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our test drives or view them all

Saab 9-3X 2.0T

IF General Motors had had its way, you wouldn’t be reading this road test.

The US car giant had all but killed off Saab and was hellbent on winding the famous Swedish marque up late last year, as it struggled with global losses across many GM brands.

But an outcry from Saab enthusiasts around the world and massive investment by Dutch supercar builder Spyker has secured Saab’s future and wrestled it away from GM which, in 20 years of ownership, did little to advance the Saab range.

That’s why my SportWagon road test vehicle is now in its sixth year – well past its first flush of youth and beginning to show its age.

But the 208bhp 2.0T old Vauxhall Vectra-based Saab 9-3X SportWagon featured here is still a very good compact estate with grippy Haldex 4 all-wheel-drive.

The Saab XWD (cross-wheel-drive) system was introduced to the 9-3 SportWagon in 2008 and turned an already good estate car into a promising, and cheaper, rival to Audi’s A4 quattro Avant.

It’s a clever system that thinks for itself, transfers power when and where required, and manages to do that seamlessly.

It’s so good that it has just been fitted to the new Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer 4x4 that goes on sale in the UK in September.

Before the car arrived for my Highland assessment, I’d already driven the 9-3X on the privately-owned Paul Ricard Circuit in southern France – an interesting exercise designed to show that while the XWD system is good for snow, ice and mud, it can also handle high speed and deliver tenacious four-wheel-drive drive grip under extreme situations.

It’s for that reason, and with the memory of last winter’s severe snow and ice conditions, that the 9-3X SportWagon makes such a lot of practical sense.

It may be getting on in design terms, but this perky turbocharged two-litre petrol with a snappy six-speed manual transmission really is a great all-rounder.

The first point I noticed that was it was riding on “sensible shoes” – Saab GB (recently bought from GM by Spyker) had wisely fitted the striking 17-inch alloys with 225/50-section Michelin Premacy tyres.

That meant that this extremely quick turbocharged estate, which has the same power delivery as the latest Golf GTI, not only went well but also did so with exceptional comfort.

The most impressive parts of the 9-3X SportWagon experience were its low road noise, remarkably compliant ride, and a level of support and comfort from its optional £500 leather faced and heated sports seats that marks Saab out as a great car for those who suffer from back problems.

While most car seats are pretty good in the comfort stakes these days, Saab – along with Mercedes – still produces some of the best seats in the business.

On test I covered 350 miles in one stint through the Highlands and stepped out of the car with none of the aches or stiffness I have experienced from some premium marques.

That’s down to that compliant but firm ride and those outstanding front seats.

From a driver’s standpoint, the 9-3X is not the sharp experience of more modern machinery.

There’s a feeling of solid technology under your backside, with a steering feedback that can feel lifeless and a little ponderous.

But it doesn’t detract from the car – it simply adds to the Saab’s character with a unique feel that its close cousin, the old Vectra, could never match.

On a long haul the 9-3X is a satisfying rather than dynamic experience. To me, a former owner of more than a dozen Saabs from 96 to 900 Turbo, the feedback from behind the wheel was familiar and comforting. It felt like driving an old friend.

Part of my time with the car ran into midsummer night and gave me a chance to experience the 9-3X’s excellent and powerful main beam lights over narrow west coast roads.

It also allowed me to sample Saab’s quirky “Night Panel” feature which switches everything off in the instrument binnacle apart from the large speedo, leaving the driver to concentrate on his velocity.

It’s different, but I don’t consider it all that sensible. I like to scan my instruments and want to see my fuel contents, revs and temperatures at a glance – not have to hit a button to restore the panel to full function.

And while I’m in miserable mode, why did GM allow Saab to persist with the irritating chrome effect trim that surrounds the instrument cluster?

It causes an annoying reflection in the windscreen in daylight, and at night that runs diagonally across the driver’s line of sight. It’s really irritating.

There is an answer – carefully paint the trim matt black and the reflection disappears.

But from a company such as Saab, which is proud of its aviation past, you should not have to do so – it’s a surprising failure of sensible design from a car maker which otherwise produces fine dashes, especially when you consider that its foldaway dashboard drinks holder is one of the finest designs on the planet!

As an estate the cargo capacity is good for the car’s 4.69-metres length. The boot, that has a clever and easy to use space divider to stop stuff sliding around, swallows 419 litres.

Drop the rear split seats and that rises to an impressive 1,273 litres with a perfectly flat floor from the rear bumper right through to the back of the front seats. Now that’s cargo practicality!

The great point about Saab’s ageing 9-3X is that it does nothing badly.

Its powerful 2.0T gives it sporting performance, and 300 Newton metres of torque comes in from 2500rpm and helps it to pull away effortlessly.

Take a look at the rest to 62mph time of 8.2 seconds and you’ll see it’s no sluggard, despite weighing in at nearly 1.8 tonnes.

Through the gears it’s fast – especially once you slip the boost gauge into the red zone. Overtaking presents no worries thanks to its rapid throttle response, slick gear change and XWD traction.

Saab deso things differently from others – and that’s good. It sticks to the odd concept of an ignition switch mounted between the front seats, but at least it’s now an electronic key that will not suffer from the jams and stickiness I used to experience with conventional keys when the key slot choked with dust and crumbs!

The 9-3X SportWagon is a fine car. It may be getting on in design terms, but I suspect Mr Spyker will be talking to the designers at Trollhattan about that as we speak.

New Saabs are on the way and promise traditional Saab values and design uniqueness. That’s good.

For now the 9-3 will continue and it’s none the worse for that. It may not have a great CO2 profile compared to some, but it is pretty economical – given my overall 36mpg – and in this guise it’s exceptionally well appointed and extremely safe.

And if you are persistent, there’s every chance you’ll receive a really good deal on a new 9-3X SportWagon or find a superb price on a fairly new one. You won’t be disappointed either way.

Rating: 7/10

FINAL THOUGHT: There is no-one more delighted at the saving of Saab than me – but the badge needs new models to support its rebirth. The 9-3X is a fine car, but shows its age. It represents top value for an able four-wheel-drive compact estate and is one of the most comfortable in its class thanks to superb seating. But its age and Vauxhall Vectra origins work against it.

Saab 9-3X 2.0T

• Price: £26,595
• Capacity: 1998cc
• Power: 208bhp
• 0-62mph: 8.2 seconds
• Maximum speed: 143mph
• Economy: Combined 34.9mpg; Urban 24.8mpg
• CO2 emissions: 194g/km
• ESP: Standard
• Insurance: Group 15 (New 1-50 Rating)