We read about your impending deliveries with great excitement. We clapped our hands in anticipation. We ooooohed and aaaaahed when they finally arrived.
So a few weeks in to the ownership experience – how’s it all going?
Thoughts in comments or via email would be well and truly appreciated. This is the big daddy Saab delivery of the year, without doubt, so feel free to let us know how it’s all going.
it may take a while for those folks to come back down to earth, as was my experience with the ’08.
(meanwhile, we can be entertained by threats of defection; capricious disapproval of the ’08 styling; praises of un-parented brands against which saab, obviously, has no business competing; and advice that today’s saab should look and drive exactly like it did 20 years ago.)
congrats to the turbo-x owners.
cheers!
Im jealous!
Am I the only one who hates the Turbo X wheels?
I’m looking forward to some long-term reviews, the limited numbers means they’ll be a rareity on the used market, think a lot of us will have to experience the joys of ownership by reading about it – here’s hoping the XWD filters down onto the TTiD… Congrats to everyone that’s snapped one up tho’
is SaabUSA leasing the cars or only offering them a purchase…???
is SaabUSA leasing the cars or only offering them as purchase…???
No reason why they would not lease one to you, Spazzz. Saab Canada is.
I figure it took me 7 years to afford my awesome black 9-5 Aero..whats another 7 (or more) to wait for a Turbo X?
In the meantime I am dying to add a C900 to the stable….and if that would happen my bride-to-be would surely kill me.
Have any deliveries of the Turbo X made it to the Midwest yet? If not, any idea as to when?
MDJ – no, you’re not the only one. I think they are horrific!
Wouldn’t mind having the rest of the car though.
Great Car!!!!
Driving 400 km since 25/4-28/4 (original)
100 km today now with BSR trim.
It´s like a new engine to a perfect car.
“Great Car!!!!
Driving 400 km since 25/4-28/4 (original)
100 km today now with BSR trim.
It´s like a new engine to a perfect car.”
Is that all??!!! You’ve teased us, now tell us more Johan!!
@Johan
Whoohoo for giving the “Turbo X needed 300hp” crowd even more ammo!
I’m looking forward to seeing how the Turbo X does on the stig track. Will it beat the S60R’s times?
Alex, I can’t blame Johan in the slightest. One of the beauties of Saab is their tuneability. If you’ve just shelled out the money for a Turbo X then a few pennies/kronor/cents more releases just that bit more joy.
Yeah, I’m in the “what’s the fun of getting a new car if you can’t have fun voiding the warranty” crowd too
I was planning to send Swade an update tonight on my first week with the Turbo X, but unfortunately my drive home took a little longer than expected and now I’m worn out (as anyone who got near the A3/M25 intersection tonight will understand) – I’ll gather my thoughts and send them on tomorrow.
All I’ll say for now is that XWD worked perfectly through all the rain and once out of the traffic I can’t think of a car I’d have rathered be driving.
BTW, does anyone know anything about a 9-3 Gripen – a 2008 9-3 in black with silver trim – that I spotted this evening?
MDJ & joemama – I think my gravatar makes my position on the T-X wheels clear
Joe, I’m with you on the wheels. Absolutely superb. The fact that a few people really dislike them is a good sign.
I’ll keep my eyes on my inbox over the next few days
“Yeah, I’m in the “what’s the fun of getting a new car if you can’t have fun voiding the warranty” crowd too”
Better a day as a lion than a lifetime as a lamb
My big question on the wheels is whether Saab is selling them in the accessories catalog yet or not. They would be the perfect 18″ replacement for the klingons on my car.
And about the lions vs lamb thing, if I end up getting a BMW x35i product as my next car, the first thing it’s getting is the 400hp Vishnu tune.
About the BSR trim.
Because the car is to new to drive hard yet i haven´t realy tested it to the limit.
But i can say so much that the throttleresponce is much better and the torque feels more.
My wife have a Aero 2,8 -06 with the same trim (also automatic)
and it´s realy great, but my Turbo X doesnt “shake” in the steeringwheel when I “take of” hard.
New for the car (automatic) is that if I dont hit the gas too hard it doesent shift down it uses it´s torque and acc slowley.
