2008 Saab 9-3 2.0T convertible

With a starting price in the low-$40,000 range, the 9-3 Lynx Yellow convertible competes with the same group of vehicles familiar to its four-door counterpart – namely the roofless versions of the Audi A4 and the BMW 3-series, but also the Volvo C70. However, once the option boxes begin to get ticked, the 9-3 convertible starts to have more in common with the A4 cabriolet and C70 than it does with the drop top Bimmer – which retails for about 6 grand more than the 9-3 when comparably equipped.

Although on the lower end of things, it’s possible to lump Toyota’s Solara convertible in with the list of 9-3 competitors

With Saab’s 210-horsepower 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder underhood, the 9-3 convertible has more than enough power to zip around town. The 9-3 convertible’s hefty curb weight (about 3,800 pounds) and hint of turbo lag will never make it king of the drag strip, but there’s enough on tap under your right foot to confidently merge into highway traffic or have a little fun on the back roads – the latter made all that much better by putting the top down to hear the turbo at full song.

And the 9-3 convertible’s suspension will gladly let you have some fun on the twisties. Not only does the 9-3 absorb bumps and road imperfection far better than we thought it would, it continues to overachieve even in sporty driving. You won’t confuse the 9-3 convertible with a true sports car, but it holds its own up until about 7/10. There is a touch of body flex from the removal of the roof, but it’s hardly noticeable, even over rough patches of tarmac. Although not quite up to BMW standards, we were thoroughly impressed with the 9-3 convertible’s suspension setup.

While our 9-3 convertible tester shared the same engine as our 9-3 sedan test car, the burden of the convertible’s extra weight was noticeable at the pump. We averaged just over 25 mpg during our week with the 9-3 convertible – albeit with a healthy stint of highways driving – but still fell short of our 9-3 sedan’s average. However, our 25 mpg bested the EPA’s ratings of 18/24 mpg city/highway.

© Source: leftlanenews
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