
111 Instruments and controlsAir distribution
One press: When the defroster is chosen manually,
all the windows (except the rear side windows, where
the air flow is off) are demisted by:
High fan speed.
The air is directed to the defroster vents.
Temperature increases somewhat.
Activation of rear window/door mirror heating.
The defroster function remains engaged until another
selection is made. Heating of the rear window/door
mirrors will, however, deactivate after a set time
period.
Two presses: Air is directed to the windscreen wit-
hout the fan speed being increase or the rear window
heating being switched on.
To revert to a previous setting, press the AUTO but-
ton.
Defroster and floor vents
Floor vents
Floor and panel vents
93_U S _M 07.book Page 111 W ednesday, April 12, 2006 9:30 AM
ProCarManuals.com

112 Instruments and controls
Start in cold weather:
To start with, the system will automatically select the defroster set-
ting, maximum heat and low fan speed.
As the engine warms up, air will also be distributed through the floor
vents and the fan speed will be increased.
As the temperature inside the car nears the selected value, both the
fan speed and the heat will be decreased to a level determined by
the system.
Start in warm weather:
The system will automatically distribute air through the panel vents
at high fan speed and will activate the A/C compressor (unless the
AC OFF switch has been pressed).
If the ambient air temperature is over 77°F (25°C), the recirculation
cuts in after 0-15 seconds, if this is required in order to reach the
desired temperature.
As the temperature inside the car nears the selected value, the fan
speed will be decreased to a value determined by the system. Panel
Defroster, panel and floor
93_U S _M 07.book Page 112 W ednesday, April 12, 2006 9:30 AM
ProCarManuals.com

115 Instruments and controls
Explanation of how the ACC system can be
customized under Settings.
Rear Defroster
AUTO:
The rear window and door mirror
heating is controlled automatically.
This is one of the Default Settings.
MANUAL:
The rear window and door mirror
heating is switched on with
the button on ACC panel.
Convertible: The rear window heating
cannot be turned on when the soft top is
folded.Heated Seats
AU TO:
The front seat heating is controlled
automatically.
Select the level by repeatedly
pressing the appropriate button on
the ACC panel: 2 arrows on symbol
= standard; 3 arrows = high; 1 arrow
= low. The selected heating setting
is saved when the engine is
switched off. Note: The symbol on
the ACC panel goes out if the heat-
ing is turned off automatically by the
system.
MANUAL:
See Electric heating, front seats 3
on page 113
.
This is one of the Default Settings.
Fan Settings
HIGH SPEED:
This selection give a slightly higher
fan speed than MEDIUM SPEED
though with continued automatic
regulation.
MEDIUM SPEED:
Normal automatic fan speed. This is
one of the Default Settings.
LOW SPEED:
This selection give a slightly lower
fan speed than MEDIUM SPEED
though with continued automatic
regulation.
Convertible: Fan speed is not regulated
automatically when the soft top is open.
93_U S _M 07.book Page 115 W ednesday, April 12, 2006 9:30 AM
ProCarManuals.com

151 Starting and driving
OFF positionParts of the electrical system are operative.
Do not leave the remote control in the
OFF position with the engine not running
as this could cause the battery to run flat
in a matter of hours.
Cars with automatic transmission: The
gear lever is not locked. See also page 164.
If the remote control is turned from ON to
OFF before the car is stationary then turning
to LOCK may not be possible. In which case
turn the remote control to the ON position
until the ABS lamp goes out, approx. 2 s.
Following which, turn it back to OFF.
ON positionThe entire electrical system is operative.
Do not leave the remote control in the ON
position when the engine is not running.
Turn the remote control to the OFF position
to disconnect the electrical system.
When you turn the remote control to ON,
some indicator and warning lights will come
on in the main instrument panel. These
should go out after about 3 seconds.
ST - starter positionThe starter motor operates (automatic
transmission: selector lever must be in P or
N) when the remote control is turned to this
position. When released, the remote control
will spring back to the ON position.
The car has an electronic restart lock. If the
engine fails to start, the remote control must
first be turned back to a position between
OFF and LOCK before the starter motor can
be operated again.
93_U S _M 07.book Page 151 W ednesday, April 12, 2006 9:30 AM
ProCarManuals.com

