I bought a Troll.
When my new job brought with it a 100 mile-per-day commute, it wasn't long before I started thinking about alternatives to racking up big miles on my beloved
Audi allroad. I was pumping 18+ gallons of premium into it every 4 days, so something a little more efficient wouldn't hurt, either. And I wanted all-wheel-drive because I live on top of a mountain in snow country where any sort of front- or rear-wheel-drive car can be a liability.
I had no criteria except that the car cost under $13K, have AWD, and get acceptable gas mileage. My first thought was of Subaru, famous for reliable, inexpensive AWD cars. I test drove a variety of used Subarus, and while I'd never driven any Subaru before, my impression overall was that they were a little behind the competition in terms of refinement. "Agricultural" was the word that came to mind while driving a particularly tired Legacy wagon (don't hate me Subaru lovers-I know you love your cars!).
Then I remembered Trollhattan, Sweden-based Saab (hence the brand's "Troll" nickname) had rebadged an Impreza wagon a few years ago and called it the 9-2x. I ended up with a 9-2x Linear (which means non-turbo, base model in Saab-speak). It has an automatic transmission, which isn't something I wanted, but I also figured it would prevent me from falling in love with the car. I've had enough love affairs with cars that inevitably become garage queens, I don't need another. Besides, all I do is drive on the highway.
In terms of upscale perks worthy of the Saab brand, it has xenon headlights and heated leather seats, along with the other standard items like A/C, cruise control, power windows/locks, and keyless entry. Not a lot of gee-whiz for a "European" car, but certainly everything I needed for a transportation appliance.
How does it drive? Well, decently, I guess.
Let me elaborate: I'm a car guy. I like involving, exciting cars that inspire passion and make me turn around and admire them as I walk away from them in a parking lot. I like the rush of horsepower that comes from a powerful engine making melodious sounds. And lately I've come to really appreciate the wonders of high-end luxury cars like the allroad-they're fast, capable and incredibly refined. $50,000 cars really are worth the money, but I guess that's because I'm getting old.
The 9-2x isn't refined. It just isn't. My 2001 Mazda Protege5 was considerably more polished even after 80,000 miles, and Honda Civics of this car's vintage (2006) are notably smoother, too. Maybe only in comparison to its Impreza siblings does it start to look like the Saab engineers were sweating the details that justify the little Saab's extra cost.
Mechanically, some folks like the distinctive putt-putt-putt sound of Subaru's torquey 165-horsepower horizontally-opposed 2.5 liter four cylinder engine, but I'm not one of them. It's unique, yes, but at speed on the highway it's somewhat rambunctious; it sounds like an out-of-round tire thumping away up front. On the other hand, it's a gutsy little engine with plenty of torque and definitely feels willing to work hard without complaint. It keeps up with traffic without any concerns and I often find myself going 5-10 MPH faster than I think I'm going. It grinds up the steep mile-long hill to my house without becoming a rolling roadblock. Fuel economy seems to hover around 28 MPG with 90% highway use, and I get about 320 miles on a tank of gas (it has yet to take more than 12 gallons of regular to fill it up).
If you want more performance, there's a turbo variant of the car (the 9-2x Aero) that boasts the Subaru WRX's 227-horsepower engine which delivers sparkling performance at the cost of fuel mileage. I would highly recommend that alternative for enthusiastic drivers. The extra 60 horsepower transforms the car. But given the role this car is playing for me, I'm satisfied with its modest engine performance.
The transmission? Not so much. I'm no fan of automatics in my own cars, but the one in the little Troll is crude, crude, crude. It's a 4-speed overdrive unit, although some automatics today are sporting 5 or even 6 gears. In this car the number of gears doesn't really matter, especially considering its towering overdrive, allowing it to cruise at 70 MPH with the engine turning just 2500 RPM. Where it suffers is in shift quality and calibration. The shifts are somewhat jerky under most conditions, warm or cold (cold weather exacerbates this behavior), and calling up a downshift with the throttle for passing or emergency maneuvers will give you ample opportunity to practice your prayers. Tick...tick...tick...tick...SHIFT! However it does appear that the cruise control and transmission talk to each other intimately-touching the ACCEL button on the cruise control stalk with cruise engaged causes an instantaneous downshift into 3rd gear and wide-open-throttle on the highway. If I need third gear with that much vigor, I have to yank the shifter back a notch and call it up manually-which is what I usually do. If you are any kind of enthusiast and want to actually enjoy driving this car, I'm advising you to avoid the automatic transmission. If it's just an appliance to you like it is to me, it's acceptable but really saps the fun factor in a big way. Meh.
