You might have missed it in comments the other day, or the quick reference in the US sales data entry, but XWD Saabs have begun arriving in the US. And it’s not the Turbo X that’s come first.
Dan from Lehman Saab (the music “off” button is to the left) dropped a note in comments a few days ago to mention that his dealership had just received two Aero XWD Saab 9-3′s. Yep, Aeros before the Turbo X.
Now there’s pictures as well, over at Saab Central.
Turbo X deliveries should start pretty soon. I know site sponsor Saab of Hunterdon has at least one customer itching to get his Black Turbo but I’ve not heard if XWD Aeros have arrived there, yet. Dan from Lehman Saab mentions that both their Turbo X’s are sold, so the interest in XWD is definitely there.
I’m sure Saab dealers are going to be fielding a lot of calls about XWD in the next few months, and more than a few test drives. Who isn’t at least curious about how it drives?
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Thanks Mo!
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I am with Brewer’s Saab Inc. in Maugansville Maryland. Our first two XWD 9.3′s are scheduled to arrive tomorrow. Both are sold, one in a Turbo X sedan with a 6 speed manual and the other is a 9.3 Aero Combi in Pepper green with sentronic automatic. Both customers are anxious to take delivery which should happen early next week.
Why do car makers put lousy tires on great cars?? One of the pictures on Saab Central shows it has the Michelin Pilot HX MXM4 which are an all-season Grand Touring tire. These seem even worse than the Pirelli P6.. Great on a Buick and maybe even a 2.0T but on an Aero XWD?
Ugh how can an Aero XWD arrive before the Turbo-X! Argh…I’m itchy.
I arrived home to a bitter-sweet voice mail from my Saab dealer. My Turbo X sedan has arrived, but the dealer hasn’t yet been invoiced for it and thus cannot yet sell it to me.
The dealer did offer to give me “visitation rights.” But I’m hoping that the invoice arrives in Saturday’s mail so that they can sell it to me and I can pick it up in less than 24 hours!
Wulf, my 9-3 Sedan has the Michelin Pilot HX MXM4 tires, and I have been nothing but happy with them. They offer great traction in the wet, and are fairly quiet in the dry.
Kroum, the term “lousy” wasn’t the best choice of words. I just expected more of a performance tire on an Aero XWD. I checked the reviews on tirerack.com and it ranked 14 out of 16 in the Grand Touring category.
Our other XWD is fushion blue…and yes, the increased height is apperent, especially when sitting next to a non-xwd 9-3, but the wheels really do look nice. I CAN’T WAIT to see how the turbo X looks in person.
Yeah, the Michelin Energy tires are a great touring car tire, they would be perfect for an S80 or a Lexus.
However they just aren’t a performance tire, and the Aero XWD deserves proper performance tires. It should be wearing Potenzas, Pilots, or Pzero’s, not sloppy touring rubber like the MXV4′s.
HUGE wheel gap in the photos over at Saab Central. Just doesn’t look right. Totally lacking the Aeros sporty appearance. Is it possible there are transport ‘spacers’ in the springs? I hope so…
RPG,
Those were my initial thoughts as well. We have seen many vids of the XWD in action (silver one posted here), and the thing just did not sit that high, AT ALL.
They may have put those tires on to appeal to a wider variety of customers or maybe even to help fuel economy numbers a bit (lower rolling resistance). They are probably quiet as well, which some performance tires are not once you get some miles on them.
I am going to bet the AERO with XWD gets between 18 and 20 mpg (or about 11 liters/100 km) on a good day. I get between 22 and 24mpg average on my 2007 as long as I keep my foot out of the higher RPM ranges… Not too bad.
Yeah but the people looking for comfort can drive 2.0T’s, the whole reason for the “Aero” badge is that the car is a sport model. Saab needs to look at what BMW is outfitting the 335i with, then offer better.
At least make proper sport tires and 18″ wheels a check-box option.
Saab seems to be missing a segment of the market by not offering a Sport version of the 2.0. The concept of having XWD 2.0 with performance suspension and nicer visuals is very appealing. For some of us performance is much more about handling than power. With my 94 900 SE 2.0 (185 hp) I rarely floor the throttle but I explore the handling limits on an almost daily basis (I love blowing away “ultimate driving machines” in the twisties). With $5 per gallon gas on the horizon it does not make sense for Saab to “push” people like us into a more expensive and less fuel efficient engine. From my perspective Saab should charge less for the six as it will cost me more to operate and maintain. On the other hand a standard 2.0 even with XWD but the standard suspension won’t cut it. I suspect that as gas prices rise those who think (and buy) as I do will grow (a direct injection 2.0 with more power and better MPG will certainly help that as well).
Don’t get me started Edags…
Why GM hasn’t let Saab pair the 260hp DI Ecotec with XWD and sell it in the 9-3 is completely beyond me. Bump the power up to 300hp/400nm in true Saab fashion and it would have been a perfect Turbo X.
But I guess that Wagoner and the rest of the Detroit crew still think that premium buyers aren’t interested in 4 cylinder cars.
Just received the US brochure for the Turbl X, its a 9 page pdf, do you have or want a copy?