Vancouver International Auto Show: Saab
For far too long, Saab's 9-3 and 9-5 ranges have been interesting vehicles, if somewhat limited by always routing power through the front wheels; but, here at the Vancouver International Auto Show, the 2008 9-3 Turbo X is both pulling and pushing that first statement apart. Yes, the Turbo X drives all four wheels, but don't call it an AWD. In an effort to highlight their all-wheel-drive system's advancement over the average system, Saab is calling it XWD - not unlike Acura's SH-AWD. And, just like SH-AWD, XWD splits power between left and right rear wheels for better power delivery and less understeer. To do this, XWD utilizes an electronic rear limited-slip differential.