THE ROAD TEST/Saab 9-3 sports saloon: Steady if stuffy . . . that used to be the Saab way. Now the Swedish maker has discovered fun. Michael McAleer tests a very sporty Saab.
The new Saab 9-3 sports saloon is the sort of car you'd expect Swedish-born England manager Sven-Goran Erikkson to drive to the training ground. It would certainly be in keeping with Saab's change in profile.
Beneath that calm business-like exterior beats a far more racy Swede - very much in keeping with Sven, if the tabloid stories about him and his fellow Swede Ulrika Jonnson are anything to go by.
The ultimate result is a logical approach, yet with a strong appeal to the boy racer. Saab has taken what has long been regarded as a rather aloof marque, renowned for individual design flair, and a reputation for being steady if rather stuffy; then added more racing flair.
The Swedish firm's image has long been in keeping with that of your average dentist.
Think mid-30s male or female with sharp clothes sense and a penchant for art and there may well be a Saab in the driveway.
However, while wanting to retain these loyal customers, Saab has focused on the rest of the market which has long turned to German marques for executive transport.
To be an individual and yet conform is difficult at the best of times. Saab has a long history of retaining its personality with a touch of innovation . . . the marque that pushed for front-wheel drive when others dismissed it out of hand . . . the firm that opted for turbos, bringing them into the general motoring trade.
The 9-3 is the first step in an overall campaign to refocus Saab. It marks the first phase of Saab's redevelopment under the wing of General Motors. It's vitally important to get it right. So, post-takeover by GM and leading plans for an overhaul of the range, the new 9-3 is vitally important to the firm. So how does it stack up?
There is no mistaking this car from the front, even if its wider nose does seem more like the larger 9-5 than its predecessor. However, from the rear it is significantly different from the older version, arguably at a price. The older version had a level of originality lost in the new model.
The new 9-3 follows the true Saab tradition of being solid and reliable, or at least has the appearance of being so. It's anecdotal, but the solid clunk of the car doors of upmarket German executive saloons is a reassuring symbol of quality. The Saab now falls into that category.
Whatever about the feel of the doors, the new coupe lines should be the model to bring in younger buyers, thanks to its performance credentials; it looks the business from the front, with its aggressively deep front bumper and uniquely Saab grille. This is accepting the lack of originality to the rear.
We have now driven both engine variants, a short road test on the 150bhp 1.8t (yes, it's a 2-litre engine despite the misleading numeral identity) at the Irish launch and now a full week driving the 2.0t 175bhp unit.
Without being over enthusiastic, the later was fun to drive, and difficult to leave back.
The 2.0t is more than powerful enough for Irish roads and motorways and was one of the cars that left us itching to get back and take it for just one more spin. Of course, they would introduce penalty points the week we get to drive the new car!
THE engines sounded superb without being obtrusive and the automatic transmission was particularly responsive, though we spent most of the week in the manual sequential mode as it offered signifcantly more power.
When changing from one to the other there was a noticeable difference in performance.
The steering, though light, is sharp, precise and direct, the handling is balanced and poised.
It's easy to exploit all the power and torque on offer without the fear of it biting back. The central structure is reckoned to be more than twice as stiff as the previous model and Saab claims the new car is the product of the biggest chassis development programme Saab has ever tackled.
Also worthy of praise was the cruise control features that really did offer finger-tip control.
Inside and the 9-3 compares favourably to the BMW 3-Series, and Audi A4 saloons. However, the roof does come down into the eyeline more than other cars we have driven in its class.
Saab has always been strong on ergonomics and the new 9-3's cabin is clearly laid out with a better-organised driving position than in the outgoing model. If there is one criticism it is the operation of the information panel via a turning knob in the central console.
We would have preferred if controls for this was on the steering wheel instead.
We had the opportunity to study the previous model during our test and there is a notceable improvement in the layout and finish of the cabin and controls. However, the defining features remain. The ignition key is still mounted on the centre console and a modern version of the Black Panel instrument cluster remains.
And it retains its Night Panel display, which improves night vision by allowing the driver to reduce the distracting light coming from the instruments. Simply press a button to black out everything except the speedometer.
There is also the information screen located near the windscreen and towards the front, within easy eyeline of the driver. It does carry some rather trivial information but does save you looking down to check the radio.
The model we drove had the Arc 'comfort' trim with 16-inch wheels, some a touch of wood in the cabin and leather seats. Of the three model variants - linear, Arc and the sporty Vector - the Arc targets comfort and the Vector sport.
Safety has always been to the forefront at Saab, and the 9-3 offers an uprated safety cage and crumple zones, latest-generation head restraints and airbag systems, including roof-mounted airbags.
As far as space is concerned the Saab golfer (it is undoubtedly part of the profile) will have no problem getting a set of clubs in the 425 litres of boot space can be accentuated by the 60/40 split rear seating and then there's the 13 stowage areas throughout the car.
Ending the traditional hatchback body style for a conventional sedan layout may have cost the Saab some of its originality. But it has made up for it in the performance, quality build and specification.
This is a real challenger to the traditionally German stomping ground of the small to medium executive saloon segment.
As for the future, perhaps the next step will be to bring the two-door 9-3X coupe concept (featured in our quiz on page 2) to reality.