2005 SAAB 9-2X from North America - Comments

Front disks warped at 10k miles.

Basically a Subaru impreza WRX tuned by Saab, with improved sound deadening, STI steering, different suspension tuning, etc.

Being Subaru built, it's high quality, but it doesn't feel as well put together as my 10 year older BMW 3-series.

Comfort is basic. Seat heaters and 6CD stereo (amplifier too weak), and very little more. No left/right temperature control for instance. Road and wind noises make it pretty loud.

The engine produces over 220bhp high up in the rpm band, with a fair amount of turbo lag. The boxer flat-4 layout gives it a special character.

Gearchange is a bit slow, and I don't like the bounce in the transmission when I liftoff or reapply power.

Original tyres squeal a lot when driven hard.

The car is very quick if the engine is kept above 4000prm, and the handling is extremely efficient, especially on bad pavement.

I don't find it very fun to drive hard, I feel too remote from the road. I have a lot more fun with a miata/MX5 with 100hp less.

All in all, it's a practical hatchback with high performance capabilities. It's not a sports car despite the performance, and not a luxury car despite the Saab stickers.

I can't tell whether you like the car or hate it by your review. You keep going back and forth. I love mine, but I knew what I was getting into when I bought it. Since when are seat heaters "basic" comfort options? The interior is kinda small for dual zone heating/ AC don't you think? At least is has the auto climate on it. The 6 speaker stereo is plenty strong enough for my taste although I don't need to blow the windows out of the car to enjoy it. You also title your review "more power than needed" and then complain about the turbo lag.

Just not sure why you bought this car when there are surely better ones out there that would suit your needs more accurately.

Hey, where are you from? Your review says N. America, but you spell tires (tyres) and you list hp as bhp.