2006 Saab 9-7X

By Howard J. Elmer

LA MALBAIE, QUE.- Car companies with multiple brands know the advantages of sharing but still find it hard to share their favourite toy.

That's how it's been with Saab, GM's only premium European brand. Till now, Saab has been playing all alone, but no more. GM wants to grow this brand, and platform sharing is the way to do that.

To accomplish this growth, Saab has some work to do.

First, it has to offer a wider array of models with greater appeal to a larger market and it needs to do it fairly quickly.

This was the message delivered to auto writers assembled here in Quebec to drive an Ohio-built Saab 9-7X SUV.

This SUV fills out a Saab quartet that now includes a sedan, hatchback, convertible and the new SUV. But unlike last year's built-in-Sweden 9-3 convertible, this new SUV shares the GM "360" platform with trucks like the Chevy TrailBlazer and Buick Rainier.

This move was designed to be cost-effective and cut the development time for this SUV while letting it be built in an existing GM plant in Moraine, Ohio.

Finally, by naming it a Saab, GM will use the implied reputation of the new 9-7X to try to steal a chunky bit of business from competitors, such as Volvo and Jeep. At least that's the plan as it was explained to us. What wasn't said but has to be understood is that GM hopes Saab can move from its present position as a liability to a money-making asset.

The truck I drove up the highway from Quebec City was designated a 2006 model, which hasn't been priced yet. But a small number of 2005s were quietly released to dealers just recently to gauge reaction and they are priced at $50,900 for the inline six-cylinder model and $53,400 for the V8 version.

The company says there should be little change in pricing for '06 offerings and we should be seeing those on dealer lots soon.

This mid-size SUV is trading heavily on the Saab look, but underneath is it just a rebadged Chevy? "No," said every company representative I asked here.

According to them, the chassis has been reworked starting with a uniquely tuned double A-arm front suspension, front coil spring and a five-link, electronically controlled rear air suspension.

Engineers also lowered the ride height 2.5 cm, added braces between the cross members and frame, firmed up the springs and shocks, stiffened the steering, added a quicker turning ratio, installed larger brakes, Dunlop tires and fatter anti-roll bars.

All this adds up to a more car-like ride, which is what Saab buyers will expect, says the company.

Having driven it up the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, I can say that the 9-7X does indeed lean toward a car-like ride - until you get it on a dirt road; then the full-framed chunkiness of the truck ride shines through - in a good SUV way.

What does demonstrate the underlying GM engineering is the powertrain. One stab of the throttle clearly announces the presence of a Detroit-inspired V8 engine. The exhaust note is unmistakable and that is one feature that no amount of tinkering is going change.

The Saab 9-7X can be had with the Vortec 5300 5.3 L V8 that makes 300 horsepower and 330 lb.-ft. of torque. The eight is well suited to moving this mid-size chassis weighing a stout 2,169 kg.

To offset this engine's appetite for gas, Saab is offering the GM Displacement on Demand (DOD) technology on each V8-equipped 9-7X.

With DOD, fuel economy gains of up to 8 per cent are possible, says the company, by cutting back the number of cylinders firing while the truck is running at cruising speed.

The whole system is automatic and as the driver, you'll never feel a thing.

When you punch the gas, all eight cylinders will bark - but when necessary, a next-generation engine controller will decide to deactivate cylinders, while maintaining vehicle speed.

In this mode, the engine effectively operates as a four-cylinder, with every other cylinder in the firing order disabled.

When the controller determines that vehicle speed or load requires additional power, the full eight cut back in.

The other engine offered is the award-winning (Ward's top-10 engines) Vortec 4200 4.2 L inline-six that produces 290 horsepower and 277 lb.-ft. of torque.

To my mind, this motor is just as adequate and it offers slightly better mileage without the DOD. The one advantage to the V8 is a steeper torque curve and a tow-rating of 2,946 kg.

Both all-aluminum engines are coupled to an electronically controlled four-speed automatic transmission.

Neither of these engines is particularly loud, but I did note the quiet in the cabin of the truck.

This trait, shared (and expected) by many up-market SUVs, was accomplished by redesigning the primary door seals, adding passenger compartment materials that act as a sound absorber, a front-of-dash sound absorber and more than a dozen sound absorbing insulators in the doors, pillars and panels made of composite and/or fibreglass materials strategically placed around speakers, door handles and structural gaps.

This Saab's face is clean and chiselled; there are no large bumpers or offsets to disturb the classic three-port grille. The beltline and wheel wells of the truck are linear and minimalist in the same way Swedish furniture is: simple and functional.

This look is elegant.

The vertical tail lamps sport clear acrylic lenses and precision-detailed bezels - very European.

I like functional, I like clean. I like this look coming and going.

Inside, though, there are some mixed design messages going on.

While distinctive Saab icons like the air vents with their sliding plate design, the slide-out/flip cupholder and the centre console ignition key are all there, so is the dull grey GM dashboard plastic.

While the new instrument panel, centre stack and controls are all nicely angled toward the driver, the materials' feel and look are a tired reminder of so many other GM interiors.

Frankly, I think this detracts from what Saab is trying to do with the truck.

However, the greatly improved quality and design of the saddle-stitched leather seating suggests that greater efforts are forthcoming in this area.

The standard traction system in the Saab 9-7X is an automatic all-wheel-drive set-up that is beefed up with a standard limited-slip rear differential.

In keeping with Saab's targeted customer for this truck, this system is an on-road traction asset - rather than something you'd purposely take off-road.

While it will handle the run-of-the-mill mud, ice and snow situations with ease, you won't want to go down to the swamp with this rig.

Safety is always highlighted by Saab and this was no exception.

The company's attention to these systems has earned it multiple five-star ratings on its vehicles and it wants the 9-7X to be no different.

So, as standard equipment, it has included dual-stage front air bags, a passenger-sensing system, rollover sensing system, head-curtain side air bags and front seat-belt pretensioners with load limiters.

Stopping this truck is easy with large, four-wheel vented disc brakes with front aluminum dual-piston calipers and four-wheel ABS.

Saab's prescribed test route north of Quebec City offered plenty of diversity and long steep grades, unknown here in Ontario, and I'm sure they would have wished for better weather than the mix of steady rain and fog we got.

But, then, it was also more of a real-life test than a jaunt around L.A. would have been.

In small towns along our route, the Saab turned heads.

At the end of several hundred kilometres, the consensus among my passengers was that if Saab intended to build a comfortable, roomy, quiet and surefooted truck, it has succeeded.

Howard J. Elmer, a freelance journalist (powersports @ sympatico.ca), prepared this report based on travel provided by the automaker.