Vehicle: 2008 Saab 9-3 Aero Sport Sedan Manual with Aero Touring Pkg
Price as tested: CDN$46440

Performance: While the base 9-3 is motivated by Saab’s proven 200hp 2.0L 4-cylinder High Output Turbo engine, its the uplevel 2.8 liter V6 as the highlight of this review. This 2.8 liter V6 is another version of Saab’s High Output Turbo, which is good for 255 ponies and 258 lb/ft of torque. As we have experienced last time in pre-facelifted SportCombi, this powerplant is smooth and willing. It doesn’t have any of those turbo lag or roughness we once associated with Saab turbos of the past. While some might find this kind of smoothness and refinement lack Saab’s character, especially those who missed Classic 900 Turbo SPG’s turbo lag slap when it spools up @ 3 grand, this V6 motor is the one that this niche Swedish carmaker needs to go mainstream. Here lies the rough. Even though this motor has passed the last 2 years with flying colors serving 9-3 chassis, Saab engineers should message more refinement and quietness as many of its peers have gone through or will go through major overhaul in these years.

Handling: Ever since the introduction of the current generation 9-3, it has always been regarded as one of the better handlers in the sports sedan arena. What Saab has made 9-3 even better is the advanced Haldex all-wheel drive called XWD. In order not to mix up or start a lawsuit by other carmakers, this “X” is called Cross in Saab language. Given Haldex’s expertise on developing AWD system for Volvo, Audi and even VW, we never doubt any of its engineering through 9-3’s docile chassis. In daily driving, its the front wheels that received 90% of the power until it detects slippage. When it detects any of the wheels are spinning or lack of traction, it will redirect the power to the offending wheel. It works exceptionally well with Epsilon chassis. It also eliminates any of those infamous torque steer we used to associate with high-performance Saabs. The ESP won’t kicked in until Cross Wheel Drive can’t handle the nasty situation.

Brakes: With 4-wheel discs and standard ABS, 9-3’s braking performance has always leave smile on our face. The stopping distance is short and pedal feel is excellent.

Interior: Unfortunately, the biggest let down remains the interior. Ever since Saab redesigned 9-3’s interior last year, ditching its infotainment center and push-button auto climate control in flavour of GM’s corporate switchgears. It completely lost the Swedish feel even with center mounted ignition and superb leather seats. That’s despite everything else is ergonomically correct. The interior feels low-rent and very American GM-ish. There are plenty of hard plastic and shiny surface. While those rock-solid panels and gaps are not as nasty as Renault-era Nissan/Infiniti, those are just completely unforgivable given Saab’s usual high standards.

Conclusion: While I am not a huge fan of facelifted 9-3’s more radical front facial styling and cheap interior, its a much improved sports sedan mainly due to its excellent Cross Wheel Drive system. Its not only addressed all the dynamic deficits of all the previous high-performance Saabs, it also gives buyers more choices when it comes to AWD.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2008 Saab 9-3 Aero XWD
=====================================
Performance: 4/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 4/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 4/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 3/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 3/5
Value-for-money: 3/5

Overall rating: 3.75/5