2008 Saab 9-3 XWD: misses on details

PETER BLEAKNEY FOR THE TORONTO STAR

The 2008 Saab 9-3 Aero XWD sedan has striking styling, but the interior needs work.

Peter Bleakney

SPECIAL TO THE STAR

A wealthy friend of mine recently found herself in an automotive conundrum. She came to me, the resident "expert," for help.

Her BMW 530xi was coming off lease, and although she loved the way the car drove, she hated the iDrive interface. So adios, Bimmer. She needed a premium sedan with six-cylinder power and preferably AWD.

I steered her toward the obvious suspects: Mercedes-Benz E- and C-class, various Audis (I was pushing really hard for the sexy A5), Cadillac CTS, Lexus, Infiniti and so on. She tried them all, and then seemed poised to return to BMW with a 328i xDrive sans iDrive. Fine choice, I thought. My job is done.

Then I get an email: "Pete. My son dragged me into a Saab dealership. I drove the 9-3 Aero. It's fast, has fabulous seats, drives great and looks good. I bought one right there."

Well knock me over with a feather. The Saab never even came up on my radar. So I booked a 9-3 Aero XWD sedan, with a base price of $47,830, to see what all the fuss was about.

The face-lifted 2008 9-3 certainly grabs the eye with a bold three-piece grille and a pair of lower air intakes that look all business. The works is trimmed in broad swaths of faux brushed aluminum. Out back, a set of trendy clear tail lights complete the picture. In laser red with handsome five-spoke 17-inch alloys, this tester garnered plenty of appreciative stares.

The 9-3 got an interior overhaul in 2007, and while nobody at Audi will lose any sleep, it is a handsome and ergonomically sound effort that, with its sweeping cockpit style and ignition between the seats, telegraphs a healthy dose of Saab-ness. The only real giveaway that GM owns this Swedish outfit is the optional (and very good) $1,995 touch-screen DVD-based navigation with voice control – a system that is found in many GM vehicles.

My friend was right about the seats ($1,850 sport seats with premium leather surfaces), which, like Volvo chairs, strike a magical balance between super-comfy and supportive. Must be a Swedish thing.

Rear-seat legroom is just okay. Six-foot-plus passengers will be rubbing their knees on the seat backs.

The rotary HVAC controls are large and logical, and the major gauges are also big, with clear markings. I liked the clever joysticks on the vents for directing airflow. Cubby count is high and the glove box is commodious. But there are a few problems here that need attention.

In the premium Euro-sedan arena, tactile sensation is a big deal. Sit in any Audi, VW or BMW and you'll know what I mean. Saab has missed some details here, giving us hard plastic and seamed door pulls, flimsy signal and wiper stalks that feel like they'll snap off in your hands, and a big multi-function steering wheel that, while looking cool, is overly contoured and has a low-rent plastic inner rim. Plus the thumb toggles for shifting the six-speed Sentronic transmission are awkwardly placed.

Luckily, said wheel is connected to a very good rack that steers an alert and balanced chassis. Aero models get the sport suspension with 10 mm lowered ride height and firmer underpinnings.

The best compliment you could give this Saab is that it doesn't feel like a front driver with tacked-on AWD. Torque steer and understeer have gone AWOL.

Unlike many afterthought AWD applications, this fourth-generation Haldex rig does not rely on wheelspin to send power aft. An electrically driven hydraulic pump controls the centre clutch-pack coupling, and can pre-emptively assign torque to the rear wheels even when the car is stationary. The system also incorporates an electronically controlled rear differential, that, similar to Mitsubishi's S-AWC and Acura SH-AWD, can apportion torque from side to side, helping to "push" the car around corners.

It all works, giving the Saab a fluid and neutral attitude. Steering feel is spot on and the car eats up quick transitions with barely a hint of body roll. On a gravel road, with the ESP (stability control) turned off, this Swede will power-slide till the reindeer come home.

But there is a downside. The sport suspension is stiff-legged and gets crashy over the rough stuff, sending unrefined jolts through the cabin. Sort that out and BMW might raise an eyebrow.

The GM-sourced 280 hp 2.8 L twin-scroll turbo V6 serves up a hearty 295 lb.-ft. from 2,150 to 4,500 rpm and a nice snarl. While not scintillating in a BMW sort of way (again, those bloody Bimmers), it's a strong and smooth engine.

The six-speed auto, however, is slow to kick down and tends to "hunt" through the gears at certain speeds. A dash-mounted button calls up sport mode, which holds on to gears longer and forces somewhat jerky downshifts under braking. There's not much fun to be found shifting the gears manually with the thumb toggles, as the response is tardy. The manual six-speed might be the way to go here.

All things considered, my solvent friend's choice in Euro sport sedans gets the nod of approval. But darned if this car doesn't have me scratching my head. Dynamically, the 9-3 Aero XWD is truly impressive. It has a fine engine and great seats too, but loses me on some cheap interior bits, so-so six-speed and a sport suspension that needs to go to finishing school.

Freelance writer Peter Bleakney can be reached at pebleakney@sympatico.ca

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