155 Starting and driving
Limp-homeThe engine management system has a
diagnostic feature that checks a number of
internal functions. If a fault is detected in the
throttle valve, the engine management
system will set the throttle system to the
limp-home mode. This means:
idling control will be poor (uneven idling
since regulated by ignition and fuel
supply)
engine performance will be reduced
the cruise control will not function
the capacity of the A/C compressor will be
limited.
If the diagnosis function detects a fault in the
engine management system, the light
"Engine malfunction (CHECK ENGINE)" in
the instrument panel will come on (see
page 83). Have the car checked at a work-
shop as soon as possible. We recommend
that you contact a Saab dealer.
Important considerations with
catalytic convertersThe catalytic converter is an emission con-
trol device incorporated in the car’s exhaust
system. It consists of a metal canister with a
honeycomb insert, the cells of which have
walls coated in a catalytic layer (precious
metal alloy).
To ensure that the catalytic converter con-
tinues to function properly, and also to avoid
damage to the converter and its associated
components, the following points must be
observed:
NOTICEIf "Engine malfunction (CHECK
ENGINE)" warning light starts to flash
(indicating that the engine is misfiring and
the catalytic converter can be damaged),
ease off the accelerator slightly. The light
should go out or start to shine constantly.
If the light continues to flash despite
easing off the accelerator, you may
continue to drive the car but at the mini-
mum throttle permitted by the current traf-
fic situation. Have the car checked as
soon as possible. We recommend that
you contact a Saab dealer.
NOTICEUse only unleaded gasoline. Leaded
gasoline is detrimental to the catalyst and
oxygen sensor and will seriously impair
the function of the catalytic converter.
93_U S _M 07.book Page 155 W ednesday, April 12, 2006 9:30 AM
ProCarManuals.com

163 Starting and driving
Automatic
transmission3The automatic transmission has an elec-
tronic control module. The control module
receives information including accelerator
position and road speed. Using this and
other information, it controls the hydraulic
pressure of the transmission to ensure that
gear changing is as smooth as possible.The remote control can only be removed
when the selector lever is in the P position.The engine can only be started when the
selector lever is in the P or N position.
When the car is stationary, the engine must
be idling when you move the selector lever
from one position to another. If not, the
transmission could be damaged.
WARNING
Depress the brake pedal when shifting
the selector lever from P or N.
The car must be at a standstill before
P, R or N is selected. You have to have
your foot on the brake pedal to move
the lever out of P. If the car is still
moving when a drive position is subse-
quently selected, this could cause a
crash or damage the automatic trans-
mission.
Never park the car with the selector
lever in a drive position, even if the
parking brake is on.
If you want to leave the car with the
engine running, move the selector
lever to P or N and apply the parking
brake.
NOTICEAfter selecting a drive position, pause
briefly to allow the gear to engage (the car
starts to pull a little) before you acceler-
ate.
Selector lever1 Position for manual gear selection
Indication of gear position on main
instrument panel
93_U S _M 07.book Page 163 W ednesday, April 12, 2006 9:30 AM
ProCarManuals.com

168 Starting and driving
Certain variants also have steering wheel controls for manual gear
selection. On these models, it is possible to change gear manually
using the selector lever and the steering wheel controls. The steer-
ing wheel controls are only active when the selector lever is in the M
position.
Select a higher gear by pressing the right-hand button and a lower
gear by pressing the left-hand button. Sentronic, manual gear selection
Move the selector lever to the manual position (M)
(to the left position D) to select gear manually.
Select a higher gear by pressing the selector lever
forward or a lower gear by pulling it back. The
selector lever will return to a position adjacent to
the letter M after each gear change.
An example of when you may wish to make
manual gear changes is when overtaking, to
enable you to remain in a low gear for an extended
period of time.
If the road surface is slippery, you may wish to start
off in 2nd or 3rd to reduce the risk of wheel spin.
When descending steep hills you should select a
low gear to increase the braking effect of the
engine and thus spare the brakes.
Manual gear selections are displayed on the main instrument
panel. The letter M and the current gear are displayed.
When the selector lever is in the M position, as opposed to the D
position, the engine is much more responsive to changes in accel-
erator position. The accelerator has a different feel.
When changing down, the desired gear can be selected but the
transmission will not change down until the engine speed is low
enough to avoid overrevving.Steering wheel controls for manual gear
selection
3
93_U S _M 07.book Page 168 W ednesday, April 12, 2006 9:30 AM
ProCarManuals.com

169 Starting and driving
Cruise control(Cruise control system)
For safety reasons (brake system func-
tion), the brakes must be applied once
when the engine has started, before the
cruise control system can be activated.
The following message is shown on the SID:
The system has the following functions:
1 ON: engaged
2 OFF: disengaged
3 SET/+: sets the speed and increases
the set speed
4 SET/ –: sets the speed and decreases
the set speed
5 RESUME: re-engages the system at the
set speed
The CRUISE indicator light in the main
instrument panel comes on when the switch
is slid to ON. If you switch off the engine
while the cruise control is ON, the system
will be ON the next time the engine is
started.
To set the desired speed1 Slide the switch to ON.
2 Move the thumbwheel up to SET/+ or
SET/– when the car has reached the
desired speed (above 15 mph (25 km/
h)).To increase the preset speedYou can increase the speed in any of
the following ways:
Accelerate to the desired speed. Jog the
control to SET/+ or SET/–.
Jog the control to SET/+ to increase the
speed by 1 mph (1.6 km/h) (when cruise
control already engaged).
Hold the control in the SET/+ position until
the desired speed is reached (when
cruise control already engaged).
WARNING
Do not use the cruise control system in
wet or icy conditions, in dense traffic or on
winding roads.
Tap brakes lightly
before using cruise ctrl.
Cruise control switches
93_U S _M 07.book Page 169 W ednesday, April 12, 2006 9:30 AM
ProCarManuals.com