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Front and side impact rating |
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Pedestrian test rating |
 |
 |
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Test Scores: Front 13(81%) Side 18(100%) Belt Reminder 2 Overall 33
Pedestrian 7(19%)
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The SAAB 9-3 is
another to join the select band of cars good enough to deserve a full
five-star rating. It has been designed to keep its occupants safe. The
cabin around them, including the children, remained intact and its
restraint systems kept them from harm, although the driver’s chest was
subjected to fairly high forces. The area that his knees would hit in
a crash was not clear but the only real hazard was a point beneath the
steering column. The car performed without fault in the side impact
and the pole test. Pedestrian protection was poor: the bonnet offered
cushioning at its centre but was stiff elsewhere. |
Impact
Protection
|
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|
 |
 |
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|
Driver Front
Impact |
Passenger
Front Impact |
Driver Side
Impact |
|
Frontal
Impact
|
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The knee impact
area is particularly well planned, having a knee bolster that is
designed to collapse when struck hard. But testers found that the
steering column could transmit impact forces to the driver’s knees.
The footwell was not deformed by the impact, posing few hazards to the
driver’s feet and ankles. The front belts were fitted with load
limiters and reel mounted pre-tensioners. Even so, the driver suffered
a high-ish chest loading. The centre rear seat belt was of a
three-point type, which provides much better protection than that of a
lap-only belt. |
Side Impact
|
|
|
|
No points were lost
for its side impact performance, including the pole test. The curtain
airbag protected all occupants on the struck side. This deploys in
glancing frontal impacts where occupants may be be partly ejected as
the car rotates during impact. |
Child
Restraint
|
|
|
|
Both restraints
were Saab branded and rear-facing, using the adult belts to secure
their fronts. The restraints used a support leg and belts to fix them
to the mounting for the front-seat floor rails. These restraints
protected well although some impact forces fed through to the older
child’s chest. If the restraints must be fitted to the front passenger
seat, Saab dealers can disconnect the passenger’s frontal airbag. |
Pedestrian
Protection
|
|
|
|
The results here
fall far short of the car’s achievements elsewhere. The bumper and
bonnet sides were particularly unfriendly to pedestrians, although the
centre of the bonnet would cushion them. |
Model
history and safety equipment
|
|
|
|
The new 9-3 was
introduced during 2002. The ’03 model year car includes dual frontal
and side airbags, head protection curtains, front belt pre-tensioners
and load limiters, a belt reminder system for both front seats and
ISOFIX anchor points on the outer rear seats. |
|
Make, model and
hand of drive |
Saab 9-3 2.0ltr
LHD |
|
Body type |
4-door saloon |
|
Model year |
2003 |
|
Kerb weight |
1450 kg |
|
VIN and date
when rating applies |
all latest 9-3s |
|
Cars built on
the same platform |
none |
|
