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As he has mentioned in the past, Swade’s better half, Mrs. Swade, has family near the Pacific coast of Canada in the province of British Columbia. It appears that the connection has paid dividends with the Vancouver Sun, the newspaper that serves that region.

Mr. John Turley-Ewart, a writer for the Canwest News Service, wrote a review of the Saab Turbo X that was published in the Sun this week. In contrast to at least one earlier article, it appears that Mr. Turley-Ewart actually drove the Turbo X and, as a result, he knows how good it is.

First, he recognizes Saab’s heritage and philosophy:

Introducing a turbocharged sedan to the media on a Friday the 13th and encouraging autojournalists to drive it as hard as they like on a closed track would be tempting fate for some automakers. Not so for Saab, the Swedish company that builds some of the safest and most practical cars in the world.

In 2007, Saab’s 9-3 sedan was the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Top Safety Pick in the mid-sized car category. The year before, it was also the Top Safety Pick and, in 2005, the 9-3 garnered the Double Best Pick crash test rating. Despite high marks in crash tests, the best means of ensuring safety remains helping drivers avoid crashes altogether. The 2008 Turbo X 9-3 showcases this reality.

Next, he heaps praise onto the XWD system:

Heading into both dry and wet corners, I purposefully understeered the car while braking hard, a move that sent the car hurtling into the corner rather than safely around it. I corrected the understeer at the last moment, and the cross-drive system smoothly transferred power to the wheels that needed it in order to keep me on track and around the corner. I also went into the same corners and oversteered, correcting the error at the last moment and, again, the cross-wheel drive ensured I made it through safely and on track.

There is no doubt that Saab’s new cross-wheel-drive system is the equal to Audi’s quattro or BMW’s X-drive, and it certainly surpasses Volkswagen’s 4Motion.

I’ll repeat that last part, just in case you weren’t reading:

There is no doubt that Saab’s new cross-wheel-drive system is the equal to Audi’s quattro or BMW’s X-drive, and it certainly surpasses Volkswagen’s 4Motion.

Finally, I love Mr. Turley-Ewart’s summation:

The 2008 Turbo X 9-3 is not a Swedish version of BMW’s M3 or Audi’s S4. It is very much a reflection of the best traditions of Swedish design — practical, efficient and safe with the added bonus of luxury trim and an engine that has what it takes to keep most hearts racing.

Well said, well said.

I think that I like Canada more and more as time goes by. Swade, please look this man up before you visit Canada in order to shake his hand!!