Saints Row is no longer a competitor to GTA. They went too far out with their gameplay/story. Saints Row 4 looks to eliminate the need to drive car completely considering your player can speed run and scale buildings.
Lol they haven't even tried to be competition, for the real world genre, since the 1st game. They're comfy in the fantasy open world blue print. There's a ton of things they execute better than GTA though, don't get that part twisted and vice-versa. I think both games have their place, and almost supplement each other. GTA for ultra-realism, and SR for a more fantastical culture, while still maintaining that same sandbox type of platform.
I felt like the first SR, they were attempting to do what GTA does. Both games went in different directions after that, though. GTA went super realistic with IV, and SR went the other way.
Saints Row seemed like it was trying to be serious, but the people who made the game were so out of touch with the kind of story they were trying for. A lot of it was overly stereotypical and basic, and not in the tongue in cheek way GTA does it.
Pretty good game, though.