2008 Saab Turbo X

BRIAN EARLY FOR THE TORONTO STAR

Only 100 of the Saab Turbo Xs are coming to Canada. You just can’t go wrong with a little black $55,000 sedan.

Brian Early

SPECIAL TO THE STAR

Niagara-on-the-Lake–Maybe we have Saab to blame for that '80s fascination with tacking the word "turbo" onto every product name to make it somehow more desirable – "Turbo Ginsu Knives" and such.

It was one of the first automakers to install a turbocharger on a car intended for everyday use, after all, effectively bringing boost into the mainstream.

That car was the 1978 Saab 99 Turbo, which was replaced a year later by the similarly styled 900 Turbo, the car that nearly anyone over 30 pictures when they think of Saabs.

I'll bet that you can conjure up one of those oddly shaped two-door hatchbacks if you close your eyes right now. It's black with silver three spoke wheels, isn't it?

To commemorate 30 years of turbocharged Saabs, the Swedish company is introducing a special, limited-edition version of its 9-3 sedan and SportCombi wagon, just 100 of which are headed to Canada.

Called the "Turbo X," it comes in just one colour – Jet Black, which is appropriate, given Saab's aircraft manufacturing origins. It was apparently chosen because Saab's engineering and design teams pictured that same black Saab hatchback when they remembered the first Turbo Saabs.

Other Turbo X-specific features (which starts at $54,995) include titanium exterior accents, unique front and rear fascias, a sport-tuned exhaust with rhomboid-shaped tips and six-spoke titanium-coloured 18-inch wheels intended to recall those three-spoke alloys.

Even the boost gauge is a replica of the one used in the original 900 Turbo.

A few matte-aluminum trim pieces brighten up the otherwise sombre black interior (cool-looking black carbon-fibre pieces adorn the doors and dashboard, but do little to liven the mood). Summer-only Pirelli tires, a 10 mm lower, model-specific suspension, and enlarged brakes improve this Saab's handling capabilities.

The Turbo X is more than just an exercise in nostalgia-tweaking packaging though; it is intended to highlight Saab's first real venture into all-wheel drive, with a Haldex-designed system dubbed "XWD" – the "X" being pronounced "cross."

Pull your hands away from the keyboard; the short-lived Subaru Impreza-based 9-2X and the Chevy Trailblazer-in-disguise 9-7X don't really count, as both were/are stop-gap rebadge efforts at best.

The "cross" reference is due to this system's ability to transfer up to 40 per cent of the available torque from side to side on the rear axle by means of an electronic clutch pack, a function that Saab calls "eLSD."

Total rear drive torque is controlled by a second clutch pack in the rear drive module, and unlike previous Haldex systems that required some degree of front-wheel slip prior to actuation (albeit a very small amount on the latest versions), XWD can function proactively, sending power rearward during hard acceleration.

While the rearward split might be as low as 5 per cent under cruising conditions, up to 100 per cent of the available torque can be directed to the rear wheels as needed.

These two XWD functions together can reduce the need for the stability control system to intervene via braking or engine power reduction, thereby enhancing both performance and feel. This isn't simply a poor-weather traction improver.

Interestingly, Saab is the first automaker to offer this fourth-generation Haldex system.

As the 9-3 is based on parent company General Motors' global Epsilon architecture – a front-wheel drive platform – its rear suspension had to be completely re-engineered to accommodate the new drive system. As such, it's reasonable to expect to see some form of all-wheel drive in other Epsilon cars in the future, such as the next Saturn Aura.

XWD is not exclusive to the Turbo X; it's a $2,340 option on 9-3 Aero sedans and SportCombis.

The added traction allows Saab to crank up the Aero's 2.8-litre turbocharged V6 from 255 to 280 horsepower, with a similar bump in torque – to a robust 295 lb.-ft.

Although all XWD-equipped models use the more powerful engine, Saab has removed the first and second gear torque-limiting function on the Turbo X, making it about four-tenths of a second quicker to 100 km/h than an equivalent XWD Aero model. Saab expects manual shift Turbo X sedans to reach the speed limit in just 5.7 seconds, with the SportCombi a mere two-tenths behind.

Both body styles are also available with a six-speed automatic, though why you'd want it, when the six-speed manual is as pleasant to use as it is, is beyond me. The auto adds 1.5 seconds to the 100 km/h sprint.

A brief test session lapping an autocross course set up on the super-abrasive surface of the runway at Niagara Regional Airport wasn't sufficient to fully evaluate XWD's effectiveness, though its operation was seamless but noticeable. I look forward to giving it a better shakedown in the real world, where I expect its advantages to become much more obvious.

Offering this system should benefit Saab greatly in terms of credibility, particularly with a consumer group that tends to favour cars that send at least some of their power to the rear wheels.

Hopefully XWD will be noticeable to buyers, as it seems that all-wheel drive is the current must-have option in the luxury compact segment that the 9-3 competes in; the brand's endearing quirkiness is simply not enough in today's market.

Travel was provided to freelance auto reviewer Brian Early by the automaker. bandb.early@sympatico.ca

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