The car's excellent AWD system can't be faulted and goes about its business professionally. We've had some heavy snow since I acquired it and it tracks through the stuff almost as well as the allroad. It lacks the security of the allroad's electronic traction and stability controls, but it does have ABS on its 4-wheel disc brakes. It can't raise itself up on its suspension like the allroad, making some of the deeper stuff a little more challenging, but unplowed snow-covered roads are no big deal. In fact, in spirited driving, I prefer the absence of the allroad's electronic nanny cutting the throttle and applying the brakes for me. With all-season Goodyear Eagle GS-A tires, the littlest Troll tackles snow without any drama and this is where the car shines. If you need cheap AWD, a Subaru is what you want.
My only caveat-the rear differential is noisy. Between 47 and 53 MPH, the gears howl, though I am assured that this is normal.
The brakes are firm and confidence-inspiring, with good pedal feel, although I'll admit that I haven't pushed them to their limits. With acceptably-sized 4-wheel discs, I expect them to be above average. As far as I can tell, this car is still on its first set of rotors which appear to have plenty of life left in them. The pads were replaced by the dealer right before I bought it, so I have no idea about their longevity. I assume it is comparable to any other small car.
The steering is kind of vague, certainly not what I expected from a somewhat sporty car, and nothing like the Protege5's laser-like precision. The suspension, which is uniquely tuned for the 9-2x, is not particularly lithe and never feels like it's in the mood for spirited play with considerable body roll in aggressive maneuvers. Ride quality is decent for a small economy car, and the tires go over bumps with a well-damped "thump-thump" that gives the car a sturdy feel. On the highway, it is
severely affected by crosswinds and gets tossed around quite a bit. Once again, if you want more performance from your 9-2x, get the Aero, which has more aggressive suspension tuning and larger wheels and tires to match the more powerful motor.
The body structure feels incredibly robust. Subarus boast some of the best crash-test ratings in the industry. Despite feeling lightweight and thinly-constructed, the body doesn't shake, rattle or creak over bumps and there's nary a quiver through the controls over harsh surfaces. It feels like it can take on anything, which pretty much sums up the car's overall demeanor: tough.
On the outside, I think the styling of the Saab hybrid is vastly superior to the three different oddball beaks they stuck on the previous-generation Impreza over its lifespan, giving the 9-2x a cleaner, sleeker look. There's no luggage rack spoiling the lines (sorry skiers and mountain bikers), and the lower body cladding is subtle. The alloy wheels are a handsome 16-inch 5-spoke design sporting modestly sized (i.e. not expensive) 205/55/16 tires. And I do have a thing for wagons.
Since the interior is where I spend most of my time-
and a lot of it-I have many comments here. Unfortunately, the interior, leather on the seats notwithstanding, is economy class all the way. Given the cost differential between the Subaru and the Saab, I really expected more. The A/C is manual (which I don't mind), there are acres of hard plastic on the dash and door panels and the entire environment screams "economy car!" The leather isn't particularly high quality stuff, but does look sporty in its two-tone black and gray (however it does seem to pick up dirt easily).
The seats are my biggest gripe. I'm not a big guy at 5'10" and 180 pounds, but these seats are small. If you're much bigger than I am, test them out to be sure you fit. The problem is the side bolsters on the lower cushion. While they do hold you in place during aggressive driving, under normal circumstances they're much too confining. Unless you drive with your knees less than 4 or 5 inches apart, you're going to find the bolsters intrusive and uncomfortable (take a look at your position next time you're driving your current car and see how unnatural this might be). The bolsters seem to be made of unyielding steel under a thin layer of leather, so they won't get better with age like, say, a pair of shoes. It's not like I sit behind the wheel spread-eagled, but I find that the only way to keep my thighs from falling asleep is to put the seat so far back that I can keep my legs fairly straight and stick my feet under the pedals. This puts me farther away from the steering wheel than I'd like, but at least my legs aren't numb.
Seat adjustments are completely manual (which is fine with me) and I appreciate the height adjustment which uses a ratcheting action to move the seat up and down instead of forcing you to jerk your weight around to get the seat to move.
The back seat is really, really small. I can't sit behind myself without jamming my feet under the seat and having my knees braced against the seatback. This is, of course, exacerbated by the oddball driving position I have to adopt. Kids back there are fine. Four adults on a long road trip? Um, I'd recommend against it. Trunk space is adequate for a small car, although the Protege5 had a bigger, more usefully-shaped hatch area. The 9-2x has a retractable cargo cover, which I like, and some very sturdy-looking tie-downs in case you want to secure, say, a dozen bowling balls or a small bear.
