At night the lights are excellent. Every control is illuminated and the results are a feeling that someone carried. You can even get the OnStar system with this rig, but our unit didn't have this feature, as it was a pre-production model.
Although I liked the aggressive stance of the Saab, I felt it was too low to the ground in front. Even on moderate driveways you have to be careful of hitting the front spoiler.
Safety wise, the Saab has antilock brakes, front and side airbags, traction control, and stability control. This is the first Saab to include side curtain airbags for front and rear occupants. All outboard seatbelts are equipped with pre-tensioners and load limiters. The Saab 9-3 also includes active head restraints, antilock brakes, traction control, Electronic Brakeforce Distribution and stability control. It is a very comfortable car.
Dad's view: The Linear is propelled by a 16-valve, 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder with a light-pressure Garrett GT20 turbocharger. The engine has plenty of extras including a special cylinder head, camshafts, counter-rotating balancer shafts, dual-mass flywheel, to produce 175 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 195 pound-feet of torque at 2,500 rpm. It is a lively car once underway, but clearly lacks low-end power. For that you need to opt for its more expensive family members who have 210 horsepower, and perhaps a special model that might produce over 250. For most the base engine is enough, especially with a government 31-mpg rating on the highway.Driving the Linear is relaxing with the automatic transmission. You can also order a five speed manual trans, but we recommend you think about this decision after an afternoon in commuter traffic. The ride is slightly rough over bumpy roads, but it only gets nervous when you hit a few frost heaves. Other than those problems the handling is first rate and the brakes are impressive. Saab has produced a notable vehicle for the price. I especially liked the way it gobbled up miles and the easy of parking it offered.Two items I found weren't too my liking were the console mounted ignition key that took valuable room away from the center console area, and many buttons and switches in the center dash area. Otherwise, this is a first-rate ride and family friendly.