"Super-model with great personality, MBA, Ph.D, loves kids, animals, home improvement, sports, music, canyon runs, blasts to Las Vegas, gourmet cooking. ISO like-minded individual. No fatties."
It's rare to find a personal ad like the one above. And if you did, would you find it believable? Probably not. Such goodness usually comes at a hefty price. In regard to the Saab 9-3 Vector, however, it is pretty much spot on. My grandma once told me to marry a beautiful, intelligent woman, because, as she put it, "You're going to be looking at that face for a long time." If you're looking for a great automotive commitment, you could do worse than hook up with a new Saab.
The 2003 9-3 Vector blends utility and performance into what I think is the sexiest, most capable car Saab's ever built. It's got the sort of go-anywhere, do-anything personality that makes it a great choice for schlepping the kids to school, week-end blasts to the mountains or the rare times the Mrs. and I play dress-up and go out like we did in 13 b.c. (13 years ago, before children). We're hip, randy 30-year-olds once again as we chuck the keys to the valet and watch the Vector assume an alpha position in the parking grid.
I've been driving our Saab for nearly 2 months, traversing the extremes of the western coast, and have found it more than capable of doing everything asked of it. It's got a few quirks, but they're out-numbered by so much sheer goodness, you forget them.
A few years ago ec staffers drove a 9-5 Aero wagon for some 30,000 miles. When we returned it to Saab, I cried myself to sleep that night. It was a great car and was mourned for weeks. The new 9-3 promises to have the same effect. I think it looks hot, standing still or blasting through turn 9 at Willow Springs. Compared to its predecessor, the 9-3 is 2.1-in. wider and 2.8-in. longer but features shorter overhangs, so the car now looks muscular and purposeful. The change from hatchback to proper sedan has done wonders to its form. A few onlookers have seemed positively baffled there's not a big V8 lurking under the raked hood. The Vector package takes it a step further with understated side sills, bumper extensions, front and rear spoilers and 17-in. alloy wheels. At speed, the 9-3 Vector punches a very small hole in the air with a 0.28 Cd, the lowest of all contemporary sport sedans. At 80 mph in sixth gear, the Vector turns a paltry 2450 rpm, and the cabin is quiet enough to hear your passenger's thoughts. During a recent 600-mile road trip, the Vector recorded 31 mpg on the highway; I probably could have done better had I stayed out of hard boost and under triple digits. Perhaps the only downside to the Vector body is its front-end clearance. Although the lower front lip spoiler is very pliable, it scrapes over all but the smallest of inclines. However, it is comprised entirely of a black polymer so scrapes don't really show, and it detaches easily from the lower bumper for easy replacement.