The front seats in my tester were upholstered in soft leather. They simply spoiled me with their near-perfect balance of cushion and support. I found plenty of room to stretch my long limbs and never felt short-changed when it came to space allotments.
Fortunately, I wasn't forced to endure the rear seat. Legroom in the rear wasn't up to par for a vehicle of this size. Placing an adult-sized passenger behind me would have required me to pull my seat forward if I were to exercise a modicum of mercy. Offsetting the brevity of rear seat real estate is a commodious trunk, easily accessed through a large portal.
The mechanics
My upscale tester was equipped with Saab's most powerful production automobile engine ever, a 280 horsepower turbocharged 2.8-litre DOHC V6. Maximum horsepower arrives at 5,000 rpm however a full helping of 295 pound-feet of torque is yours at only 1,900 rpm.
The engine's healthy output flows through either a 6-speed manual gearbox or a 6-speed autobox. In the case of my tester, the cogs were swapped automatically unless Saab's Sentronic electronic manual-mode was in operation in which case, small steering-wheel-mounted paddles enabled hands-on gear changes.
As mentioned off-the-top all four wheels teamed-up to propel my 9-3 XWD with acrity. The sophisticated XWD system is capable of dispensing power front-to-back and side-to-side depending on traction needs, and it does so by anticipating slippage rather than waiting for it.
Putting it all together
Reaching down and twisting the key brings Saab's "bad boy V6" to life. The powerplant is not large in size but what it lacks in volume it makes up for in bravado. This peppy mill is smooth running and refined in its operation.
Dipping into the throttle brings a lusty but initially measured response. Once the engine eclipses a couple of thousand rpm, it finds its legs and sprints quite athletically without encountering the spikes in power often associated with turbo'd powerplants. Acceleration is brisk and passing power is abundant.
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| My tester was equipped with a 280 horsepower turbocharged 2.8-litre DOHC V6 engine. |
Fortunately, I wasn't forced to endure the rear seat. Legroom in the rear wasn't up to par for a vehicle of this size. Placing an adult-sized passenger behind me would have required me to pull my seat forward if I were to exercise a modicum of mercy. Offsetting the brevity of rear seat real estate is a commodious trunk, easily accessed through a large portal.
The mechanics
My upscale tester was equipped with Saab's most powerful production automobile engine ever, a 280 horsepower turbocharged 2.8-litre DOHC V6. Maximum horsepower arrives at 5,000 rpm however a full helping of 295 pound-feet of torque is yours at only 1,900 rpm.
The engine's healthy output flows through either a 6-speed manual gearbox or a 6-speed autobox. In the case of my tester, the cogs were swapped automatically unless Saab's Sentronic electronic manual-mode was in operation in which case, small steering-wheel-mounted paddles enabled hands-on gear changes.
As mentioned off-the-top all four wheels teamed-up to propel my 9-3 XWD with acrity. The sophisticated XWD system is capable of dispensing power front-to-back and side-to-side depending on traction needs, and it does so by anticipating slippage rather than waiting for it.
Putting it all together
Reaching down and twisting the key brings Saab's "bad boy V6" to life. The powerplant is not large in size but what it lacks in volume it makes up for in bravado. This peppy mill is smooth running and refined in its operation.
Dipping into the throttle brings a lusty but initially measured response. Once the engine eclipses a couple of thousand rpm, it finds its legs and sprints quite athletically without encountering the spikes in power often associated with turbo'd powerplants. Acceleration is brisk and passing power is abundant.
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| The agility of the XWD-equipped 9-3 is sensational. |