saab 9-3 SportWagon Road Test Reports and Car Reviews

Saab 9-3 SportWagon 2007

Just as GM seems to be in two minds what to do with Saab, so I’m in two minds about their latest 9-3, the 2.0T XWD. On the plus side, I find the styling still refreshingly different, well crafted, and a cut above the rest even as competitors have moved on. I feel the same about the general aesthetic of the interior too, with its elegant solidity so evocative of Scandinavia. And, for me, the 9-3 remains a thoroughly decent drive, enhanced in this version with an AWD system that seems so well matched to the ethos of all that Scandinavian cars are about. But. It is old and expensive. The benefits that GM brought, with access to technology and money came with even bigger drawbacks. And the main drawback is the convoluted management and indecision that means that Saab were only able to release this car several years after they could have and should have. It may be decent, but the next generation, superior (at least mechanically speaking. The less said of the styling etc the better) Insignia is already available for less money. Trying to sell older equipment at a higher price really is not in keeping with the Scandinavian ethos. That said, if you want a car this size with an AWD system that works reasonably well, that is decent in all other respects, and has style to boot, then the Saab 2.0T XWD is really still the only way to go. It is unlikely to change the minds of those who have never really considered a Saab, but if you are a Saab fan, there are legs in the brand and in this 9-3 yet.