"SAAB," is an acronym for "Svenska Aeroplan AktieBolaget," which is Swedish for "Swedish Aircraft Company”. Established in 1937 – with roots hearkening back to 1911 with the merger of Swedish automobile company Scania and railroad car and automobile maker Vabis – Saab has endured several mergers and re-organizations, and in the 1940s, the company produced the Svenska B-17 dive bomber. In 1947, Saab Automobile began producing automobiles and gained a solid reputation for putting out technologically advanced, high-performance vehicles with a Euro-design flair.
In early 1998, Saab unveiled its 9-3 design in the United States, using the 9-Series (9-3 and 9-5) to replace its 900 and 9000 lines. The 2008 9-3 is still, arguably, a second-generation 9-3, though this year’s edition offers a new exterior architecture borrowed from the Aero X Concept. Underneath, the 9-3 shares much of its platform with sister GM cars, the Saturn Aura and Chevy Malibu.
Borrowing from Aero X design cues, the Saab 9-3 has an aggressive, athletic look, with a U-shaped clamshell hood, a large front grille accompanied by smaller side grilles, new front fenders, new headlamps and taillamps, new front and rear bumpers, matte-finish chrome fog lamps and new door handles.
Exterior dimensions include a length of 182.5 inches, width of 69 inches and height of 56.4 inches on a 105.3-inch wheelbase. Maximum ground clearance is 5.9 inches and weight distribution is 53 percent up front and 47 percent in the rear.
Under the hood is a purring power plant that sounds more powerful than it proved to be during my test rides.
The 2.0-liter inline-4 turbo engine in my review vehicle was mated to a 6-speed manual transmission (a 5-speed automatic is optional) that putters out 210 hp and 221 lbs.-ft. of torque. Estimated at 19mpg in town and 29mpg on the highway on premium unleaded gasoline, I found those estimates to be a bit charitable as my seven-day test got me an average of about 23.3mpg in and around Pennsylvania and Maryland – driving lots of highway miles.
With a curb weight of 3230 lbs, the manufacturer says the 9-3 should zoom from zero to 60mpg in 6.7 seconds with the 2.8-liter, 255hp V-6 engine option, but my 210-hp inline-4 wasn’t nearly that fast. My several runs down the track, in a vehicle tuned as you would drive it right off the lot, and in various atmospheric and climatic scenarios, never broke 8 seconds, while my quickest quarter-mile jaunt was accomplished in 16.3. Acceleration is hesitant, but the turbo does afford you proper passing pick-up on the highway.
The riding experience showed that the 9-3 was more sport-tuned than comfort-tuned, as with the stiff four-link independent rear suspension, you feel every bump and nuance in the road. However, the 9-3 handled road contours and nuances with confident grip.
The cabin confines are well-appointed and competitive within the 9-3’s price range, but there was a high degree of road noise, and the wind and engine murmurings are loud inside as well.
Inside, the 9-3 is a refined, upscale environment, with such standard amenities as a multi-function car computer, leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls, adjustable steering wheel, 8-way power driver’s seat, leather-appointed seating, wood-effect trim,150-watt AM/FM/CD stereo system, XM Satellite radio, cruise control with resume function, dual-zone automatic climate control with cabin air filter, rear window defogger, power windows with front express-down, power and heated outside mirrors, rain-sensing wipers, wide-angle passenger-side mirror, power door locks, center arm rest with 12-volt outlet, a follow-me-home headlight function and day-time running lights with an auto shut off.
The cabin is roomy and comfortable with seating for five and 42.3 inches of front leg room (35.1 inches in row two), 38.9 inches of headroom in row one (37 inches behind) and 56.3 inches of front shoulder room with 55.1 inches behind.
Safety is a Saab hallmark, and the 9-3 is appointed with such standard safety items as driver and front passenger air bags, driver and front passenger torso side air bags, front and rear passenger side curtain air bags, active head restraints in the front, front and rear crumple zones, safety cage with energy management system, anti-lock brake system, mechanical brake assist, cornering brake control, LATCH for children, seat belt pretensioners, anti-theft alarm with remote and On-Star.
The vehicle base price is $27,640 and my test 9-3 finished with a bottom line of $32,380, after a few premium options were added. The basic 9-3 was upgraded with the Premium Package ($1695) consisting of xenon cornering lamps, 8-way power passenger seat, rear park assist, front fog lamps and a memory driver seat. The Moonroof Package ($1200) added a power slide/tilt moonroof, remote open for windows and moonroof and express-up front windows. The Cold Weather Package ($550) included heated front seats and high-pressure headlamp washers and the Titan Gray Metallic exterior paint added another $550 to the final sticker, while destination charges dinged us an additional $745.
From aircraft to automobiles, Saab and its predecessors have provided a technologically savvy European look at transportation for nearly 100 years. The 9-3 is a very viable sedan choice in the same mind-set.
Visit www.CarlisleEvents.com for more on the automotive hobby.
Mike Blake, former editor of KIT CAR magazine, joined Carlisle Events as senior automotive journalist in 2004. He's been a car guy since the 1960s and has been writing professionally for about 30 years.
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