The reps from Gaywheels were at the Boston media drive for the Saab Turbo X and they’ve recently published their writings on the car, giving it a very positive review.

You Turbo X buyers really ought to head out to your garages right now, fire it up, and just take a moment to appreciate what your wisdom, good taste and good fortune has placed in your possession. Limited to just 2,000 units all ’round the world, the reports that keep coming in week after week confirm that this is one very. desirable. car.

As an aside, I’m pleased to note that our mate, Kroum, should be picking up his X this weekend. I’m sure plenty of photos and thoughts will be forthcoming (hint hint! )

But back to our reviewers from Gaywheels and their drive in the Turbo X. Once again, the X proves to be a formidable drive and very tidy package.

SAAB – They Have Great Seats Right?

When you think of Saab, you don’t necessarily think of high performance. Most wouldn’t think that a sexy Saab 9-3 could take on the boys from Bavaria when it comes to performance and up to this point, they couldn’t…….Enter the Turbo X. The sport suspension, advanced all-wheel-drive system and the additional horsepower it allows, makes this Saab speak Swedish with a German accent.

….Where as the 9-3 Aero is sporty the Turbo X is downright aggressive.

It’s a great writeup and well worth your perusal.

And one bit is worth noting at the end, where they mention that several of the Turbo X bits for 2008 will be available on 2009 Aero model Saab 9-3s. These include the eLSD as standard, as well as some of the carbon fibre accents and the (reportedly much better) steering wheel.

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Different places have different needs in their cars. Most of the reviews I cover here are from the North America, due mainly to sheer volume of reviews written there as well as the language barriers I face with reviews from other places.

It’s great when I can get some perspectives from other places, though, like a snowy and very expensive Norway.

This review was sent in by Kristian. It comes from Dagens Næringsliv.

Thanks a bunch, Kristian!

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A short summary:

The journalist calls the car the greatest thing to ship from Sweden since the Wasa in 1628, though in a positive sense. (Never mind that Wasa sunk…) He wonders how the company that produced a “SAAB” based on a subaru and on a trailblazer could come up with this.

The usual bashing of the front wheel drive follows (we do live in Norway, with snow-covered roads), and he claims that it is about time SAAB came with the four wheel drive-system. He claims it to be an excellent system, and that one hardly notices the system at work.

According to the journalist, this is the car that should bring SAABs to the mainstream drivers looking for a fun and great looking drive.

He calles the car a bastard, with an engine from Holden, Australia, brought to Sweden for tuning. The tuning gives it a “beautiful sound you just cant help falling in love with”. It has a body that has a lot in common with the Vectra, and the oh not so great Cadillac BLS. The four-wheel -system is from Haldex.

The car is tight and sporty to drive, but he deducts points for the slow gearbox (automatic) He calls the automatic transmission “slow, and not optimized for ‘sporty driving’ ”

The interior gets top marks, but for the cheap plastic on the door handle. He says the CO2 emissions are a bit on the heavy side.

The car is then compared to the BMW 335XI and the Audi A4 quattro. In Norway these cars would be almost as expensive as the SAAB Turbo X, but not nearly as unique. A fun alternative. The price in Norway is about £92000

He also has high hopes for haldex on the cheaper models, hoping they can bring life back to SAAB.

And for the highlight of the test, the “10 point check”

Drivers environment: Top seats, high quality but for the door handle

Passenger comfort: The car is a little small, and the roof is a bit low in the back. Acceptable for four. Comfy.

Design: Rugged and though. Cool spoilers and styling

Sound insulation: Premium class. The engine is perfect in the coupe (??? – SW).

Loading/Cargo space: OK for a sedan.

Performance: Grate engine with plenty of fun. Emissions of CO2 TOO HIGH!

Second hand value: Only 15 of these in Norway. Still, the potential for loss is high.

Value for money: Heavily equipped. High emissions and large engine allows for a tax of £53000 to the government piggy bank.

My favourite: Brand renown: SAAB is accepted even amongst those who despise the concept of a car. It’s never wrong to drive a SAAB

On the road/ Handling: One of the best 4wd systems on the market. Tight drive and lovely engine. Go for manual transmission.

That is the essence of it!

We’ve been following Beren’s purchase story for a while now.

His Saab Turbo X was one of the first photographed having arrived at a US dealership and it was also the subject of all those fantastic undercarraige photos that showed you the XWD system, the big exhaust, etc. Beren purchased his Turbo X from site sponsor, Saab of Hunterdon, in New Jersey, and they supplied those early shots.

Beren now has his Saab Turbo X at home and has written his initial thoughts for everyone’s perusal on his personal blog.

Here’s a brief snippet:

Handling in the car is really amazing. While I haven’t pushed it too hard yet, I can move through corners and turns easily where my previous ride [not a Saab - SW] would be straining and dipping just getting through…..

….Overall this is a great car. I haven’t found anything about it that I don’t like – its got personality and funk and it has guts and performance. If Saab keeps producing cars of this quality then there will certainly be a bright future for the company and its enthusiasts.

It’s a great read and highly recommended. Click here to read the writeup in full.

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Car and Driver have posted their first drive article on the Saab Turbo X. This is just a short review of the Turbo X rather than a full-on test and it’s a good reminder as to why Car and Driver consistently give me the sh!t$.

The good news is that they barely find any fault with the car at all:

Although the Saab’s front-drive architecture is usually a recipe for understeer, the XWD and the eLSD do an effective job of masking this trait.

For those who didn’t recognise it, that was a compliment. They even go on to pay the ultimate C&D compliment:

Playful oversteer is easily invoked with simple throttle modulation.

Oversteer!! ooooooooh.

On the downside is this:

Turbo X sedans start at $42,510; add $800 for the SportCombi wagon. At those prices, the Turbo X is by no means the deal of the year, especially with faster cars such as the $41,575 BMW 335xi on the market.

Yes, C&D manage yet another BMW reference. Ka-ching! And it’s a flat out description of the BMW being faster (and by implication, better) where recent testing by a former Formula 1 driver in both the Turbo X and the 335xi showed the Bimmer to have a lap time just 0.33 of a second faster in the dry and slower in the wet. It’s got a second rate AWD system and is as ugly as abashed crab. And that price on the BMW is before you even glance at the options list. Did that get a mention? Noooooooo. Mustn’t upset the BMW gods.

Second is the mis-information on XWD equipment. C&D imply that the eLSD will be an option on the 2008 Aero and will be available for all Saab 9-3s on the 2009 model. That’s in direct contradiction to what I’ve been told both via email from Saab Sweden and whilst sitting in a car in Detroit with product manager for Saab USA, John Libbos.

The Turbo X is the only 2008 model with eLSD available, and it’s standard equipment. The 2008 XWD Aero has no option of getting the eLSD as they’re still tuning the system to the Aero’s specific setup. For the US market, the eLSD will most likely be standard with the XWD Aero in 2009. I haven’t heard anything about whether it would be available on the 2.0T when that comes with XWD in 2009, nor if it will be standard or optional if available.

Tossers.

At least they had nothing bad to say about it, which should mean that they’d actually say something good. Not to be. Not yet, at least.

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