2007 9-3 Interior

[bostonspider]

Found this over at trollhatan...

[aaaantoine]

Looks good.

I guess GM is throwing out the Saab radios in favor of the simpler black-tie models.

[Clownzilla]

I'm in favor of the change. Being a employee of a SAAB dealer, I have had the chance to take a 9-3 home on a few weekends. Let me tell you, that SAAB info center is dangerous. The thing is difficult to use and takes your eyes off of the road for to long (it did look VERY cool though, especially at night). The other problem I had with it was the phone pad. The pad is actually used in Europe with a bluetooth phone, but the USA version has to be used with the expensive OnStar phone service (although I do think that the other OnStar features are worth the cost). This will be a good move for the 9-3, regardless of what people think about the GM-ized look.

[Clownzilla]

Wait, I just noticed that they took out the HUD! That's a mistake!

[Croc]

...and now the 9-3 gets Turn-By-Turn Navigation.

[Croc]

Wait, I just noticed that they took out the HUD! That's a mistake!

Was HUD on all 9-3 trims? That radio is the basic radio reserved for low trims...could it be HUD stays on upper trim levels equipped with navigation?

[CSpec]

Blah, I think it looks worse now.

[Flybrian]

The SAAB's upper dash display wasn't really a HUD.

[ToniCipriani]

This is a 3D rendering, right? the driver's side dash looks "snapped-on" and out of place.

[Cory Wolfe]

Oh f@#k no... GM, stop bastardizing Saab's interiors! This is horrible!

[Imaj]

It's more user-friendly now than ever.

[pow]

I like it more... the matte poplar (?) wood and leather wrapped (contrast stitched) handbrake/grab handle are great.

[Cadillacfan]

Not me. I prefer the current model interior. You'd think they'd keep the Jet fighter cockpit feel now that they're focusing on Saab's jet-inspired past.

[FAPTurbo]

Oh no! They're getting rid of the cockpit radio!!! It had loads of buttons... buttons are awesome!

I get the feeling that people who like SAAB's may stray away from the new ones with this new interior design. It's now mainstream, "neuter..." the current SAAB's had quirky interiors and had individuality...

I may have not ever liked SAAB, but this is stupid beancounting...

[Croc]

Oh no! They're getting rid of the cockpit radio!!! It had loads of buttons... buttons are awesome!

I get the feeling that people who like SAAB's may stray away from the new ones with this new interior design. It's now mainstream, "neuter..." the current SAAB's had quirky interiors and had individuality...

I may have not ever liked SAAB, but this is stupid beancounting...

Well...where else will those people go for their quirky interiors? I mean it's easy to say SAAB loyalists will leave the brand...but for what? I think that as long as the SAABs drive well, look stylishly European and have elegant, upscale interiors that they will continue to be bought by the loyalists.

[Cory Wolfe]

It's called beancounting... No other excuse for it.

[Bimmer325]

I'm getting a BLS vibe.

[frogger]

LOL fit the GM corporate radio in at any cost!

[regfootball]

cheap looking. GM fks it up again. they got rid of the upper display too.

GEEZ. morons. yes its easier to run, but it looks cheap now to boot. i could see this interior in a Malibu, but that dash is dimestore.

the saab seats have always been nice. at least they didn't botch that.

further proof GM is being run by a lot of folks that don't give a rats ass about what you get for YOUR money.

I bet the JETTA interior comes off way better than this to most buyers.

If you change something, it should be for the better usually. NOT WORSE. I bet they didn't even upgrade the dash plastic.

[4gm]

Terrible. That radio looks like an aftermarket accessory someone decided to shove into their dashboard. And even though the current 9-3's center stack has entirely too many buttons, at least it has character and looks cohesive.

[ocnblu]

I like it. It looks sort of retro in a good way. Very SAABish. The corporate radio blends in pretty well, imo.

[jbartley]

i think it looks pretty good, compared to the previous non-nav version.

i'd like to see it with a NAV system to reserve final judgement.

looks much smoother, and much better wood.

[MyerShift]

It's obvious that GM doesn't really care for SAAB in any way, shape, or form.

IF they did, they wouldn't be making the SAAB interiors completely generic using horribly obvious GM parts-bin items.

And what's with elimintating the SAAB information display at the top of the dash?

Oh well, with this latest Oldsmobilization of a brand, it looks like GM will have to kill off or sell another brand.

Hate to brind it up again, but GM should look at the Volvo situation and how Ford operates its Swedish arm. Now, the new S80 is a bit more whatever than the previous one, but that is beside the point

I once found the 9-3 Sports Sedan to be different, unique. Now, it doesn't- at least not by its interior. And since it's still sedan shaped, then not by the exterior either.

