Saab Turbo X - Wulf’s test run
RE-POSTED - for the benefit of those who haven’t seen it yet.
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The Saab Turbo X was present in southern Michigan today and Trollhattan Saab was there to drive it. Our man on the scene was Wulf, curator of the Saab Media website and recent purchaser of a very schmick 2005 Saab 9-5 Aero SportWagon
Take it away, Wulf!
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When you get an offer to attend a Saab event and there are hints of driving a unique and fast car, there isn’t a whole lot to think about in terms of whether or not to attend. Thanks to TS, I had the opportunity to attend one of the first testing events of the Turbo X in the USA. It was at Gingerman Raceway in Western Michigan and it was a day to remember for a long time. There were several other cars at the track (Subaru STI, Audi A4 3.2 Quattro, BMW 335Xi and M3) which were put through their paces by Pratt and Miller, who also run the Corvette Le Mans racing team.
One of the last snowstorms of the season blew through Michigan on Saturday but we were treated with a clear blue sky and a reasonably comfortable temperature this Monday. I was met by Jan-Willem Vester of Saab USA at the track after a quiet drive downstate on this Monday morning. The Turbo X was sitting next to a race trailer waiting to show someone a good time. Like many of you, I have seen many pictures of the car at glitzy auto shows before, but it is a different experience when you meet the car in person. And especially at a race track where there are no beautiful women draped across the hood, the car is not immaculately clean and the wheels are coated in a nice layer of brake dust. This day is not about show - it’s all about business.
I need quite a few hot caffeinated beverages to get me going in the morning and coffee and donuts were readily available. But right after the first sip, Jan Willem introduced me to Jan Magnussen. The Turbo X was ready to go so I jumped in the passenger seat next to him. Let me tell you, a few laps on the track in the Turbo X sitting next to this guy wakes you up faster than 20 MochaJocaLattis (or whatever fancy drinks they serve at Starbucks). If you have been on a racetrack before then you’ll be familiar with screaming tires, a howling engine and the smell of rubber in the car. This was one of those experiences.
It would have been nice if someone had told me before the ride that Jan is a professional race driver (originally from Denmark) and he was assisting Saab in evaluating the Turbo X today. I felt a bit helpless and questioned his experience in making the next turn while I was grabbing the door handle and hold on for dear life. The laps were over with pretty quickly and I noticed my heart rate was quite a bit faster compared to when I first got into the car. This is much better than coffee!
It turned out I was in really safe and experienced hands because Jan Magnussen has had an impressive racing career already. He has won Le Mans several times and more about him can be found at his website www.janmagnussen.com. Jan-Willem told me Jan was very impressed with the performance of the Turbo X and it was faster than the rwd BMW M3.
The 1985 SPG Turbo from the Heritage Collection was onsite as well. Greg Mull from CAS explained everything about the restoration that was started in October of last year and finished before the auto show in Boston. They really did an amazing job and it almost looked like a new car. I haven’t driven any of the older Saabs before (I am quite a Saab noobie) and it was a real treat to have my first drive in this Saab 900. I was actually quite terrified driving it through the parking lot because I didn’t want to mess anything up. There is a saying “You break it, you buy it” and I probably would have to give up my house to cover the cost of this Saab. Greg took over the wheel after a while and put the SPG through its paces. Very impressive performance for a 23 year old car.
Previous reports indicated this was the first production Turbo X in the USA but it was a pre-production model also used at the press event in Marseille (Hmmmmm - SW). There were still a few glitches in the electrical system of this pre-production model, which occasionally caused a cut in engine power. The real production cars are still somewhere in between Europe and the USA but should arrive stateside soon.
There was an opportunity for me to take the Turbo X for a few laps in between the professional tests. John Libbos was kind (and perhaps crazy) enough to sit in the passenger seat when I took the car out to play. While I have driven on a racetrack before and was taught a few techniques from professional drivers, I am certainly not a pro at this.
The first thing I noticed about driving the Turbo X was that it is a car that is very easy to drive fast. Almost too easy to get in trouble fast. Taking it through the turns went very smooth and you have to look at the speedometer to see how fast you’re really going. Of course the saying “You break it, you buy it” was still in the back of my head so I took it easy with the Turbo X and didn’t make the Pirelli Zero Nero’s scream too much.
I used to have a 2006 9-3 Aero SC and was always very impressed with its performance. This Turbo X is another step up, though, and can easily get you in a lot of trouble if you don’t pay attention. The few laps were over much too soon but it was an incredible experience being able to drive this car.
