Faults:

1st year: Electronic control unit had to be changed.

1st year: Battery dies suddenly.

2nd year: Battery dies.

2nd year: Exhaust rusts.

3rd year: Fuel tank breaks at the neck.

3rd year: Excess soot collects in the fuel system. Car hesitates. Black fumes come out of the exhaust. Fuel system needs cleaning every three weeks

Fuel consumption: 16.5 L/100km.

3rd year: Key-less entry transmitter failed. (changed)

3rd year: Electronic display loses pixels. (changed)

General Comments:

The car is very comfortable, but its electronic system is bad.

The SAAB agency in the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia is bad. They do not believe the customer; they treat the symptom and not the cause of the problem until the problem gets out of hand.

Faults:

The drivers door lock not working, fixed by dealer, however later found a problem with the connector to the door when fitting a stereo. This is due to the plug not connecting properly.

Automatic climate control sometimes displays only two numbers and then rectifies itself.

General Comments:

I had a stage one upgrade done before I picked the car up, however, as is usual with turbo cars, the performance changes daily! Can be quick, but handling is not sporty as the car doesn't turn into corners very well. Saying that, this is a big car and the Aero set up would rectify this.

The stereo is absolutely rubbish. A problem I had in my last Saab. No bass or you blow the speakers! Have since fitted all new stuff. Now sounds great.

Not an easy car to work on and the main dealers are expensive, I use an independent dealer, very reasonable, servicing is half the price.

Faults:

Spark plugs have been replaced repeatedly.

We had to replaced the battery twice by 60,000 miles.

The car has produced multiple "engine failure" messages that have required dealer attention.

General Comments:

The engine has had problems on a regular basis.

The car has repeatedly failed local emissions standard testing.

The car held its value like a sieve.

Faults:

This car had several "minor" recalls within the first year that required 2 trips to the dealer.

The battery blew out within the first year, requiring a tow to service.

Within one month of replacing the battery, the car had to be towed again to service. The fuel tank leaked, and had to be fully replaced.

Within less than one week of replacing the fuel tank, the car started spewing excessive exhaust. The turbo seals had blown and the entire turbo unit had to be replaced.

Four months after replacing the turbo unit, there was a burning smell when the car was idling. The crankshaft pulley seal was leaking and had to be repaired.

One month later, the transponder receiver was replaced for "not accepting key."

Three months later, the car started failing again, and would not move more than 20MPH. It had to be towed. The vacuum pump was broken, damaging the brakes. The entire brake system was replaced. This repair took about one week, and necessitated consultations between the dealer and "Saab Tech" to fully sort out the problem.

General Comments:

This car has racked up 3 to 4 major repairs per annum. It has been almost completely rebuilt, except for the transmission. I would be a fool to keep this car beyond the warranty period.

Faults:

None.

General Comments:

Fast for a sedan. Go with the 3.0 liter 200 hp turbocharged engine. 0-60 in 7 something seconds.

Exterior styling is awesome. Dealer service is excellent. Really like this car!

Faults:

This car has been to the dealer on a monthly basis with various issues. It is by far the most unreliable vehicle I have ever owned.

Faults:

The car had only travelled a short distance, about 1 metre, was moving slowly in reverse and was in contact with no objects of any description. Yet the suspension suffered a catastrophic failure. This car's suspension fractured on a cold morning for no apparent reason.

SAAB admit that there are 'deviations' in the cast suspension component and also the 'not acceptable' presence of a well-known embrittling agent called cementite.

General Comments:

Despite these 'deviations' and unacceptable materials, SAAB try to make a case that the real cause is accident damage.

SAAB get their lawyers to claim payment of around £800 sterling for replacement of the failed component.

Faults:

Creaking front seat assembly. Creaking rear suspension.

General Comments:

Awful dealer and after sales service in Poland. Do not buy the 2.0, it is underpowered for such a big car. On German autobahns have never been able to get it over 200 km/h, whereas manual says 215 km/h is possible.

Love the dashboard and interior design - it really grows on you. Exterior is acquired taste but you get the feeling of being one of a priviliged/intelligent (?) few who have not fallen for the obvious A6, 520i, E class choice.