Lee Dodge NY

Saab 9-3 Turbo X Sport Combi: Function

Gone are the days when we'd admire Saab for its kooky interior design, then damn it at the same time because those same design quirks impeded a car's basic functionality. While purists will say the GM-sourced audio and climate switchgear dilutes the 9-3's Saabness, we say they make the car's controls a snap to use. They are well-spaced, well-marked and easily reachable thanks to the driver-canted, high-mounted dash design. There's still plenty of quirky Saabness to go around, though, like the console-mounted ignition and Night Panel light dimmer. The Turbo X comes with a surround-sound audio system, which is excellent in CD mode, but quite poor in all others.

Chevrolet Cobalt XFE
Who Should Buy This Vehicle

Buyers so fiercely loyal to the Chevrolet brand that they have bowtie logo tattoos, and who are looking to save every drop of fuel. Most other compact-car shoppers would be better served by almost any of its competitors. Taking into account the XFE sacrifices, the minimal fuel savings and the conspicuous absence of modern conveniences and quality, even a non-XFE 2009 Chevy Cobalt makes more sense to us.  (read more)