The article was originally produced on February 18, 2008, some facts and prices may have changed since then.

Saab 9-3 Turbo X

I have never been that fond of Saab, I must admit. Much because of their front wheel drive and turbo. This has always meant a horribly sluggish behavior in the front end at full throttle. For example, I've driven the 9-5 Aero Performance by Hirsch and I thought it was absolutely disgusting when you pulled it on. It feels a little like Saab has a much too sensitive steering servo and in combination with a strong turbo and, as in Hirschen's case, a little over 300 horsepower, the result is terrible. So when I get the Turbo X delivered to me, it's not with great enthusiasm that I look at the car when it's parked outside my gate. At a quick look at the exterior, it's only when you round the rear corner and see the massive exhausts that you realize something is different about this Saab. The rims are also really nice. Could be an inch bigger though. The car's color, which is black, cannot be discussed too much because Saab has chosen to only release the Turbo X in black. However, you can get it as a sedan or as our test, for example in a station wagon. Other major choices you can also choose are manual or automatic transmission. We chose manual, and I might regret that a little in retrospect. Automatic transmission is always more comfortable in city traffic and the car does not invite such playful driving that a manual transmission would feel necessary. The big difference from other Saabs, which is now an option you can get on the 9-3, is AWD, four-wheel drive. And this is exactly what made me extra curious about the Turbo X. The four-wheel drive comes from Haldex and is the fourth generation. what is interesting about this generation is that it distributes the power not only over the front and rear but also laterally, which gives a very good grip on the road

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Once inside the cabin, you recognize most of the things from the regular 9-3. However, there are imitation carbon fiber panels throughout, which gives a sporty feel. Leather work on the chairs and the feel of the material in general is perfectly fine. The ignition key is located at the bottom of the center console as usual on Saabvis. There are two other things in the cabin that, in my opinion, the Saab is completely superior to. The first is the cup holder. It must have cost a fortune to develop. The other one that I really don't understand why more car brands don't have is the Nightpanel button that turns off everything but the speedometer. Very comfortable when driving in the dark.  

However, the overall impression changes drastically when you turn the key and the car starts, it is with a sharp, really pleasant tone that the engine starts. Such a nice sound that I have to get out of the car and back to the nice exhausts to listen. Honestly, I have to say that this is among the best I've heard in a long time. Especially when the car is cold and the idle is a little higher than usual. It's that really sharp cold hard sound and if I were to close my eyes I would never have been able to guess that this stunning sound came from a Saab, rather the last generation BMW M3. Good job, Saab! The display in front of me now says Ready for take-off!

As I said, the car was delivered to my door and it happened quite early according to my morning habits. So the idea is just to park the car and then go back up to the apartment to continue my morning routine. This was completely impossible to complete after such a lovely ear file in the form of engine noise so a quick morning trip became a must. Once out on the trail, I was once again very pleasantly surprised, the behavior I previously experienced with Saab models was actually completely gone now, no sloppy front end that wanted to go criss-crossing the road at full throttle. Instead, a good move with a decent turbo kick at a fairly early stage. After a while of highway driving, I continued onto some small roads with tight curves. Here too, the 9-3 Turbo X coped just fine even in corners despite a lot of weight, it understeers a little but no problems whatsoever. The trip home then went at a calm and comfortable pace on the road and it is not difficult to understand why many civil servants choose Saab.

During the week I had the 9-3 Turbo X, the average consumption was as low as 1.3 liters per mile and that is quite a lot for a Saab but then it is a reasonably strong engine and the car invites quite playful driving so it is not so weird. If you choose to rein in your driving with an egg under your foot, there should probably be no problem to fuel this car under one liter per mile. Incorporating four-wheel drive as an option in some of theirs was one of the best things Saab could have done now, I think. This will surely mean that they manage to grab some market share from Volvo and maybe a few from Audi as well. However, the Turbo X will only be sold in 1,500 copies, of which 175 will be sold in Sweden. But nowadays the four-cylinder engine and the Aeron are also available with AWD.