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

compare selected cars
2005. - 2009.
D - Large family car
sedan, 4 door
rear
Badges
Production
Vehicle class
Body style
Wheel drive
Safety
2007. - 2012.
D - Large family car
sedan, 4 door
4 x 4

Marketing

Dimensons & Outlines

4575 mm
1800 mm
1440 mm
378 liters
378 liters
65 liters
Length
Width
Height
Boot (min)
Boot (max)
Fuel tank
4647 mm
1802 mm
1450 mm
425 liters
425 liters
58 liters
2005 Lexus IS
2007 SAAB 9-3

Engine

Petrol
6 - V config, 4 valves per cylinder
Nat. Asp.
2499 cc
207 hp
252 Nm
Engine
Fuel
Configuration
Aspiration
Displacement
Power
Torque
Opel / General Motors
2.8 Z28NEH
Petrol
6 - V config, 4 valves per cylinder
Turbo
2792 cc
280 hp
355 Nm

Performance (manual gearbox)

manual gearbox - 6 gears
1570 kg
8.1 s
230 km/h
13.5 l/100km
7.7 l/100km
9.8 l/100km
231 g/km
Gearbox type
Vehicle weight
Acc. 0-100
Top speed
Cons. (urban)
Cons. (highway)
Cons. (average)
CO2 emissions
manual gearbox - 6 gears
1620 kg
6.2 s
250 km/h
l/100km
l/100km
10.6 l/100km
254 g/km

Performance (automatic gearbox)

automatic - 6 gears
1560 kg
8.4 s
225 km/h
12.7 l/100km
7.0 l/100km
9.1 l/100km
214 g/km
Gearbox type
Vehicle weight
Acc. 0-100
Top speed
Cons. (urban)
Cons. (highway)
Cons. (average)
CO2 emissions
automatic - 6 gears
1625 kg
7.3 s
250 km/h
l/100km
l/100km
11.3 l/100km
269 g/km

Expenses

3500 EUR
Price from
4300 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 (rear for the Lexus and 4 x 4 in the case of the SAAB). The first one has a Toyota-engineered powertrain under the hood, a 6-cylinder, 24-valves 207hp unit, while the other one gets its power and torque from a 6-cylinder, 24-valves 280hp engine designed by Opel.

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, but that fact doesn't break the tie between the two cars. On the other hand, taking kerb weight as an important factor into account, the Swedish car offers a marginal difference of 3% more metal.

Reliability

Manufacturers have been building their reliability reputation for decades now and, generally speaking, it appears that Lexus does have a slight advantage, all the models observed together. That's the official data, while our visitors describe reliability of Lexus with an average rating of 5.0, and models under the SAAB badge with 4.1 out of 5. The same official information place IS as average reliability-wise, and 9-3 is more or less at the same level.That apart, owners of different cars powered by the same engine as the Japanese car rank it on average as 5.0, while the one under the competitor's bonnet gets 4.5 out of 5.

Performance & Fuel economy

SAAB is undoubtly more agile, reaching 100km/h in 1.9 seconds less than its competitor. In addition to that it accelerates all the way to 250 kilometers per hour, 20km/h more than the other car. When it comes to fuel economy the winner has to be the Japanese car, averaging around 9.8 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers (29 mpg), in combined cycle. We can't ignore that 8% difference compared to the Swedish car.


Verdict

Lexus 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 Swedish car offers slightly better overall protection and takes the lead. It all continues in the same direction, with SAAB being considerably quicker, thus putting more smile on driver's face. It does come at a cost though, and that's the fuel consumption... No mistake, whatever you decide here, but I'd still go for the Lexus. Nevertheless, let's not forget that people have different preferences and needs, so what really counts is your personal feel. I'm only here to help. Also, you could use the oportunity to find out which car, everything taken into account, would be the perfect choice for you in the eyes of the virtual adviser, among more than 12.000 different ones in our database.

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