SAAB in the City

[VooDooXII]

New car? PM'd.

I wrote about this when I had my automatic loaner, so I might as well let you guys know how the stick shift in this one feels.

In short...pretty damn nice. The clutch is a little light for my tastes, but it engages very smoothly and it has a pretty short pedal-travel. The selector has a pretty short throw too, but effort is just a smidge too high. Easy to get used to though. The gearstick isn't very comfortable to grip though, so I just end up holding it with three with my pointer, middle, and my thumb.

It's pretty fun to launch. I brought it up to about 2,500...and didn't quite DUMP the clutch, but I let it out relatively quick. Again it's a short travel, so it's easy to let it out quickly and smoothly.

On that note...this car is FAST. This car just picks up speed so effortlessly...granted you're above 2,000 RPM, otherwise the turbo isn't spooling and you're not really moving.Maybe I'm just thinking that it feels fast because the speedometer is huge...but the feeling of me being pressed up against the seat-back is reassuring enough.

I love this car. I love how a lot of people don't exactly know what it is. I love it's ridiculous features like the artsy hidden cupholders, the Night Panel, the air-conned glove box (which is massive, I might add). It also has a mad JDM Tyte rear fog light which is bright as hell...so now I have something to flash at people who follow me with their high-beams. I love how it drives. It's very predictable, and very responsive...and if I fuck up, at least I know I'll be safe. It's extremely comfortable too. I probably mentioned this before but the seats are AMAZING. I drive back and forth between Atlanta and Suwanee a lot, and my ass never goes numb in these thrones. The back has plenty of room too. The SAAB is great. The only thing it's missing is a nice exhaust note...which can be fixed.

It's no GTO, but I still think I made a great choice. It's stylish, lots of fun to drive, and quite luxurious. It's also better on gas than the GTO, and it's a sedan with a bigger trunk so it's more practical. Of course above all...it's unique. I think there are only two other SAAB owners on IA...hah, excellent.