2008 Saab 9-3 - Styling Review

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Shopping for a 2008 Saab 9-3? MSRP: $28,445 - $45,640

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TheCarConnection.com found that most automotive magazines and car enthusiast Web sites approve of the new Saab 9-3 Convertible's styling, which looks less "Saab-like" and closer to a European sports car in its latest iteration.

The new styling cue most "immediately apparent" is the front fascia of the Saab 9-3, says Car and Driver. "Borrowing heavily from Saab's Aero X concept, the new face does what every freshening hopes to accomplish--make the old car look seriously dated." According to Cars.com, the 9-3 Saab for 2008 sports "new wheel designs, a larger front grille, smaller side grilles and a more V-shaped hood." Autoblog reports that the matte chrome accents found on the 9-3 Saab's new nose section tone down the metal work, "allowing the redesigned grillework and headlamps to take the leading role."

Inside the sheetmetal of the 2008 Saab 9-3 Convertible, according to Motor Trend, "Scandinavian minimalism reigns." Industrial black replaces the gray color, and the Aero models have silver plastic trim instead of wood, which goes with the "less is more" motif. Edmunds agrees that the "two-tone color themes" create an "intense, distinctly Scandinavian ambience" in the 9-3 Saab. The Auto Channel believes that "the interior shares the cockpit feel and driver-focused themes of the 9-3 sports sedan and SportCombi," and that even rear passengers get treated to the look with a "light colored, near seamless headlining that gives a fixed-head interior ambience."

ForbesAutos notes that although it shares it underpinnings with various GM cars, the Saab 9-3 Convertible "carries Saab-exclusive styling and components, and it preserves traditional Saab quirks like the ignition key location between the two front seats."