fact that she got old. So Charles got mad one day and he declared that his car was no good, although it was just old. Well, it had an old engine.
He was seriously thinking about selling it, but he just couldn't let go. Until one day when he came by for a visit. He told me to put on my best shoes because I was about to step on an extraordinary territory, of an amazing precision, a wonderful place. I listened to him and we left together towards the Saab showroom, where we were going to test any model we liked.
On the way to the showroom we decided to count all the cars that belong to this brand, just so we could see what our fellow city residents were buying. I must confess we saw none, so that got me to think.
I couldn't say anything since Charles was exhausted from all the nice words he was telling me about the brand. About the brand which only few people can truly appreciate since it's only for connoisseurs. "The brand", he said.
People put today less and less passion in what they make, so when he'll lift the hood of a Saab I will see a wonder of engineering, not just some polished metal, he said. I must confess that I was never much of a fan of seeing the internal organs of a car, but my friend is the kind of man who sees a bunch of intricate technical stuff made by skilled hands and smart minds, by men who sweat pure passion.
Anyway, we finally arrived at the showroom and I, ready to meet history in the making, stepped towards the first car there. It had an indescribable color and it looked a horrible piece of vomit. I didn't say anything because even the Greek Gods vomited, right? So, no prejudice!
I let Charles climb up at the wheel and I waited. Although he's only six foot one, he just couldn't find a comfortable position behind the steering wheel. He looked like the main hero of a 1970s movie who drives carefully and is very stiff in his seat.
The car had been designed a couple of years before and the only improvement that had been brought since then was the color. I searched for a dash of modernism, be it just a LED mirror signal, and I couldn't find one.
![Click to enlarge [A "modern" Saab's interior.]](http://www.autoevolution.com/images/news/saab-and-volvo-part-deux-thumb-16446_2.jpg) |
| A "modern" Saab's interior. |
We then proceeded to admire the very same car, although the dealer was saying they are two different models since one of them had a higher ground clearance. That one, according to the Saab dealer, was just like an SUV without the all-wheel drive system. After that we began searching for different colors, but we were told that this manufacturer only has "serious colors". there were a bunch of different gray, an undefined brown, green-gray and so on. So we were best in buying one in black!
I won't tell you anything about the interior of a Saab, because except for the fact that it can be filled with leather there's pretty much nothing else. Modern gadgets are a bunch of bunk with no place in this classic temple with a dark plastic center console.
As for the engines, the sportiest one (again, these are the dealer's words) was reaching 100 km/h (62 mph) in about nine seconds. I was surprised it even had air conditioning. The Volvo we came with was suddenly a youthful car. I said that even though I had sworn never to say it.
If it hadn't been for my colleague's distressed look, I would have burst into laughter when they presented us the piece of resistance, the convertible. I felt like in a museum, I didn't take any pictures, though, because none of the cars were out of the ordinary or no longer being manufactured, nor did they looked like antique pieces – therefore worthy of being immortalized. They were simply old-new cars, that's all.
This is pretty much what Charles said in his editorial, but he was a bit more furious. And he shouldn't have been. What he demands from this brand is pure nonsense. It's like asking the god Apollo to battle the United States and win. The same US who own supersonics, Tomahawks and satellites...
The comments saying that Charles is insane are perfectly justifiable. He just got up one morning and, upon seeing his car in the parking lot, decided to change it. And when he thought about what to replace it with, went straight to the computer, looked at his old love and got mad that they had remained stuck there, in the past. He got mad that he can't bring them here in the present, when he's using a computer and they aren't!
