Christian Wardlaw’s opinion of the 2006 Saab 9-7X’s Quality:
Take a close look at the 2006 Saab 9-7X’s interior, and you quickly realize that GM must be incapable of creating a reasonably good mix of quality interior materials, even when a brand’s integrity depends on it. The Saab’s cheap, fuzzy headliner needs to be chucked in favor of a woven mesh, and the gloss levels between the steering wheel spokes and the driver’s airbag cover are way off. That wood is fake and the plastic on the lower dash and door panels is strictly GM grade. Plus, the interior smells like a GM product and not a Saab, which I think would turn off what few loyalists continue to exist for the brand. Saabs have a distinctive odor inside – the 9-7X is doused in eau de rental car.

Assembly quality leaves plenty to be desired, too. That lousy headliner, for instance, is tucked under at the sunroof to avoid the eyesore of a rubber gasket but is also held to the roof by Velcro. The A-pillar covers twist with little effort, the plastic bezels around the door handles pop off with ease, and woodgrain appliqués exhibit inconsistent fit with the dash pad. The exterior was a complete mess. Addressing only the major fit and finish flaws: the front fascia fit at the joint with the right headlight and fender was awful; the gap between the fascia and the left headlight was visibly crooked; the driver’s door was tweaked with an extra large gap at the top leading edge; the door joint at the B-pillar and roof on the passenger’s side could swallow a finger let alone a pen; the driver’s door was bowing out from the rear door on the same side; the rubber window trim around the glass for each rear door was poorly installed; the panel covering the C-pillar on the right side was not mounted flush to the roof; the rear tailgate was tweaked significantly to the left.

Evidently, you can take the Saab out of Sweden, and you can take the Sweden out of the Saab.

Thom Blackett’s opinion of the2006 Saab 9-7X’s Quality:
If you’re considering the purchase of a $40,000 Saab 9-7X, think about negotiating $5,000 to $10,000 right off the top for poor materials and build quality. If I were a fan of buzz music, I would’ve loved the tunes playing throughout the cabin, and the fuzzy headliner had the warm, plush feel of a stuffed cardboard dog. The rubber piece surrounding the center ignition popped off in my hand, and the pillar covers indicated their willingness to do the same. Though padded plastics were used on the upper dash, low-rent bits found their way to the doors, lower dash, center console, pillars, and cargo area. Gaps, inside and out, were inconsistent in a number of places, and the front fascia was both loose and misaligned.

Ron Perry’s opinion of the 2006 Saab 9-7X’s Quality:
Here is where the 2006 Saab 9-7X falls flat on its face. Inside, there weren’t many issues, just loose A-pillar covers and a badly misaligned console. Some of the trim, like the piece under the window switches and the speaker covers, looked really cheap. However, outside there were multiple fitment issues. I honestly have seen better fit-and-finish on rebuilt cars with salvage titles. The seam gaps on the doors varied greatly from side to side and top to bottom. At the rear, the tailgate almost touched the taillight on the driver’s side but had a gap of almost half an inch on the passenger’s side. At the rear window opening there were more misalignment issues, and the rear corner trim protruded out on one side but sat flush on the other. A walk around the 9-7X found bad fitment between the front bumper and fenders, and the entire front fascia could be moved up and down at least a half-inch or more. After being so impressed with the Saab 9-3 during a recent drive, I was disappointed to find the 9-7X lacking quality in so many ways.