I find nothing wrong with the current 9-3 that GM World-Wide can fix.

There will only be neuterizing, blandifying, and inferiorizing.

SAAB is doomed.

[C.H.U.D.]

Looks better than the 9-5 interior.

[sciguy_0504]

I guess I am one of the few that think the update looks good. It may not stay "true" to Saab heritage but when the competition advances, you have to, also.

[Cory Wolfe]

I guess I am one of the few that think the update looks good.  It may not stay "true" to Saab heritage but when the competition advances, you have to, also.

By putting a GM parts bin radio in? How is that advancing?

[Cory Wolfe]

Found this over at trollhatan...

Compared to...

With and without NAV... Those look better in every way.

[FAPTurbo]

The GM black tie unit makes it look dowdy... I showed this a friend who loves SAAB's and I swear to God, he almost burst out in tears ...

Simply put, it loses the "cockpit" feel this way...

Instead of "Born From jets", SAAB's new motto should be "Aborted by Beancounters with a Coathanger"

[bobo]

When VW started building Rabbits in Pennsylvania, they were called "Malibuized" as they were Americanized in the transition. Now Saabs have become Malibuized, and probably even more so considering the commonality between the 9-3 and Malibu.

[Enzora]

Looks like SAAB has simultaneously changed too much and not enough of the interior. Not a good refresh at all.

[OshKoshBerJosh]

Is this picture for real? I was considering getting back into another Saab in a couple of years (had two 900s in the past), but I will not buy a 9-3 with this "refreshed" interior.

The car has lost its spunk.

[sigma]

The new climate controls are a welcomed improvement, but the replacement of the radio is not. The black tie radio doesn't belong in every car built by GM worldwide. SAAB, Cadillac, should have a different radio set up. If SAAB can share with Opel, that's fine. But end this mindless beancounting.

[Croc]

I think this interior is fine for a base 9-3. It looks good, and it still looks like a "techy" interior. The radio is very well integrated and doesn't look shoved in. The climate controls and it go together nicely that it doesn't look like they were 'retrofitted." Honestly? Even the non-NAV center stack is interesting to look at and doesn't have acres of gray plastic. It doesn't look sparse, yet doesn't look cluttered...a flaw of the last one. This is a very user-friendly interior. No crazy sea of buttons. The wood trim is very nice and the entire thing just looks Scandinavean. It works. Frankly, the last version of the interior looks stuck in a time warp. This is an interior done right: visually appealing, functional, and stylish. Let's just keep our fingers crossed that the materials quality is up to snuff...

[pow]

If people didn't know they are corporate US GM pieces, they'd probably view the new radio interface as an improvement, truer to the Saab philosophy.

[Cadillacfan]

It's obvious that GM doesn't really care for SAAB in any way, shape, or form.

IF they did, they wouldn't be making the SAAB interiors completely generic using horribly obvious GM parts-bin items.

And what's with elimintating the SAAB information display at the top of the dash?

Oh well, with this latest Oldsmobilization of a brand, it looks like GM will have to kill off or sell another brand.

Hate to brind it up again, but GM should look at the Volvo situation and how Ford operates its Swedish arm. Now, the new S80 is a bit more whatever than the previous one, but that is beside the point

I once found the 9-3 Sports Sedan to be different, unique. Now, it doesn't- at least not by its interior. And since it's still sedan shaped, then not by the exterior either.

I find nothing wrong with the current 9-3 that GM World-Wide can fix.

There will only be neuterizing, blandifying, and inferiorizing.

SAAB is doomed. 

Come on! You seriously believe this? If GM didn't care, then they wouldn't be devoting millions of dollars in capital to the brand at all (refreshed 9-5, 9-3, 9-2x, 9-7x, 9-3 sportcombi, and all the concepts) All of these things cost a lot of money.

Yeah, the results are far from desirable but that fact that GM is doing something to help bring the brand into new territories shows that someone cares.

The brand has actually increased in sales due to new models. The 9-7x may be just a swedish trailblazer but it's had strong sales. The 9-3 sportcombi is all new and all Saab. It also happens to look pretty good on the road.

If you actually paid attention to what is going on, then you'd see that Saab is not doomed at all. In fact, Saab is on the verge of a renaissance.

The FWD/AWD Epsilon II platform will be key to the brand's future and there is a premium theta based crossover in the works that looks very promising.

So let's quit the doom and gloom and see that even though the new Saabs may look ho-hum, the next generation models will be spectacular because GM is actually putting a good effort into it.

Oh.. and did anyone else notice that the nobs on the radio look a little different? Look closely. You'd see that they have a more premium appearance.

Edited May 29, 2006 by Cadillacfan

[Croc]

Exactly. From a usability standpoint, this is a huge, well-overdue, upgrade.

