2009 Saab 9-3 – US model details

Posted on July 1, 2008 by swade

New for 2009

2009 SAAB 9-3 RANGE expands XWD CROSS-WHEEL-DRIVE TECHNOLOGY to 2.0T Sedan AND SPORTCOMBI, MORE POWERFUL V-6 Engine on AERO MODELS AND NEW 2.0t ‘sPort’ MODEL

Fresh from the major exterior redesign it received for the 2008 model year, the Saab 9-3 range broadens its customer appeal for 2009 with available XWD cross-wheel-drive technology on 2.0T Sport Sedan and SportCombi models, a more powerful, 280-horsepower (209 kW) engine on all V-6 Aero models, and a new, available Aero-look exterior appearance package for 2.0T Sport models.

Other enhancements include interior trim, roof rail and wheel changes, as well as new, standard OnStar 8.0 hardware that enables Turn-by-Turn Navigation (available in late 2008) and Bluetooth hands-free calling capabilities.

For 2009, the Saab 9-3 range includes the 9-3 Sport Sedan, 9-3 SportCombi and 9-3 Convertible in 2.0T and Aero models. XWD technology is standard on Aero Sport Sedan and
SportCombi models.

Intelligent all-wheel drive

Originally available in the 2008 model year only on the V-6-equipped Turbo X or Aero Sport Sedan and SportCombi models, Haldex Gen 4 XWD cross-wheel-drive technology brings additional functionality to four-cylinder 2.0T models while preserving the fun-to-drive attributes and Scandinavian sensibilities that characterize Saab vehicles.

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Saab Convertibles in winter

Posted on June 5, 2008 by swade

Saab call their convertible the Four Seasons Four Seater and being designed in Sweden, you’d think it’s made with surviving the Swedish winter in mind. The original intent, of course, was to build a convertible for the American market, but they still had to cater for their home market, too.

I’ve only ever tested convertibles in short stints, the longest being a week with a TiD convertible in Sweden last year. I’ve also enjoyed a few weekends with convertibles here at home. Although Tasmania is the coldest state in Australia, I’d venture a guess that my convertible experience isn’t going to be enough to answer this question, asked by Dave R, in comments:

I’ve been lusting after a 9-3 Aero Convertible for months now. My biggest question is how they do fare in a US Midwest winter? Coming from Saab, I assume they’d handle snow and ice just as well as the sun, but they’re still a cloth top so I wonder. If anyone has a ‘vert in a snowy climate I’d love to hear your take!

So….. all you convertible owners: how do you find your car holds up to a ‘real’ winter? All the anecdotal evidence points to the Saab convertible being pretty comfortable and quite driveable in any weather. The roof on the new models has a triple-layer construction that’s supposed to insulate the cabin exceptionally well. I’ve even heard that if you get one of those fancy wind deflectors, then driving with the top down and the heater on in winter isn’t out of the question, either. I’d love to try it

Get your top off in comments!!

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I know it’s not a new series convertible, but this topic seemed like too good an opportunity to miss breaking out one of my favourite photos from the Saab Pride competition.

This beautiful red Viggen convertible is owned by Rich in the great state of Minnesota.

Yellow edition limited to 140 units in the US

Posted on May 30, 2008 by swade

Last month, when the press release for the 9-3 Convertible Yellow Edition was sent out, the edition was believed to be limited to around 300 units. It turns out it’s gong to be even rarer than that.

Nico has sent through a copy of an email from Saab USA, stating that the Yellow Edition will be limited to just 140 units.

Forget about mellow. This yellow’s designed to agitate. Invigorate. And accelerate. This 9-3 takes the pursuit of freedom in a stylish new direction — from its unique, eye-catching color to its spoiler, 17″ alloy wheels and 6-disc CD changer. And under the hood, you’ll be happy to discover, it’s still pure Saab. A 4-cylinder, 210-hp turbo engine delivers more excitement than some people can handle. But something tells us you’re probably up for it.

Here are just a few of the features that set this vehicle apart:

300W 10-speaker premium audio system, with 6-disc CD changer
Rear spoiler
Lynx Yellow exterior paint
17″ 5-spoke alloy wheels
Parchment or Black leather-appointed interior available

So, if you don’t mind standing out in a crowd, fly into your nearest Saab dealer soon. Because only 140 will be sold in the U.S.

The Yellow Edition has an MSRP of $42,830, which includes destination charges.

