Alfa 159 vs Saab 93

[AndyT77]

Opinions on these two cars which are both on my radar for my soon to be new (used) car. Both petrol and diesel under consideration, budget £5k max.

[billzeebub]

Alfa 159 looks sensational, like to think I would go for one too if I needed a 4 door saloon car..however I think I would probably change my mind at the last minute and buy a 6 cylinder BMW E46!

[NotDave]

Own a 2006 SAAB 9-3 vector sport, TID!

Had it 3 years, 50k miles, now @ 100,000 miles.

Faultless.

Pm away if you have specific issues/questions.

HTH!

[rijmij99]

the 1.9 turbo units are basically the same so no comparisons there, alfa is beautiful and the saab is dull, that should be enough

[jamieboy]

Had a 159 Sportwagon, now a 93 Estate. Both with (basically the same) 1.9d engine. Alfa is a better drive, better place to sit in, better to look at. Saab is better at being an estate, which was the decider for me but likely irrelevant to you.

159 is trim-level and age-dependent. Early '08 onwards are lighter and better to drive, Lusso is much too wallowy and ti is a much better compromise but maybe a bit stiff sometimes.

Had the 159 for three years, no real issues. Had the Saab about two so far, likewise no issues.

[AndyT77]

Thanks for info so far, i take it the 1.9d is a solid old lump? I take it however i should be wary of injectors, DPF and dual mass flywheels.

Funny thing about the Alfa being the prettier of the two, i actually think that the Saab is 'overall' better looking.

[interloper]

Having driven both but not owned either, I would go for the 159 but it does depend on which model you were going for.

The Alfa has/had a much nicer looking interior but isn't quite as spacious or ergonomic as the Saab but Saab interiors are really bland. So long as you can get comfortable in the 159 it has a feel good factor the Saab completely lacks.

From a driving perspective neither are particularly special but the Alfa has sharper steering. To be honest a Mondeo from the same era has better steering feel/feedback and if chucked down a gnarly country lane, would inspire more confidence.

Engine wise the shared 2ltr Fiat diesels are pretty good, the unique (to the Saab) TTID twin turbo one is a cracker. The Alfa also got a 5 pot 2.4 derv but I cant comment as I have never driven one.

The small petrols in The Saab are pretty uninspired, even the Aero model 200bhp 4 pot has no real voice or character.

The Alfa V6 is nice but a disappointment after the old V6s. The Saab V6 Turbo has power but also suffered from slow response almost like it had a really heavy fly wheel (except its more a programing thing as chip tuned versions don't suffer this).

Which models were you looking at?

[AndyT77]

For the Saab it would be the 2.0T or 1.9D, the Alfa, not so sure.