[Croc]

Oh.. and did anyone else notice that the nobs on the radio look a little different?  Look closely.  You'd see that they have a more premium appearance.

I thought so! I'm not that familiar with the corporate units though so I wasn't sure, but they did look very nice...nicer than I remembered.

[sciguy_0504]

By putting a GM parts bin radio in? How is that advancing?

Granted, a radio with more original and inspiring design could have been used but I still believe it is an improvement. The rest of the interior definately is even with the parts bin radio.

[titan]

Though I don't think it looks bad, I hate the fact that the same unit is found in ssooo many different brands.

[MyerShift]

Sounds like someone works for GM's PR or something .

You'd better believe I believe this!

Oh, I forgot. GM is trying to increase sales in North America where customers are largely ingnorant and feel that if a Japanese brand auto is built in the U.S., then that actually makes it American. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but reality is truth. Smoke and mirrors are not.

With an interior like that, what is there to make this car stand out?

The centre ignition? Gee, is this the new G-6 or Alero?...Oh, the 9-3 you say.

Yeah, a true renaissance... beginning with stop-gap rebadged other models. Hooray! It's just what SAAB needed, right? I mean, from what I can see, if they slapped the SAAB badge on one of the pig minivans GM produces, it'd be a halleluja to you because it's "new product".

The refreshed 9-5? A joke- uglier than before (it used to be attractive) and more boring. Somewhere on this forum I heard that they even eliminated Night Panel.

The 9-2X, 9-7X? Oh yeah, much better than not waiting to make something more worthwhile. I'd rather have had an Astra based, reskinned front-drive 9-2 with the current 9-3 interior dropped in than the actual 9-2X. I do consider the 9-7X better than the Impreza clone, but it's still a pathetic attempt at a renaissance.

The 9-3 SportCombi is the only auto in your argument that holds water for SAAB or myself. I've seen them in person. They look great. They are all SAAB.

So, Epsilon II and a Theta SUV? SAAB needs more than that, and they can't be boring. But it doesn't mean that they need to be weird. It can work- Chrysler has made something "true" to its heritage. the 300. Rear drive, exciting styling, but nothing freaky.

I never said GM wasn't putting an effort into it. But there is a right way, and a wrong way to go about things. Slapping corporate things into cars from the ION to the DTS should be considered the wrong way.

Judging from your reasonings, you would have no qualms with the BLS being introduced into the U.S. I personally wouldn't mind a smaller Cadillac than the CTS, but I don't really think the U.S. is appropriate for it, especially since Cadillac is largely rear-drive once again.

I do pay attention. I don't talk about things I have no knowledge of. I'll just give a puzzled look. It's one of the reasons why I don't post in EVERY section of this site.

And so far, I haven't seen anything too promising for SAAB except for the slightly refreshed 9-3's with the 2.8L.

[Croc]

...take a chill pill there, buddy. It's OK...you can have your opinion too.

[MyerShift]

Sorry all. I guess I'm just a little passionate about SAAB.

Well, I'm nothing if not interesting!

[bostonspider]

Interesting that no one had these complaints when viewing the BLS interior, which has the exact same radio unit. This image also shows what the Nav. system will look like.

[bostonspider]

In reality the new heating system with dials, looks a lot like my old 1987 Turbos' I think this looks pretty good, and it looks like a Saab to me, but what would I know as I have only owned 3.

[Northstar]

The new radio doesn't look terrible, it just looks less-Saab, which is both good and bad I guess. Good because more people might consider it, bad because it might turn off some loyal Saab buyers.

[Cadillacfan]

Sounds like someone works for GM's PR or something  .

You'd better believe I believe this!

Oh, I forgot. GM is trying to increase sales in North America where customers are largely ingnorant and feel that if a Japanese brand auto is built in the U.S., then that actually makes it American. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but reality is truth. Smoke and mirrors are not.

With an interior like that, what is there to make this car stand out?

The centre ignition? Gee, is this the new G-6 or Alero?...Oh, the 9-3 you say.

Yeah, a true renaissance... beginning with stop-gap rebadged other models. Hooray! It's just what SAAB needed, right? I mean, from what I can see, if they slapped the SAAB badge on one of the pig minivans GM produces, it'd be a halleluja to you because it's "new product".

The refreshed 9-5? A joke- uglier than before (it used to be attractive) and more boring. Somewhere on this forum I heard that they even eliminated Night Panel.

The 9-2X, 9-7X? Oh yeah, much better than not waiting to make something more worthwhile. I'd rather have had an Astra based, reskinned front-drive 9-2 with the current 9-3 interior dropped in than the actual 9-2X. I do consider the 9-7X better than the Impreza clone, but it's still a pathetic attempt at a renaissance.

