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Volvo C70 vs SAAB 9-3

13 messages,  Last post on May 25, 2008 at 3:38 PM

You are in the Volvo C70 Forum.

What is this discussion about? Volvo C70, Saab 9-3, Coupe, Convertible

Messages Page 1 of 2

#1 of 13 Volvo C70 vs SAAB 9-3 by biancar

Feb 08, 2006 (11:19 am)

Curious what people think about the new C70 vs. the SAAB 9-3. The new Volvo has a retractable hardtop. Will the SAAB still be competitive with it, or will Volvo shoppers not consider SAAB any more?
 
It seems to me that the two cars are otherwise competitive, but I've never owned a European car and am curious as to what others' experiences have been.

#2 of 13 Saab by jchan2

Feb 11, 2006 (10:05 am)

I'm sure that there will be people that prefer one over the other.
 
But the C70 will probably attract more people with its hard top.
 
Then GM will slap on some rebates on the 9-3.
 
Which leads to lower resale.
 
Which means my son will be able to afford a used one

#3 of 13 Re: Saab [jchan2] by biancar

Feb 11, 2006 (10:11 am)

Replying to: jchan2 (Feb 11, 2006 10:05 am)
Good strategy!
 
And when he buys it, will he let Dad drive it??

#4 of 13 Re: Saab [biancar] by jchan2

Feb 13, 2006 (2:32 pm)

Replying to: biancar (Feb 11, 2006 10:11 am)
Maybe. The details haven't been worked out yet.

#5 of 13 C70 vs 93 by autoedu

Mar 25, 2007 (7:54 pm)

Something smart and sexy about these Swede convertibles.
The Volvo looks sexier as a coupe, with top down I like the 93 better.
The subtle and understated beauty of Scandanavian's design is in full display...
   

 

 

#6 of 13 Re: C70 vs 93 [autoedu] by biancar

Mar 26, 2007 (7:55 pm)

Replying to: autoedu (Mar 25, 2007 7:54 pm)
That blue one is very nice.
 
Have you driven the C70? Nice car if you want a big-car feel as opposed to sports car handling.

#7 of 13 Re: C70 vs 93 [biancar] by autoedu

Mar 27, 2007 (8:15 am)

Replying to: biancar (Mar 26, 2007 7:55 pm)
Yes, it's very solid and comfortable.
The car design is absolutely beautiful inside and out, I love it. It didn't handle like a big car but it is comfortable like one.

#8 of 13 Re: C70 vs 93 [autoedu] by biancar

Mar 28, 2007 (8:23 am)

Replying to: autoedu (Mar 27, 2007 8:15 am)
Why did you think it didn't handle like a big car? I felt it did, very much so.
 
Whether that's good or bad depends on what you want, of course. I also found the turbo-lag very annoying.

#9 of 13 Re: C70 vs 93 [biancar] by jtrego

Apr 03, 2007 (7:47 pm)

Replying to: biancar (Mar 28, 2007 8:23 am)
I think the C70 is very solid. Feels heavy in a solid, not blowing all over the road like a toyota or Honda, but not cumbersome at all. Very nimble for a car this size (its not small feeling at all)
 
There is no turbo lag with the manual trans. I didn't like the auto trans much at all, which was what we test drove, but the manual that we own is really sweet. With a car this expensive and sporty, you are really missing out on a lot of the fun of driving with the auto trans.

#10 of 13 Re: C70 vs 93 [biancar] by jeckles

Aug 29, 2007 (5:09 am)

Replying to: biancar (Mar 28, 2007 8:23 am)
I think a lot of the turbo lag is due to the automatic transmission (as someone mentioned earlier).
 
With the manual transmission, the car has a lot of get-up-and-go and no noticeable turbo lag. The power comes on early and keeps going up to redline very smoothly.
 
A lot of people complain about the lack of HP, but I think the solution is to make the car 500 lbs lighter. Should be easy to do, if the engineers are motivated and have the desire to improve fuel economy...
 
I suspect the Saab feels different, because the soft top cuts a fair amount of weight from the vehicle. Less weight means more agilility and less need for HP...

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