31 Jan 06
These are the engines with which Saab intends to expand its reach; but there's another new trend in the convertible market that it hasn't followed. Peugeot and Renault have been offering four-seat convertibles with metal folding roofs for a while now (the 307 CC and Megane CC, not to mention the smaller 206 CC), Volvo has just launched its new C70 convertible with a folding metal hard-top, Volkswagen's Eos goes on sale shortly and BMW's as-yet-unseen next 3-Series drop-top is also said to have abandoned the traditional rag-top format.
Still, Saab's hydraulically-operated soft-top is a neatly-folding, stylishly designed affair and, with its triple layers of fabric, it's one of the better-insulated hoods on the market. It folds away under a colour-matched tonneau cover at the touch of a single button, at speeds of up to 18mph and its action is reassuringly precise.
The 9-3 Convertible is assembled by hand for Saab by Magna Steyr in Austria, and the close human attention to detail shows: it's very well put-together, and feels like a high-quality product.