That it´s much more comfortable.
The engine sounds great and the Bose system too.
About Midwest, i test drove one in late May at a Cleveland area dealer, horrendous lease terms (no wonder, over there real estate is also a real sucker), so mine is arriving on Thursday at another dealer. He had to trade the automatic (OMG why would people ever want a car like this with a slush box) he had kept on the lot for 3 weeks for a manual. Nice deal $640/mo first down, but a guy on saabnet posts about base config $550 or so. Mine will have a navi because i need to digitally integrate my iPod and Archos players (kids).
Need i tell you THAT I AM DYING OF IMPATIENCE, last night i dreamed that my 3 yo was driving me around with the safety lock on the rear door and i could not get out
Not that it was too far out, she already had the key in the ignition on my S60R. I guess i will have to get an 80hp 5 speed car when she turns 16, after that the RS4 
Hey Bob; I too traded my S60R for a Turbo X. I love the Saab, but can’t help but comparing the acceleration and torque of the S60R to the Turbo X. Is it me, or is the Saab LOTS slower than the stated 5.4sec 0-60 and 295 torque?
Maybe I havent’ pushed it hard enough yet (just got it two days ago), but I am already thinking of a BSR upgrade.
Why does this car feel slow to me?
Phred, I found the Turbo X felt really soft from a standing start, better when rolling. Go the BSR, I’ve felt the before and after on lesser Saabs and the BSR really unleashes the beast.
Thanks turbin. I am thinking of the BSR but want to make sure I don’t have any engine problems needing warranty work after a few thousand miles. Will the BSR reset really put the car back so that there won’t be any issue?
Also, I am curious if anyone has done a BSR tune with the Turbo X and/or if someone knows the 0-60 with BSR.
How can Saab say this is 5.4 sec and 195 torque? I havn’t timed it, but it seems way way off. That said, I do love driving the car.
I think the 5.4s 0-60 refers to the saloon with manual gearbox. If you’ve got an auto it might take a little longer.
I’d say the 5.4s claim for the manual is accurate. It “feels” 1.5s quicker than my last car, a Hirsched 2.0T Aero with a quoted 6.9s 0-60, but I haven’t timed either of them.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the car records changes to the ECU somewhere such that Saab or the dealer can tell if its been run with an alternative tune, so you might still have warranty problems even if you restore it to factory settings before you take it in – wouldn’t risk it myself.
Joe; I do have manual gearbox saloon. We are both going by feel, I guess, but I had a Volvo S60R (still int the driveway actually) that is 5.3 seconds and 295 torque, almost identical numbers, and the Saab doesn’t feel close. I haven’t ridden the Turbo X to the redline yet, just breaking it in, and maybe I will eventually get pushed back into the seat like the R
OK, here is a mini review.
I got my car 10 days ago and i am now at almost 1000 miles, as i had to drive around the state. It had 200 miles on it as it had to be driven for the trade. It is a Sedan Navi 6 speed. Looks gorgeous and love the relatively narrow wheelbase which is so SAAB. Very aggressive looking, esp. from the rear, as it stands a bit elevated. No gas cap lock, but XM module takes it’s place. Got me a Stant locking cap. Peels off like there is no tomorrow, kicks your head back, then just goes. My fault was that i was used to the Volvo S60R’s longer clutch so i was hesitant to drop it fast. The clutch is quite short and you just drop it, the car is so powerful it will not die, as long as you are at 2000 rpm. My mistake was to grind the clutch thinking it was already engaged while accelerating. No more, now i got the hang of it and it is a blast. The cop in our two stoplight town was having his donut and looking at me downthrottle (brrrvvmmm) downshifting (oh so sweet noise to my ears it does it like the Lamborghinis in the movies) to stop, then we looked at each other, then PING! i am off to 35 mph in 1 sec, he just jumped into his car and followed me all the way to work 5 miles down the road at 30mph. We talked and he had a good laugh, he thought i was going to gun it for 80 in town:) Well, now he now knows my new car and aversion of lawyers
On the twisties going up on a 20 deg gradient it sings in 3rd gear with the Haldex doing its magic on gravel, love how it howls for more. Windows down a must.