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08.02.2010 | 10:51 GMT
well,it turned out that Charles was a die-hard fan of Saab(and Volvo)!!who would have guessed that? i admit that even i don't talk about my car the same way,and make no mistakes ,i do love my car(the 1995 900 v6,red on the outside with black leather interior).
i'm glad i stuck to objectivity in my commentary.
when reading what Charles had written earlier,i wondered why he was so furious with those two makes,i mean it's not like they murdered his family or made his life a living hell,or something like that..turns out he was dissapointed..you see many carmakers that perfrom less brilliantly than saab and volvo yet no body gives a damn.i spent a year in france,where poeple drive stuff like renault and peugeot,and when it's really cold outside a 3 month old car wouldn't start!
but the french are so chauvinist that they bite their wounds and buy whatever crap they make.yet i never heard anybody talk openly and badly about these makes.
again if you have ever owned a vw outside the us(i had a mk 2 golf for 6 years),their cars are notoriously famed for malfunctioning air fluxmeters,a problem wich struck all vw models until 2005 when they finally admitted that the flaw does exist.my brother's gti had the same problem ,and again my uncle's audi suffers from it.and it is costly to repair even on old models.keep in mind toyota's scandal and a similar incident with mitsubishi afew years back,and you will notice that car makers are not perceived equally by the public.
that would translate into lower residual value for your car,and probably higher repair costs if you do not buy a merc or a beemer(wich are great cars).
you see,what hurt me the most(and again i say i'm not a die hard fan of saab nor volvo,but i do appreciate both marks),is that Charles HAD A POINT!!Saab and volvo were going nowhere under gm and ford ownership.even my 15 year old car's dahborad is more sophisticated than the dash shown in the above picture.
the things that stand out when i decide to buy a car are:is it fragile,how often will it break,and when it does will it be costly to repair?is it fast and safe?IS IT PRACTICAL IN ALMOST ANY IMAGINABLE ASPECT AND SITUATION? i do not care that the classic 900 had a longitudinal engine with gears in the front and was chain driven,and that the 900 NG is more related mechanically to opels than older saabs.the newer generation is just more reliable and easy to fix.ok saab had an edge in engineering but these days you have to be as conventional as possible to survive in the market.
dear Charles and Emmanuelle,what you said was taken into consideration when i bought my saab,so i opted for an older model in very good condition with 75 000 miles ,and had to pay for it what could have been the price of a 2004 saab.but i am happy with what i have.
so dear charles my advice to you is that if you really are looking for the passion of the swedish cars,opt for the 90s models,pick a very clean and seldom used car(preferably a saab 900 hatch turbo or a 960 volvo),and you will have the smile on your face when you wake up every morning(mostly with the saab).
it's in these old models that you'll find the passion that you seek.and i hope that saab and volvo will turn their fortunes around.
good luck in your quest,Charles.
08.02.2010 | 12:48 GMT
Well You like Charles,again proved You have no clue about Saab(i do not Know about Volvo)>Instead You guys made my POINT GM SCREW UP . Why ?That Saab modern interior is coming from GM designers in Detroit and THE SAAB is a Chevy(Buick,Isuzu,GMC)renamed. Like Saab 9.7X Saab 9.2X is a SUbaru rebadged with a ;Screaming Chicken LOGO"I totaly agreed wiyh you that truck is a joke from all aspects ;design, technology ETC. And again guys You are in american SUV land(BSS) .and ;IF YOU CAN NOT MAKE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CHEVY AND A SAAB YOU MIGHT BE A RED NECK"!QED!PS-please again for readers excuse my poor english and typing skills!
14.02.2010 | 01:22 GMT
Hello! Is anybody out-here?Chaaarles!Emanueeeeelle!Any counterarguments?With common sense and documented?
15.02.2010 | 07:50 GMT
@Marian
There isn't any counterargument because you are totally right - that interior comes from the 9-7X, which is not a "true Saab" but a re-badged Chevrolet. In that case, however, could you show me a single "true Saab" that came out of Trollhattan in the last 10-15 years? Trust me, nobody here is a redneck. :)
15.02.2010 | 13:27 GMT
Dear Charles,After 98 9000, the decision for what to built and how, was done by GM,Corect? but development of 9.5 was SAAB from mechanical point of view,steering Saab Suspention 50/50 GM(Opel.more precice)Pure exterior and interior design SAAB, Computers bus comunication ac aPasive and active restrain systems Saab,even the cupholder was design by Saab.In exchange the platform(wich actualy is the battom of the) car was design by OPEL being used after that in Chevy Malibu! The 900 was a fiasco full of recalls being GM bigest nightmare in fact couple designers(suspention for example)leaving GM alfter all.But still teh pure mechanical interior and active and pasive restrains systems were saab.Seems for me Volvo is a Ford after all according with You @Comp. My apologies for the red neck joke but I couldnt hold myself. Now I am going to tell You a secret;except Alfa Romeo Ferrari and Masseratti I have 20 years working on Saabs,and I was luky working with one of the bigest Saab Wizards ;JOHN MOSS!If the name sound familiar for You,You will know where i am coming from! Again my apologies for english and or tiping errors!
