Saab 9-3X road tests and consumer car reviews

Saab 9-3X 2010

What’s becoming increasingly and demonstrably clear is that the margin of the specialist and exotic cars superiority over the cars that most people drive is far less marked than it was some years ago. The ability gap has shrunk and will continue to shrink until that vast chasm is just a hairline crack. Twenty years ago a fragile Lotus Esprit would do 145mph, carry two people and a toothbrush each and only run on a billiard table. Today you can have a roomy estate car that will take five, plus the contents of their potting sheds, do more than 140 mph and traverse medium-difficult, off-road terrain, thanks to all wheel drive: and in super comfort too in a particularly safe environment - thanks to Saab having based their safety work on findings from ’real life’ crashes which they investigate in depth. It is, therefore, no wonder that it gets a maximum five stars for safety. This is Saab’s 9-3X - a trendy Sport Wagon for those who occasionally might want to do mild off-road forays down a forest track, perhaps. But reassuringly, here is a relatively affordable car at £25,995, with a brilliant combination of performance, handling and ultimate road holding that provides all-year round mobility for those of us likely to encounter snow and ice each winter, combined with the kind of handling characteristics so desirable in a quick machine, when the sun is out and the voices in your head urge you on to wickedness. They do say, that in The Republic of Freedonia, a fellow could pilot his 9-3X at 140mph - but thankfully, in the safe haven that is Coalition Britain, any such seditious thinking is gradually being expunged from our brains by the Ministry of Nastiness and Total Control. (You know it makes sense). And so it was that with a spring in my step and a false identity in my wallet I set off to put the 9-3X through its paces: secret Shropshire roads beckoned. If ever there was any doubt that one could aspire to heights of motoring pleasure without going to extremes of elaborate specification, that doubt was dismissed by the Saab 9-3X. There is a feeling of reassuring solidity as you close the door. Inside you find lots of space, a driving position that is outstandingly comfortable (and highly adjustable electrically) and seats (heated and cooled) that support in all the right places to make long journeys a pleasure. Rear seaters reassured me that all was tickety boo for them too and that they were comfortable for the duration. As for ergonomics - all is clearly planned with well laid out switchgear and instrumentation. But then what else would you expect from a company that made fighter jets and was entrusted with the defence of the Swedish realm.(Now, of course, Saab has been sold by General Motors and is under full ownership of Dutch sportscar brand Spyker - with big changes probably afoot). So, after a trencherman’s lunch in Ludlow I roused the 4 cylinder 2.0 litre 210bhp turbo engine back into life and realised that here was an invigorating and interesting unit from the masters of turbocharging. This excellent engine is smooth and torquey with no turbo lag so that you can cover ground quickly, safely and rewardingly without overusing the six gears. The Saab felt rapid between bends as we pressed on and yet the slightly increased ride height over the two wheel drive 9-3 meant that there was a little more body roll than expected - but it was never unsettling. When pushed along country roads it copes with everything it encounters with equanimity. That excellent ride quality though, always ensures that a happy trip is had by all. Despite hard driving on twisty A roads, a fast crossing of The Long Mynd and some experimentation with the cars off road capability on a friends farm in Wales, fuel consumption was surprisingly good at near 35mpg overall. This particular Saab surely serves you with a judicious blend of dignity and aplomb to suit any discerning motorist, to say nothing of serving a competent spell, wherever necessary, as a high speed cruiser or an occasional venturer off-road.