On the highway i stopped dropping in 5th to pass, all it takes is a gentle “milking” of the trubo with the needle in the orange zone (just like the 2001 9-3 i had) and voila i am flying slowly releasing the gas while this things “buuuugs” whistling past people.
So far i had about 10 people stop me and talk to me about the car, but keep in mind i live in the deep country, i may have the only SAAB in town
People turn heads to watch (men more than women) the source of that sweet throaty growl that this thing puts out betw 1500-2500 rpm in town.
Need i say i am in love again. Not much time to play though, infant seat in the middle and two child seats on the back row, i already removed juice, crackers, and ice cream from the car
My 5 yo looked at the car one evening when i pulled in and commented on the car, “Oh daddy your car looks like a monster”, then pointed to the LED eyebrows over the active cornering halogens that really wiggle as i turn the steering wheel.
K&N filter 33-2337 arrived today, UltimatePedals ($120 alternative to Hirsch’s $400 aluminum extravaganza)on the way, to BSR or not to BSR, i pray RICA does a PPC based tune just like i had in my S60R.
Get it while you can!
Maybe my problem is being scared of the clutch too. I will drop it hard on the way home and see. Let me know if you go BSR. I would love to hear if it is worth it…
Awesome stuff, Bob!
I agree about the clutch. I was being too careful with mine until yesterday, when I got to drive an exact replica of my Turbo X on the track, courtesy of Saab Canada. I then realized I was slightly grinding the clutch thinking I’ve already dropped it. That now adds quite a bit to first gear performance, although I am still in my break in period and avoid revving too much.
Still learning here. The clutch advice helps and I think is part of a bigger issue. In the S60R, to get the maximum boost from the turbo, you had to put the peddle almost to the floor, but not quite. In the Turbo X, I find you have to really stomp on the accelerator from start to fininsh and get the RPMs around 2500 to get the max thrust. I am still wary to push too hard as I am under 500 mile break in period, but last nights drive was much better.
I’ve had my Turbo X in the US for about 2 weeks now (the shipping from Germany to Newport NJ toke some time). The sheer presents of the Turbo X around town, I remind myself of why I love this car. I should have the BSR in the week. http://www.partsforsaabs.com. I’m looking forward take Turbo X out to BeaveRun this Friday. Will keep you posted.
Can’t wait to hear, Adam. Are you worried about your warranty?
Dear Phred,
For your information, after tuned by BSR, it will be found by Tech 2 with date code FFFF.
I’ve had my Turbo X for 2.5 weeks. What a blast to drive. Just saw the notes on the clutch, and I will have to adjust how I have been driving as well. The only downside so far is the Check Engine Light came on and now it is going into the shop on Fri.
I haven’t really gotten on it yet, but even just cruising around, the turbo boost is a hoot without having to give it too much gas.
I have gotten several comments about the car and how cool it looks. Looking forward to spending more time behind the wheel and getting to know more about it.
Thanks Alan. BSR says you can restore the factory settings; will that restore the date? I will probably wait, probably for 36,000 miles….I expect that a BSR tune will void the warranty
While my experience with the TurboX has been brief (only a couple of hours), I did spend some time on test drives and generally agree with the other posters here that the car does not feel as fast as it is on paper. I’m hoping that the engine will loosen up a bit after the break-in. I also suspect that the AWD has something to do with throttle dullness.
Anyone have a tow hitch on their Turbo X SportCombi and where did you get it? I was told by a dealer today that you can’t install one because of the new chassis enhancements. Please tell me this isn’t so…as I really wanted to install a tow hitch utilized bike hitch.
Sorry, but you can’t.
Well, you can but not under warranty.
About the clutch, it’s much better to just dump it then it is to slowly release it during acceleration. The latter will surely ruin it in no time at all and it also smells terribly.
Would be interesting to hear from owners of BSR tuned manual cars. No issues while driving hard?
I have had mine for about two weeks. I have yet to really test it with hard driving, but the 6 speed is smooth and easy. I will say that I am very impressed with the car. I have had many fast cars in my life, including Audis, other Saabs, and a BMW, but this car is easily the best I have ever owned. I am going to have it for a long while. 645 miles so far!
So; does anyone have the BSR tune yet????