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Car #1
Make
Model
Variant
Engine
Car #2
Make
Model
Variant
Engine

compare selected cars
2007. - 2012.
D - Large family car
sedan, 4 door
front
Badges
Production
Vehicle class
Body style
Wheel drive
Safety
2008. - 2013.
D - Large family car
sedan, 4 door
4 x 4

Marketing

Dimensons & Outlines

4647 mm
1802 mm
1450 mm
425 liters
425 liters
58 liters
Length
Width
Height
Boot (min)
Boot (max)
Fuel tank
4830 mm
1858 mm
1498 mm
500 liters
1010 liters
70 liters
2007 SAAB 9-3
2008 Opel Insignia

Engine

Opel / General Motors
2.8 Z28NEH
Petrol
6 - V config, 4 valves per cylinder
Turbo
2792 cc
280 hp
355 Nm
Engine
Fuel
Configuration
Aspiration
Displacement
Power
Torque
Opel / General Motors
2.8 A28NET
Petrol
6 - V config, 4 valves per cylinder
Turbo
2792 cc
259 hp
350 Nm

Performance (manual gearbox)

manual gearbox - 6 gears
1505 kg
6.7 s
250 km/h
l/100km
l/100km
10.0 l/100km
235 g/km
Gearbox type
Vehicle weight
Acc. 0-100
Top speed
Cons. (urban)
Cons. (highway)
Cons. (average)
CO2 emissions
manual gearbox - 6 gears
1710 kg
6.9 s
250 km/h
16.2 l/100km
7.8 l/100km
10.9 l/100km
256 g/km

Performance (automatic gearbox)

automatic - 6 gears
1530 kg
7.5 s
250 km/h
17.0 l/100km
7.2 l/100km
10.8 l/100km
258 g/km
Gearbox type
Vehicle weight
Acc. 0-100
Top speed
Cons. (urban)
Cons. (highway)
Cons. (average)
CO2 emissions
automatic - 6 gears
1735 kg
7.1 s
250 km/h
16.6 l/100km
7.7 l/100km
11.0 l/100km
258 g/km

Expenses

4300 EUR
Price from
4000 EUR

Virtual Adviser's™ opinion

Overview

Two significantly similar cars, no doubt about that. Still, each one has something different to offer. Having both cars powered by petrol engines and utilizing the 4-door sedan body style within the same 'Large family car' segment, the only major difference here really is their wheel drive configuration (front for the SAAB and 4 x 4 in the case of the Opel). Both the engines are Opel-engineered . The first one has a 6-cylinder, 24-valves 280hp unit, while the other one gets its power and torque from a 6-cylinder, 24-valves 259hp one.

Safety

A starting point here would be to take a look at the results from European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) tests which were performed on both of the cars, with the same number of safety stars gained in the process. Still, apart from the official crash test results there are other things we need to be aware of. Both vehicles belong to the large family car segment, which is generally a good thing safety-wise, still it doesn't help us solve our dilemma, does it? On the other hand, taking kerb weight as an important factor into account, the German car offers a considerable difference of 14% more metal.

Reliability

I don't like generalizing things when it comes to reliability, although it does seem that both brands display similar results in faults and breakdowns, all the models observed together. That's the official data, while our visitors describe reliability of SAAB with an average rating of 4.1, and models under the Opel badge with 4.2 out of 5. Some independent research have also placed 9-3 as average reliability-wise, and Insignia is more or less at the same level.That apart, owners of different cars powered by the same engine as the Swedish car rank it on average as 4.5, while the one under the competitor's bonnet gets 4.0 out of 5.

Performance & Fuel economy

SAAB is a bit more agile, reaching 100km/h in 0.2 seconds less than its competitor. Still, it lacks the power to win the top speed competition, topping at 250 kilometers per hour, exactly the same as the other car does. When it comes to fuel economy the winner has to be the Swedish car, averaging around 10 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers (28 mpg), in combined cycle. We can't ignore that 9% difference compared to the German car.


Verdict

SAAB appears just a bit more reliable, although the difference is truly marginal. The most important thing when deciding between any two vehicles should always be safety, both passive and active. In my opinion, everything taken into account, the German car offers significantly better overall protection, taking the lead here. From there things take a different direction, with SAAB offering somewhat better performance, just enough to call it quicker. To make things even better, it consumps less fuel! I believe that, when we take all into account, we have only one winner here - the SAAB. Anyway, that's the most objective conclusion I could've came up with and it's based solely on the information found on this website. Aspects such as design, practicality, brand value and driving experience are there for you to measure them out. In case you have two minutes to spare I invite you to define your needs, desires and budget and see which car would be chosen by the virtual adviser, out of 12.000+ vehicles we currently have in our database.

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