I featured David R’s account of Turbo X ownership yesterday.
Today it’s time for another account, this time from Joe G, who purchased a sedan version of the Saab Turbo X.
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Hi Steven,
As promised, my thoughts on Turbo X ownership so far…
I’ve now got 1 week and 800 miles of experience of the Turbo X. We bought it as a replacement for our 2004 9-3 Aero – the 2.0T 210hp version, which had been Hirsch’d to 230hp. It was a great car, and one that I hadn’t planned to change so soon – I just couldn’t resist the draw of the limited edition Turbo X! I ended up going for the saloon with all options apart from the auto gearbox.
The Turbo X is the first V6 Saab I’ve driven, and the engine pretty much lived up to my expectations – that is, heaps of torque from just above idle speeds, and very smooth, progressive build up of power as the revs increase. I’ve decided to follow the Saab manual’s
recommendations and avoid high revs for the first 1,200 miles, but there’s still more than enough power without over revving. Anyone who still thinks 280hp is a problem really ought to test drive this car.
The main feature of the car is clearly the XWD system. This is truly fantastic. We’ve had some pretty heavy rain in the UK the last couple of days, but every manoeuvre in this car has felt totally safe, even at speeds that I wouldn’t have risked in the FWD Aero. Its impossible
for a driver like myself to tell exactly what the system is doing at any given time, but whatever it does works perfectly in every scenario, from lane changing and roundabouts to standing starts in the wet.
The car is also my first hands-on experience of a 2008 (or 2007) 9-3, and I’ve noticed quite a few improvements. I love the all-black interior. The dash materials seem to be higher quality, and I like the 900-style metallic surround – I’ve seen the reflection in the windscreen and it doesn’t really bother me. The sat-nav is a huge improvement over the old system and the Bose stereo is in a different league even to the 13-speaker system in the pre-2007 9-3. The ride quality may not be up to the 9-5s standard, but its a big improvement over my old Aero, all without any compromise to the handling.
The only downsides so far are the fuel economy (Saab/GM are insane if they don’t make a XWD TTiD) and a strange side-effect of XWD is that the car appears a lot higher off the road that the FWD versions – it doesn’t really bother me but if you like lowered suspension you might be disappointed.
In summary, I love it!
Regards,
Joe
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Again, as with David, I’d like to thank Joe for taking the time out from behind the wheel so that he could send his thoughts along.
I know there’ll be some prospective Turbo X owners out there who appreciate the perspective.
Good stuff, Joe. I am hoping to have my Turbo X ownership experience story here in a few weeks, too.
And btw., the XWD cars were raised to accommodate the new setup, as XWD was engineering into the Epsilon platform post factum. In fact, standard Aeros with XWD will be 10 mm higher than the Turbo X.
This will hopefully go back to normal with the new generation cars where the XWD was engineered from the ground up. I love the sleek low profile looks of FWD Saabs.
That’s two compliments in a row for the ride quality of the 9-5. I’m delighted to see a “halo” model like the Turbo X nonetheless, and can vouch for the ride of the 2.3T 9-5, too. Different markets, with common pleasures.
BAM Id happily lease a US TTiD XWD…for testing purposes only, of course. The poor-quality diesel fuel problem can be easily resolved. Dont use it.
i noticed the cars looking a little bit higher but i thought it was because of the angle of the photos, etc. but hell the car still looks awesome.
I noticed in your post that Saab recommends avoiding high revs for the first 1200 miles, which leads to my question, what is the correct way to run in a new engine?
I was told to use a mineral oil for the first 1000 miles while avoiding high revs and the most important thing is to change the oil right after.
Can someone who knows please share as I feel that a properly run in engine will perform better in the long run.
In related news our dealership just YESTERDAY recieved its first 2 Aero XWDs. I’m surprised we actually got them this early (and ahead of the 2 Turbo X models we have coming to us). The taller height is apparent, especially sitting next to a non-cross wheel drive 9-3.
http://www.LehmanSaab.com.
great assessment, joe. (the part about fuel economy is hilarious.) congrats! what a great car.
dan, that’s very interesting news.