Another few testers were not so lucky today. One of the journalists did something to the car it didn’t really like, which resulted in a failed clutch. But considering the previous duty of this car at the Marseille event and at Gingerman Raceway today, this was probably bound to happen sooner or later. This was bad news for the program because this Turbo X was supposed to go to the Milford Proving Grounds for additional tests over the next few days.
The day ended with a few laps in my own car. It’s fun to drive someone else’s car on a racetrack but it is even more fun to drive your own. I was actually curious to find out how the heavier and FWD 9-5 would compare to the smaller and lighter XWD 9-3.
The 2005 9-5 Aero was very stable and fast through the turns. It was actually much too stable, until I realized I forgot to turn the ESP (Electronic Stability Program) off. This system really works very well because I was not able to spin the wheels, break out the rear or do other irresponsible maneuvers. Hitting the ESP switch on the dash awoke the beast within and let me do things you should only be doing on a closed track. Front wheel drive, more weight and less power is no match for the Turbo X, of course. It was fun though to see what the car actually could do when driven hard. I really should take up auto crossing with the SCCA again some day.
There were many dedicated employees from Saab USA at the track this Monday who made it a great success. John Libbos – Product Manager for the 9-3 and 9-5, Roger McCormack – Marketing Director, Jim Hunter – Group Product Manager and of course Jan-Willem Vester – Manager Public Relations. I also had a nice chat with Jim Laman of the Great Lakes Saab Club and I am sure I will participate in some of their events in the near future. I want to thank Swade for this fantastic opportunity to hang around this great car and friendly people all day and feel very fortunate to experience the Turbo X.
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You’re welcome, Wulf!! Excellent coverage and pictures, there. Great stuff.
I’ll keep saying it - this Turbo X is going to be one heck of a great car.
More pictures below!
PS. - There’s another writeup over at Saab History.
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I wonder how the Turbo X drove compared to Audi Quattro and BMW 335xi. I presume they did not put these cars there just for fun, but reviewers were able to spin those aswell.
So… how did it compare to the other cars there to benchmark against?
Yeah. I want to hear some lap times. Also, much envy. I’m as green as a ’70s Saab right now.
Wulf, great write up, well done. I’m glad you had a great and fun day.
The other cars, as I understand it, were there for the purposes of Saab doing some comparative times between the cars rather than for all who attended to drive. Those tests were possibly started today, but from Wulf wrote, were due to continue in the next few days.
I’m sure Saab will make the results available in the fullness of time.
Jan Magnussen has done 25 races in Formula 1 so he is not a bad driver to get a ride with at al…
Karaca wrote
“I wonder how the Turbo X drove compared to Audi Quattro and BMW 335xi.”
An answer to that would be what is written in the article by Wulf…
“Jan-Willem told me Jan was very impressed with the performance of the Turbo X and it was faster than the rwd BMW M3.”
So there you go.. If the Turbo X is faster than the M3 then the other cars attending would not be able to catch the Turbo X either..
Wonderful stuff Wulf!
Love the picture with the Turbo X and your Aero
I seriously doubt the Turbo X will flat out outperform the M3, in some situations maybe, because of the XWD and eLSD.
Having said that, I really can’t wait for the Turbo X to be available.
Swade explained it already, this was not a full-scale press event. It was mostly for Saab’s testing purposes only and I am sure they will publish the results soon. Besides Jim Laman, the only other group of people there were from Jalopnik.
There are actually 630 Turbo X’s on their way to the USA, a small bump up from the original number of 600. 625 for customers and 5 for their press fleet and own testing purposes. I have a feeling one of them will make its way into the heritage collection.
It was difficult to get some good pictures of all the black cars on this sunny day, especially without professional equipment. The bright sun and the tendency of the stealthy black Turbo X to soak up all the light makes it look a bit washed out.
Wonderful write-up, Wulf! And great pictures!
Btw., the extra 30 Turbo X’s unfortunately are reallocated vehicles from Canada’s original allotment (down to just 100 now).
Very cool pictures and write-up.
I wonder if I will eventually ’see’ one of those other five cars - sometimes after they are done being thrashed by journalists they get used for training.
what a great car.
thanks for the enjoyable writeup.
Did anybody knows if the special wheels for the Saab Turbo-x 19″ inch can ordered while i ám told that we can order these only directly by ordering the car and not after that.
Nice review and good to see the interior shot. I may have missed a picture elsewhere but that’s the first time I’ve seen one of the front seats in the Turbo X. Any chance do you know if this was a car with the premium leather or the regular leather we’re supposed to get in the US?
Faster than the M3? As much as I prefer Saabs to Bought My Wife’s (for various personal reasons), I really tend to believe that 414bhp plays 280bhp any day of the week.
