| Front and side impact rating |
 |
|
|
|
 |
Pedestrian test rating |
 |
|
|
|
Test Scores: Front 8(50%) Side 18(100%) Overall 26(76%) Pedestrian 4(11%)
|
|
|
|
The 9-3
performed better than the model it replaced, the 900, that
was previously tested by Euro NCAP. But the 9-3's
frontal-impact performance was disappointing. The driver's
and passenger suffered high chest loads and the passenger
cell started to fail along the roof and upper door load
paths. The knee-impact areas were very stiff because the
knee bolster has been designed to cope with unbelted
occupants. The good news, though, is that the child
restraints were the best-performing that Euro NCAP has
seen. They lost no points in the tests. Similarly, the
side impact-performance could not be faulted. |
Impact
Protection
|
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
| Driver
Front Impact |
Passenger
Front Impact |
Driver
Side Impact |
|
Frontal
Impact
|
|
|
| The
restraint systems put too much load on to the occupants'
chests, producing a high risk of severe injury. The
displacement of the steering wheel made matters worse for
the driver. There is a two-stage knee bolster. The first
is designed to safeguard belted drivers; the second should
prevent forward movement of an unbelted driver. However,
in tests using belted dummies, this proved unforgiving.
This bolster is fitted for compliance with US law but in
the EU belts are required to be worn. |
Side
Impact
|
|
|
| The
seat-mounted head and thorax airbag worked very well and
there was no loss of points whatsoever. The pole test
showed that the head protection device provided a cushion
between the head and pole, so making a severe accident
survivable. |
Child
Restraint
|
|
|
| The
child restraints were Saab branded and rear-facing. These
used the adult belts for fixing but there were also
tethers that attached the rear of the seats to the front
seat runners. The protection afforded was excellent and
the children's heads were not exposed during the impact. A
criticism was that a label on the child restraint warning
of the dangers of installing the restraint on the front
passenger seat when an airbag is fitted was starting to
peel off. |
Pedestrian
Protection
|
|
|
| Unfortunately,
pedestrian protection on this car was all but
non-existent: only two child head protection sites scored
points. |
Model
history and safety equipment
|
|
|
| Car
launched in Feb '98. Reinforcements to body introduced
Sept '98. The 1999 model features as standard a driver's
airbag, side-impact airbags (head and thorax), three-point
belts on all seats, belt pre-tensioners to front seats
(activation in frontal and rear impact), whiplash
protection and power steering. |
| Make,
model and hand of drive |
Saab
9-3 2.0-litre LHD |
| Body
type |
5-door
hatchback |
| Model
year |
1999 |
| Kerb
weight |
1400
kg |
| VIN
and date when rating applies |
No
running changes |
| Cars
built on the same platform |
None |
|
