2006 SAAB 9-7X from North America - Comments

The rotors started to warp at 30,000 miles.

Other than the brake rotors warping, this has been a problem free and very reliable car.

I had driven a Chevy Trailblazer for over 100,000 miles, so I think I am qualified to compare the two as they are pretty much the same car, but the SAAB is much better.

What I like about this SUV:

Very quiet at highway speeds.

Pretty styling. I have received many unsolicited compliments.

Comfortable for long journeys. I drive this vehicle for hours at a time.

Handles well around twisty roads given the size and weight of the vehicle.

Very competent engine with good torque and a nice quiet rumble. Excellent AWD system as well as good traction control system. I live in the snow belt, and it has come in handy as I am sales rep. and drive for a living. I can't miss my sales appointments and she has never let me down.

Cheaper to fix than most luxury SUVs due to sharing parts with more plebeian sister SUVs.

Decent gas mileage for a 2+ ton vehicle. The cylinder deactivation is giving me about 18.5 highway and 16 city.

Stereo is very good.

** No comparison to the other GM SUVs of which it is based. My Trailblazer was loud and much less refined. The interior of the SAAB is much better. The SAAB is more refined overall. The SAAB is worh the extra money and is much more comfortable.

Bottom line, if you want a good second car, buy the SAAB. It depreciates so badly when used I got mine with 20,000 miles on it and two years old for 18 grand. It was over 42 grand new.

Is it a SAAB? Ehhhh, not really. I have two other SAABs in my garage. But is it a good luxury SUV? Absolutely.

Would you buy the 9-4x when it comes out?

I wrote the original review.

As far as buying the 9-4x, I won't be in the market for another SUV for a few years. My goal is to run the 9-7x into the ground but follow the maintenance schedule to a tee. I bought the 9-7x due too cheaper parts when it is off warranty, due to GM parts. I am not sure the 9-4x will be affordable in the parts department.

My goal is 200k miles on this SUV. I think with religious maintenance, it can be done.

My wife just traded in her RX300 for a 9-7x, I've got to say that we are very pleasantly surprised by the 9-7x's comfort level, power, ride quality & the overall package.

I didn't think we could find an SUV that could be better for us than the RX, but I am happy to say that I was wrong.

Of course, there will be a penalty to pay at the gas pump, but it shouldn't be too bad, and I think the trade-off is worth it.

I'm the happy owner of a 9-3 Convertible, and wasn't expecting the 9-7x to be very Saab-like, but the GM/Saab engineers did a good job of giving the Envoy/Trailblazer platform the Saab treatment. So far we love it!

I am the original poster. A few updates:

I am now at 55,000 miles.

My brake rotors didn't go at 30,000 miles. Apparently I had bad tires that mimicked the feel I have felt with bad rotors on other cars. I changed the front tires and now she is smooth as can be. My mechanic even said the rotors look good for another 10,000 miles... which is pretty good for a very heavy SUV.

I have not had any mechanical issues whatsoever with this car. She continues to be bulletproof. I just did the 50,000 mile service including transmission and transfer case fluid exchange and noticed she drives a little better.

The only niggling issue I have is that the "black" coloring on the radio has rubbed off in high use areas, like "preset 1" etc. I bought some Testor's flat black model paint from a Hobby store and brushed a small amount on the problem areas and it looks good.

I will continue to update you all as my goal for both personal and financial reasons, is to get 200,000 miles out of her. I know I can do it.

I couldn't disagree with your assessment any more. I have had nothing but problems with mine, mostly electrical stuff that the dealer is not able to track down. Most disappointing...

We love our 9-7X, best SUV we've owned (and we traded a Lexus for it)