Its buyer demographics read like a dream – achievers, aged 35-45, and well-educated. But, unfortunately for Saab, these types opt mostly for one of the German big-three (BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi).
Now more integrated into the General Motors family than ever before, Saab will become one of this auto giant’s most important premium brands… if it survives. The new 9-3 Sport Sedan is just the start, to be followed by a convertible (launched at Geneva), 9-3 wagon, a smaller Subaru-based 9-2 sports hatch and a 9-8 SUV. All good and well, but the 9-3 is, for now, the most important car in the manufacturer’s line-up and needs to sell well, right now.
Judging by the rubbernecking our black Vector-spec 2,0t received, the 9-3 is certainly off to a good start in the styling stakes. There are glimpses of Audi’s A4 in the flanks, but the look is distinctive and rather aggressive. The most obvious change is the adoption of the four-door saloon body, where the previous model was either a five-door hatch or three-door coupŽ. This move not only allows Saab to compete head-on with the main German opposition, but also means the shell is stronger because there is no rear tailgate opening.
Moving inside now, the 9-3 is typically Saab. The Swedes have added, or retained, some unique touches. The handbrake is neatly integrated into the centre console trim, the ignition switch is still next to the gearlever, an easy-on-the-eye “night panel” function blocks out distracting facia and instrumentation lighting, and those fabulous Saab air vents, thankfully, still feature. A bewildering number of buttons on the curvy facia will have a certain Mr Bangle shouting “iDrive!” at the top of his worried voice, but once familiarised, ergonomics are fine – except for one small glitch. The electric window buttons are exactly where most people would place their hand on the armrests, making it easy to accidentally open a window.
The seats (comfortable and supportive) are excellent, there’s enough space in the front and the back, and the driving position is spot-on. Saab’s traditional talent for designing very friendly interiors has certainly been put to good use.
The overall picture was spoilt, however, by build quality that wasn’t up to expectations. The speaker mounted to the left on top of the facia had popped out, the plastic trim around the handbrake was loose, and there was a rattle in the driver’s door. It remains to be seen whether these maladies were restricted to our test car.
Standard features on the 2,0t Arc (which the car is known as before the Vector sport pack is added) include: dual zone climate control, front-loading CD player, electric windows, headlight level adjustment, mobile phone pre-wiring, leather upholstery, immobiliser and theft security locking, dual front airbags and head/curtain airbags, height and reach-adjustable steering wheel, power steering, front foglamps and ESP.
Our test-unit came with the optional Vector spec that adds R12 500 to the price tag. For the money, you get smart 17-inch alloy wheels, colour coding for the sills and bumpers, metallic centre console trim, leather/textile sport upholstery, sports leather steering wheel and the sport chassis. Non-Vector options fitted to the test vehicle were the optional six-disc CD shuttle (R3 900), electric glass sunroof (R9 000), comfort closing windows (R1 600), electric front seats with driver’s memory (R12 000), auto dimming mirror (R1 450), car computer and cruise control (R3 900), and parking assistance (R5 000). Add the automatic gearbox (R13 500) and as tested, the price jumps to close to R360 000!
Power is provided by an all-aluminium engine based on the Opel L850 series powerplant, but it gets Saab’s own four-valve head, counter-rotating balancer shafts, a dual-mass flywheel, Trionic 8 engine management system and an integrated air-cooler. The same engine is used in all three 9-3 models – 2,0 LPT, 2,0t and 2,0T – but with different boost levels, our 2,0t test unit running a Garrett GT20 turbocharger with maximum boost set at 0,7 bar. Maximum power is 129 kW at 5 500 r/min and 265 N.m of torque is developed at 2 500. The engine proved to be rather more thirsty than we expected – figures similar to the
calculated 12,13 litres/100 km fuel index were constantly achieved.
Power goes to the front wheels via Saab’s new Sentronic five-speed automatic transmission that also features a manual shift option. It’s generally a very smooth gearbox and quickly finds the right gear when you put your right foot down with purpose. Its best feature, however, is that unlike several other automatic gearboxes, in manual mode this one actually will go right up to the red line and stay there until the driver changes gear, whereas most automatic “manual” options will shift at the merest sniff of a red line.
In our sprint tests the best times were recorded with the gearbox left to do its own thing, and whether ESP was activated or not made little difference. We achieved a best 0-100 km/h time of 9,62 seconds and a 218 km/h top speed. The figures don’t match those of the main competition, but the Saab, though not a tar-burner, covers ground swiftly, with a nice spread of power for cut-and-thrust driving.
But it must be said that the 9-3 is more a rapid cruiser than an enthusiastic cornering specialist. The car’s nose generally feels heavy, and understeer arrives earlier than expected. The 9-3 grips well and corners confidently, no doubt aided by the passive rear-wheel steer effect, but the lack of sufficient steering feedback means that, although a well-driven 2,0t is likely to be able to stay with most of its rivals on a challenging road, you’ll probably have more fun piloting something else.
