2005 Saab 9-7x Preview

And why shouldn't they like it? Well, it's not that most Saab enthusiasts (those who work for the company as well as those loyal to its products) are unhappy to have a sport utility in the family, but more that

Although the adept Sigma platform should have been available, for some reason the new Saab 9-7x SUV will be built on GM's GMT360 platform - AKA TrailBlazer/Envoy/etc. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

they're a little disgruntled with the SUV chosen for the donor architecture (just check an internet bulletin board on the subject and see for yourself). After all, with the exceptionally adept Sigma platform as part of the GM portfolio, the basis for the extremely agile Cadillac SRX, just why it was necessary to opt for the GMT360 body-on-frame setup is difficult to surmise.

Sure a GM spokesman answering questions during the New York auto show launch responded, "You'll be impressed with how well we made it handle the curves," to one journalist's query about how a body-on-frame design could corner with the competence expected of something wearing the Saab nameplate, but I remain skeptical. After all, the Chevy SSR "sport-truck" that uses the same GM underpinnings

Can GM's body-on-frame chassis architecture really provide the cornering competence that consumers expect from the Saab brand? (Photo: General Motors of Canada)

doesn't exactly feel athletic, mostly due to its 2,159 kilo (4,760 pound) curb weight. Neither do any of the other GM clones, an ever increasing number that currently includes the Buick Rainier, Chevrolet TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy, Oldsmobile Bravada (reportedly being discontinued), and Isuzu Ascender (U.S. only). Who knows, maybe Saab's chassis technicians will work miracles and turn the big truck into a slalom star. That will remain a mystery until I've experienced it first hand.

I was impressed, however, with how much the 9-7x looks like a Saab, at least from the front. The familiar triple-vent grille is identical to the brand's car lineup, as are the swooping front fenders and the nicely tapered headlamp clusters. It looked all Saab... that is until taking in the view from the side. There's no way to hide its TrailBlazer/Envoy greenhouse. From the A-pillar back, it's all GMT360. GM didn't even try to mask the stock sideview mirrors, complete with their integrated turn signals.