Of course that’s why the M3 starts at nearly 60,000 dollars. Of course if you’re in Canada, so does the Turbo X. Urk.
Anyway, I wanted to mention that I really like the new picture format you’ve adopted! It’s very smooth (the expanding etc.) and makes navigating the site easier/smoother.
And that SPG is just dang gorgeous.
I forgot to mention the track was sprayed with water a few times to test traction on a wet road surface. This was where the xwd had definite advantages over the rwd M3. I think it is safe to assume the M3 was quite faster on the dry track.
What about the STI?
@ James, the M3 comparison sounds silly, until you realize that the price difference between a Turbo X and an M3 is less than the difference between a Turbo X and a 2.0T. I like the Turbo X but I can’t help but think that the 335xi and STI will eat it’s lunch in the dry, much less the M3.
With 20-40 more hp or 200-300 fewer pounds it would be a different story, it’s just a shame that the car couldn’t come out like that.
So…..for those of you who flat out dismiss Magnussen’s comment regarding the Turbo-x vs the BMW:Which of the two are you accusing of lying?The one you deny made the statement or the one who supposedly fabricated the reported comment?
I don’t think anyone is lying here. At the track, it is sometimes difficult to get all the facts straight in such a short time. Below is more information released by Mr. Vester from Saab USA. That should clear up most of the comparison questions about the M3 vs Turbo X performance.
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Celebrating 30 years of Saab turbocharging leadership, the all-black 2008 Turbo X presents itself as the most technologically advanced and fastest car in Saab’s history. But how fast exactly? That’s what Saab Automobile USA wanted to find out with a series of tests, pitting the Turbo X V6 Turbo against some of its most prominent competitors - ranging from the Audi A4 3.2 Quattro, Subaru WRX STi and BMW 335 Xi to the mighty M3 V8.
Pratt & Miller, the racing organization behind Corvette’s domination in the American Le Mans series, oversaw the first event Turbo X test event taking place on Monday, April 14 at Gingerman raceway in Southwest Michigan (http://www.gingermanraceway.comt). Behind the steering wheel: small-yet-feisty (25 Formula 1 starts, triple Le Mans 24 hours wins in Corvette) Jan Magnussen, fresh in from Scandinavia (http://www.janmagnussen.com/jan_magnussen_cv.asp).
While the Turbo X consistently performed mid-pack during the dry back-to-back sessions in the morning, the pattern changed significantly after lunch when the entire track had been covered with a layer of water. Saab put its innovative cross-wheel drive system to good use, with the Turbo X rising above both the A4 Quattro and the WRX STi and nearing the best M3 lap time in the wet by one tenth of a second.
After a long, hard day on the track, Magnussen was all smiles. “This was almost more fun than Le Mans”, he said. “I got to drive the best of the best midsize performance sedans on this beautiful track, and tonight I can just have a nice dinner and sleep in a decent bed”. And the Turbo X? Magnussen: “I was positively surprised, mostly by the excellent chassis and the very transparent and well-integrated cross-wheel drive. This is not a high-strung athlete, but a very well rounded performer, good for many miles of fun under all kinds of weather circumstances”. Solid praise, indeed.
Track results:
WRX STI: 1:38:60
BMW M3: 1:38.65
BMW 335xi: 1:42:58
SAAB Turbo X: 1:42.91
Audi A4: 1:45.27
http://jalopnik.com/380099/2008-saab-turbo-x-hits-the-track-goes-head+to+head-with-the-subaru-wrx-sti-bmw-m3-bmw-3+series-and-audi-a4
Write up is on Jalopnik + short Movie.
Summary of test:
Dry Saab 4th of 5 (couple of tenths behind the 335i
Wet Saab 2nd of 5 (scubbie wins)
Not bad considering power & weight handicaps
@Loki, you forgot the best part of jalopnik’s write-up: Ray Wert’s explanation of how he fried the Turbo X’s clutch doing heel-and-toes..
Yup — it’s a story not to be mised.
http://jalopnik.com/380099/2008-saab-turbo-x-hits-the-track-goes-head+to+head-with-the-subaru-wrx-sti-bmw-m3-bmw-3+series-and-audi-a4
Fantastic writing Wulf! Very exciting
Swade, this Jalopnik article needs a blog entry of it’s own.
Bottom line, on the dry track it is pretty much lineball with the BMW 335xi AWD, in the wet it is faster. That is impressive.
It IS impressive, now sell it for $37-38k and people will be able to look past it’s interior and lack of badge appeal.
I’ll take an 09 Aero XWD in red or silver