15.02.2010 | 13:56 GMT
Well, since you're actually a Saab insider you obviously know more than me regarding this subject. Still, that doesn't mean I fully agree with the fact that the Saab 9-5 is a true Saab to the core. Like you said so yourself, the car's platform (GM 2900) was developed by GM and it was first used in... 1988, on the Opel Vectra A. The 9-5, using that platform, was still being manufactured in 2009, twenty one years later!
Of course, the interior bits and pieces were all designed and built by Saab, but everything underneath had close to nothing in common with Trollhattan or with Saab's legacy. Almost the same thing goes for the 9-2X "Saabaru", the 9-7X "Chevy Trailblazer atrocity" and all the other "mostly Opels" in Saab's backyard. For a fan/almost customer of Saab, there's nothing desirable in these cars, sorry.
15.02.2010 | 16:22 GMT
Dear Charles there is NOT apropriate to compare 9.5 witth Subaab or Chevy. Why Weel Subaru and Chevy were rebadged Saab, 9.5 was designed Saab on the 2900 b plaform but from economical reasons they reverse to 2900 aa platyform. and like I said before the platform is basicaly botom of the car 'FLOOR PLAN" more precise. 9.5 was done before 9000 was discontinued but was delaye in a smal maner than bew 9.5. Why ? Himmm because GM producrt must be on the market first!I supose You are aware in fact Tribeca was developed and designed for SAAB and Subaru! on The same platform,also Cadilac the crossover was design Saab on Saab designed platform!I totaly understand Your frustration regarding Saab but let me ask You WERE IS A DIFFERENT CAIN OF COMPANY A DIFFERENT CAIND OF CAR SATURN NOW? What about AMC and GEO?My best regards!
16.02.2010 | 08:05 GMT
I'm sorry, I didn't quite understand the last point being made. If you're saying that every other car company out there is the same, then again I must disagree. What you do have to understand from my point of view is that I'm one of the 99% of people who consider GM evil. What about AMC and Geo? Apart from both being dead brands they had nothing to do with each other, nor with Saab.
16.02.2010 | 23:35 GMT
But they have with GM.Bottom line in order to cut the chase Your article same like Emanuelle were inappropriate and based on assumption: GM is right and is all about money.Unfortunately for someones there are a lot of people with clear minds,with respect for heritage, history and truth which evaluate life in realities not only in money and You guys You got it from us.Is not about Saab or Volvo is about how people survive this tough time,is about regular people in USA which pay for GM ignorance and arrogance in doing business ,is about how outsiders look at Americans.Perhaps one day You will understand OUR OUTRAGE reading Your articles but hey is a free country,and like I said before some of US are born and or leave in non English speaking countries.And that means also perhaps we have different opinions than You Guys.or/ and we had more contact with DIFFERENT AUTOMOTIVE WORLD.Anyway I do appreciate the DUEL and I wish You guys all the best.Regards Marian
17.02.2010 | 08:39 GMT
Yeah, Geo was a brand of GM, but what connection is there between AMC and General Motors? As far as I know, those two never had any ties whatsoever.
True, it's all about the money, but if that is the case, why did GM almost vanish? They were number one, now they're on the ground, bleeding. Coincidentally, so is Saab, and for the very same reason - General Motors. I must repeat, my article was pure personal opinion, and I have my reasons, but I don't blame Saab I blame GM.
Cheers,
Charles