Saab 9-3 Aero V6 SportCombi XWD 2007 Review

Saab had, for decades, been a stubborn defender of front-wheel drive. As other brands embraced the advantages of all-wheel-drive technology, the Swedish brand held out. The company's engineers would point out that all-wheel-drive added significant weight and cost to a car, and little to its dynamic repertoire. Sure, it helped get a car moving on slippery snow or ice, the sensible Scandinavians argued, but it did nothing for braking and little for cornering grip.

Which makes Saab's very late arrival to the all-wheel-drive party surprising. But it has chosen a sound basis for the XWD system, the centrepiece of its update of the 9-3 range. Using the latest generation of Haldex hardware to deliver drive to the rear wheels, the system selected by Saab is smarter than the earlier on-demand AWD designs. These needed wheelspin from the primary driving wheels to signal the need for engagement of the other pair. Now, smarter electronic controls allow the diversion of torque to the rear wheels before wheelspin has been detected, and this makes a big difference.

The result, sampled in a development 9-3 Aero SportCombi XWD at Saab's Stora Holm proving ground in south-west Sweden, is impressive. The engagement of rear-drive, and the activity of the rearaxle's optional, electronic limited-slip differential are damn-near undetectable. This is a polished piece of integration engineering, and the car has a degree of balance and adjustability that's always eluded high-powered Saabs in the past.

As if to celebrate this new-found ability, Saab has upped the power output of the Australian-made, 2.8-litre turbo V6 that powers the XWD SportCombi and sedan models. Facelifted Aero front-drive models are restricted to 188kW, but the Aero XWD easily handles 206kW. This increase is achieved simply by upping turbo boost pressure from 0.5 bar to 0.8 bar. The XWD models are different in other ways, too. A completely new rear subframe and rear suspension design was required to accommodate the Haldex unit between the rear wheels. But the weight penalty of the XWD system, according to Saab engineers, is around 80kg, which isn't outrageous.

The facelift's other worthwhile tech improvement is an additional diesel. The new 1.9-litre four-cylinder TTiD is the same engine as the existing TiD, but with a two-stage turbocharging system. Sequentially-mounted little and large turbos are designed to work in harmony throughout the engine's operating range. Driven on public roads north of Sweden's second-biggest city, Gothenberg, the new engine seemed to deliver above-average flexibility and responsiveness. Saab also claims outstanding fuel economy.

Sadly, both Aero XWD and TTiD versions of the 9-3 won't be available from the facelifted line-up's November launch in Australia. Instead, they will arrive in the first few months of 2008. While Saab will charge more for both the XWD and TTiD models, GM Premium Brands Australia boss, Parveen Batish, believes price rises for the remainder of the range will be negligible.

Facelifted 9-3 models will be easy for Saab-spotters to identify. All bodystyles - convertible as well as sedan and SportCombi wagon - have the same front-end makeover. Inspired by the nose of the Aero X concept car, the design echoes the show car's attractive update of Saab's trademark three-port grille, flanked by headlamps with permanently illuminated 'eyebrow' strips, and topped by a clamshell bonnet. Other changes to the exterior appearance include new front and rear bumpers, but the bodies beneath are essentially unaltered.

This means the basic architecture of the 9-3 dates back to '02. And the facelift means the 'new' 9-3 will soldier on for at least another three years - eight years on the same basic platform.

FUTURE SAABS
Now that the 9-3's been tweaked, it will be another three years or so before we see an all-new Saab based on fresh architecture. In that time, GM's Swedish brand plans to launch two important models.

First will come a replacement for the ancient 9-5. Likely to be revealed in 2008, the line-up will feature the same XWD all-wheel-drive system as the updated 9-3. According to Saab boss Jan Åke Jonsson, the XWD was originally planned for introduction in the new 9-5, but was pulled forward.

More interesting is the new model that will follow, probably in '09. Jonsson describes this addition to Saab's line-up as a "crossover". It won't be an SUV, he promises, and will possess car-like driving characteristics.

BIOPOWER IS ON ITS WAY, READY OR NOT
Although alarm bells are starting to sound regarding ethanol, Saab still aims to introduce two BioPower models in Australia before the end of the year. Versions of the 9-5 and facelifted 9-3 designed to run on E85 (a blend of ethanol with 15 percent petrol) will be announced in the third quarter of 2007.

Sweden has policies to encourage the use of ethanol. The national government has mandated the installation of E85 pumps - there are almost 1,000 so far, with the number set to reach 2300 by '09 - and has lower taxes and fees for cars that use renewable fuels. In addition, local governments across Sweden have committed to buying only 'environmental' vehicles - including BioPower Saabs - and these will also escape the congestion charge soon to be introduced in the nation's capital, Stockholm.

Ethanol currently supplies an estimated three percent of Sweden's transport energy needs, and its share is growing. With its BioPower models, the 2.3-litre turbo 9-5 and new 2.0-litre turbo 9-3, Saab claims a 30 percent share of Sweden's 'environmental' car class sales.

Meanwhile, there's increasing unease about the wisdom of using ethanol made from sugar and starch crops. There are questions about the global warming benefit, as making one litre of ethanol requires the burning of substantial amounts of fossil fuels. More recently, Sir Nicholas Stern (author of last year's landmark report, The Stern Review of the Economics of Climate Change) has said he doesn't accept agriculture can meet demand for both food and fuel. "I don't believe that sugar and corn could possibly carry the weight of transport," he told the UK's Financial Times in June. And in Australia, a government research paper has reportedly warned that meeting the Howard government's modest biofuel production target might create more demand for wheat than the country's farmers can supply in tough years.

Saab's global BioPower marketing manager, Annika Priou, acknowledges that ethanol may presently deliver little or no greenhouse emission benefits. But she says the company will have cars ready to burn so-called 'second-generation ethanol', produced from crop waste and non-food sources. And she admits that Saab is already working on development of BioPower-electric hybrid powertrains, which will greatly improve fuel efficiency.

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