The 9-3 SportCombi is the only auto in your argument that holds water for SAAB or myself. I've seen them in person. They look great. They are all SAAB.

So, Epsilon II and a Theta SUV? SAAB needs more than that, and they can't be boring. But it doesn't mean that they need to be weird. It can work- Chrysler has made something "true" to its heritage. the 300. Rear drive, exciting styling, but nothing freaky.

I never said GM wasn't putting an effort into it. But there is a right way, and a wrong way to go about things. Slapping corporate things into cars from the ION to the DTS should be considered the wrong way.

Judging from your reasonings, you would have no qualms with the BLS being introduced into the U.S. I personally wouldn't mind a smaller Cadillac than the CTS, but I don't really think the U.S. is appropriate for it, especially since Cadillac is largely rear-drive once again.

I do pay attention. I don't talk about things I have no knowledge of. I'll just give a puzzled look. It's one of the reasons why I don't post in EVERY section of this site.

And so far, I haven't seen anything too promising for SAAB except for the slightly refreshed 9-3's with the 2.8L.

Read what I posted one more time.... carefully.

I didn't say the 9-2x or the 9-7x were good but the fact that GM actually gave the brand those models shows that they want to flesh out the brand to more then just two models with multiple variants.

I hate badge engineering take a look at my past posts on the Pontiac G5 and Torrent. The 9-2x is an absolute joke. The 9-7x show a bit more effort on GM's part but is way to close to the Trailblazer in order to be taken seriously.

GM should have started pumping more money into the brand years ago but because the company is hemorrhaging, it is easy to understand why they used these quick-fix models in the first place.

Saying that the Theta crossover, and the Epsilon II platform (which will be used for the next 9-3, 9-5, and other rumored Saab vehicles) is not enough to help the brand is really pushing it.

I can understand why you are upset but seriously.. just wait for the new models.

Edited July 27, 2006 by Cadillacfan

[Guest YellowJacket894]

...And GM still tries to give a nod to the Saab fathful, too. If GM was just trying to add volume to Saab, they would have used the sedan version of the Impreza for the 9-2X, not the hatch/wagon.

Also, they sort of say "Hey, this is not a real Saab but something to make things better for us and maybe even you in the process by getting more money to make better products next time 'round" with that dopey little "X" at the end of the rebadges (the 9-2X and 9-7X).

Saab's growing up and things can get better. Think of it like this, Saab in 1986 is like you at six years-old; full of quirky-ness and fart jokes. But Saab in 2006 is like you at, well, twenty-six, maybe; the quirky-ness is going but you still have a few fart jokes up your sleeve.

[MyerShift]

Read what I posted one more time.... carefully.

I didn't say the 9-2x or the 9-7x were good but the fact that GM actually gave the brand those models shows that they want to flesh out the brand to more then just two models with multiple variants.

I hate badge engineering take a look at my past posts on the Pontiac G5 and Torrent.  The 9-2x is an absolute joke.  The 9-7x show a bit more effort on GM's part but is way to close to the Trailblazer in order to be taken seriously.

GM should have started pumping more money into the brand years ago but because the company is hemorrhaging, it is easy to understand why they used these quick-fix models in the first place. 

Saying that the Theta crossover, and the Epsilon II platform (which will be used for the next 9-3, 9-5, and other rumored Saab vehicles) is not enough to help the

I can understand why you are upset but seriously.. just wait for the new models.

I understand, I'm just stubborn. I just don't feel that "an absolute joke" is something appropriate in any way to "flesh out" a brand. I'd rather see postponed great products than disgusting badge engineered ones.

I am of the mind that the cream of GM's crop should each be as distinctive as possible.

Who are these upper-crust members?

Why, none other than Buick, SAAB, and Cadillac. These three deserve the most special treatment.

GM should have done a lot of things before now, like when they had the cash.

I'll wait, I just don't want to see certain things in SAAB, like total commonality of parts. Perhaps when GM has recovered, then there won't be as much parts bin pieces into the upper echelons of GM's hierarchy.

You know, the FIAT thing... I can't help but wonder why GM would agree to the put agreement. Was it to try and get diesel engines on the cheap, as opposed to engineering a whole new engine family? It pains me to think of how much money GM lost that could have been put toward SAAB or Buick.

There is always the chance that if you try to take the quick way to get to something, it could go terrible wrong. I think that trying to be quick about things would lead to an even greater chance of failure that putting a proper procedure behind the task at hand.

[regfootball]

In reality the new heating system with dials, looks a lot like my old 1987 Turbos'    I think this looks pretty good, and it looks like a Saab to me, but what would I know as I have only owned 3.

SEPARATED AT BIRTH

[Guest YellowJacket894]

Uh...not really.

And since when did the Lumina get dual climate controls?