Saab 9-3X 2.0T Road Test Report

Performance

The 9-3X is available with a 180hp 1.9 TTiD diesel with front-wheel-drive or with a turbocharged petrol engine with 4WD, or in Saab speak, XWD (Cross Wheel Drive). The 4-cyl 2.0T motor makes 210PS at 5,300rpm along with 221lb/ft (300Nm) of torque at 2,500rpm, and it can accelerate to 60mph in 8.2 secs and reach a top speed of 143mph. Although on the road the 2.0T doesn’t feel explosively powerful, there’s always sufficient grunt to deal with gradients or overtaking without frequent stirring of the 6-speed manual transmission. This engine is also quiet and refined, and thankfully that old Saab turbo lag bugbear is now history.

Ride & Handling

Another undesirable Saab Turbo trait was torque steer, but most 9-3s are now generally much improved on that front. With the 2.0T 9-3X being XWD it’s improved even more. The XWD system features an electronic limited slip diff and a Torque Transfer Device that continuously distributes torque between both axles as required. This is doubtless most effective on slippery surfaces, but it has its benefits on dry roads too. For rough-roading the 9-3X chassis sits 35mm higher than the front-wheel-drive 9-3 Sport-Wagon’s, but I’ve no complaints about the X’s body roll or ride quality.

Build Quality & Reliability

Saab enjoys a long-standing reputation for durability and ruggedness, and on the basis of my time with this and other recent Saabs, it’s well deserved. The interior is well appointed and nicely finished and still retains some traditional Saab charm (or quirkiness), such as the ignition key slot being located down by the handbrake. In the 2008 JD Power manufacturer’s league table Saab scored 78% and so came 19th equal out of 28. In the ‘09 JD Power Satisfaction Study the maker improved on its previous year’s results by coming 14th out of 29 with a score of 784 points against an industry average of 781.

Safety & Security

Unlike most crash tests, Saab’s are designed to replicate real collisions, based on findings from thousands of real-life accidents. In the Euro NCAP crash tests, the previous 9-3 Saloon model achieved a maximum five star rating, while in the US the car shone similarly in tests conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. There’s no reason to suspect that the new 9-3X would fare any worse. Standard safety features include active head restraints on the front seats, adaptive dual-stage front airbags, side and curtain airbags and ESP. Remote central locking, an alarm and immobiliser are also all standard.

Space & Practicality

Saabs have also enjoyed a long-standing, well-deserved reputation for seat comfort, and the 9-3X‘s leather/textile sports seats will maintain that reputation. The rear seats are comfy too, and there’s ample headroom along with a generously proportioned centre armrest. The well-shaped rear cargo area has a deep floor and offers a useful rear seats up/down volumes of 419 and 1,287-litres. The rear bench seat split/folds 60/40 while the TwinFloor stowage facility – the middle section of the false floor hinges upward –is designed to keep luggage safe and tidy. Separate storage compartments are located on both sides of the load area.

Ownership & Value

The £25,995 (otr) 9-3X comes well-equipped with heated front seats, rear park assist, dual-zone climate control, cruise control and trip computer, although the satnav, Bluetooth, dual electric seats, rain sensing wipers, tinted glass and more on my test car bumped that up to almost £29,400. Fuel consumption is 34.9mpg combined, with CO2 at 194g/km (tax band J, £215 road tax for 2009/10) and group 15 insurance. Service intervals are at 18,000m with a 3yr/60,000m warranty. If you need a 4x4 but don’t want the green brigade pointing its righteous finger at you, then the XWD 9-3X is definitely worth a look.