I would also have expected, being a Saab, that there would be more sound deadening. The car is apparently heavier than an equivalent Subaru Impreza, and I figured that this would be the source of much of it. Without driving them back-to-back, I can't say for certain whether the Saab is quieter, but it ain't quiet by any stretch. In addition to the putt-putting of the engine, there's a lot of road rumble and wind noise, and when it's raining, the hiss of the tires on the wet road is the primary sound. This particular car has developed an INCREDIBLY annoying wind whistle whose origin is proving difficult to diagnose. Sometimes it sounds like it's coming from the passenger's A-pillar, sometimes from the hatch, sometimes from above the windshield. I've been unable to locate it and I'm not much in the mood to pay a tech $50/hour to look for it. However, this certainly isn't endemic to all 9-2Xs, just mine, but that doesn't make it any less annoying.
On the other hand, outward visibility is excellent. The interior is bright and airy with large glass areas and good sight lines all around. Even that odd C-pillar doesn't hurt the view over your shoulder. The cowl and hood are low (thanks to that flat-four engine), and the dashboard is not distracting or obtrusive. The other day I drove the allroad for the first time in several weeks and found myself annoyed because I had to crane my neck to see around the thick A-pillar when navigating a busy parking lot. I never noticed that before.
Ergonomics are fine, with the exception of the radio which is covered with identical-feeling flat buttons that require you to look at them to make sure you're pushing the right one. I also hate that the radio's display goes dim when you turn on the headlights, and is not affected by the dimmer that controls the rest of the dash lights. At dusk or in the rain when there's still some ambient light, it renders the display virtually invisible. The radio's sound quality is poor, especially given the noisy interior. Fortunately, it appears that the Saab radio can be upgraded, unlike the radios in some Subarus which are completely integrated into the dashboard. I'm not much of an audiophile and like the rest of the car, it does what I need it to do, so I don't really mind. If only it would drown out that wind whistle...
The gauges are easy to see, even with the tilt steering wheel at its lowest setting (so I can reach it with the seat positioned the way it is). There are 3 control stalks arrayed around the steering wheel: turn signal/headlights, front and rear windshield wipers, and cruise control. They're easy to use and fall quickly to hand without a glance once you acquaint yourself with their particular operation. The windshield wiper controls might take some extra familiarization time-push, pull, up down, twist, turn, washer button, no washer button-is it too much to ask for automakers to just standardize their operation already? There's no value added by being different for the sake of being different.
Speaking of windshield wipers, I do want to point out a brilliant feature that seems unique to Subarus, although I can't imagine why every single automaker doesn't include it. There is a heating element like your standard rear defroster embedded at the base of the windshield where the wipers park. With it on, the wipers are never caked with ice and always swipe cleanly. While the allroad might have the worst wipers since the single manually-cranked 5-inch chunk of rubber in my father's 1925 Buick, the 9-2x has the best. Nice!
I also like the way the cruise control stalk is set up. While I railed against a similar setup in my
Dodge Avenger review, the 9-2x is far more friendly and after using it a few times, becomes easy to use without a glance. I especially like the CANCEL feature which kills the cruise without tapping the brakes (c'mon, Audi, why do I need to tell the cops I've been going too fast with a brake light display?).
Oh, and there's a big rocker switch with a "P" on it perched on top of the steering column. Since my used car didn't come with an owner's manual, I have no idea what it does. Flipping it has no effect on the car's operation and doesn't activate any extra lights or accessories anywhere on the car that I can discern (no, it's not the hazard lights). I thought maybe it controlled some kind of parking lights, but I've walked around the car several times in the dark looking for evidence of this, but have found none. It's like that light switch in your house that doesn't seem to control anything. I just flip the switch randomly now and again.
One other note on the interior: the driver's window has 1-touch down, but no 1-touch up, and none of the other windows have any kind of automation. Maybe this is silly, but I like the feature on my other cars. Does it really cost that much to add it?
It might seem like I have a lot of complaints about this little car, but overall I'm satisfied with it. As I explained earlier, I didn't want to fall in love with it, I wanted a car I could drive without a care. This car fills that role exactly. I have the utmost confidence that it will continue to run for years and years with only cursory maintenance because of Subaru's anvil-simple engineering. It is sure-footed in all conditions, has enough creature comforts to not make it feel like a penalty box and generally goes about its business exactly the way I need it to. Don't forget: this really is an economy car, Saab badge or no Saab badge. I paid under $12K for it with 46,000 miles on the clock and it hasn't missed a beat or suffered any failures of any kind. The car feels tough and eager, not refined, but willing and able. I guess you could say that it makes up for its shortcomings by having a spunky spirit.
I do like the car. I just don't love it.
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