For further details: Saab 9-3 Convertible Yellow Edition (US)

ACA drive the 9-3 Convertible

Posted on May 29, 2008 by swade

I’ll be Australian Car Advice just loves being called ACA. Not!

It’s an Aussie thing.

ACA has just been driving the Saab 9-3 Convertible in it’s most exclusive and expensive form – the 2.8 litre V6 Aero. Not only have they been driving it, they’ve also being doing some extremely good shutter work. Check this out:

…and can I just take a moment to thank and congratulate whoever worked on the 2008 Saab 9-3 exterior design as that looks just magnificent!

ACA liked just about everything with the Aero convertible. Even the interior plastics, which I still think aren’t befitting of a A$90,000+ car, but that’s by the by. The design’s great. It drives great. What else matters?

This is quite a comprehensive review, and is well worth a look for you convertible appreciators out there.

Check it out: ACA drive the 9-3 Aero Convertible.

Techie Time 2.8 Liter Turbo V6 Style

Posted on May 24, 2008 by eggsngrits

Once again, armed with photographs from the Saab TurboX Media Drive, I’m coming to you via the internet with information that you must, at all costs, absorb and hold dear because it’s going to be on the final exam.

Today’s topic: the GM 2.8 liter V6 in turbocharged form as in the upcoming Saab TurboX.

Oy, this is one smooth engine. After all, it’s won awards from people who really know a thing or two about engines, so you expect some refinement. This engine, as I’ve said before, has power and torque available from the minute that you stomp on the gas pedal. So, you really want to know how that power is made so quickly and smoothly, don’t you? Of course you do!

Well, here’s the secret: it has six cylinders.
And here’s the other secret: the turbocharger has two scrolls.

Now, I’m not advocating a wholesale change, and I’m not saying that everyone needs a 2.8 liter turbocharged V6, but I am saying that it’s nice to have in your product line because some people, myself included, will want the performance that it offers.

While at the Saab TurboX Media Drive, I studied the display V6 for a few minutes. After orienting myself and studying the airflow and the layout, the first thing that struck me was the additional piping and routing required to make a V arrangement work. On the four-cylinder Saabs, everything is easily routed from the same side of the inline bank of cylinders, while the V6 has to route exhaust to and inlet air from a single point on one side of the engine: the turbocharger. The well-sculpted inlets of the Saab V6 are a testament to both design and manufacturing prowess, but what a tangle it appears to be.

While we’re on the subject of metals, take a good look at the engine block and the cylinder heads. Casting technology has come a long way in just the past ten or twenty years. The detail and specialized shaping of each component is truly amazing and most certainly adds efficiency and performance.

The two-scroll turbocharger by Mitsubishi enhances the driver experience by allowing a workable variable inlet arrangment that gets the turbocharger impeller spinning at operating speeds with even a small change in exhaust flow. That is, turbo “lag” is greatly reduced. I can tell you first-hand that it works. With thirty years of turbocharging experience, Saab certainly made good choices with this one.

Not only is it easy to see the air and exhaust routing with this cutaway, it’s also to easy to see the 60 degree angle that helps to balance the engine and make the whole assembly a little shorter from top to bottom.

Notice that the exhaust manifolds are lined with stainless steel to keep the aluminum alloy from being heat worked over the life of the engine. That’s reliability, folks. Kudos to Trollhattan.

Aftonbladet on the future Saab 9-3

Posted on May 14, 2008 by swade

Gotta be quick.

Tobias has been kind enough to provide a translation of an article by Robert Collin from Aftonbladet that extends what we’ve heard already about the 9-3 being made on the Delta platform.

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The new car from Trollhättan is an old classic in new form

The Saab 9-1, 9-2 or 9-3 -what kind of car is to be produced in Trollhättan from 2011? Aftonbladet (Swedish sort of newspaper, tabloid) reveals that the new 9-3 and 9-2 is virtually the same car. The 9-2 is a hatch back and the only thing to differ from the 9-3 is the rear end.

When Trollhättan lost the battle in 2005 for the future 9-3 and 9-5 things were dark in Trollhättan. GM promised that the company would remain as a niche manufactory didn’t give much comfort. Many workers would be unemployed and Saab would be gone from Sweden. But soon Aftonbladet could reveal (yeah right) that Saab developed a new smaller car that was supposed to be manufactured in Trollhättan. The factory was saved and plans were made for 40,000 small Saabs and capacity should be filled with its sibling Opel Astra.

This winter things changed, the talk about global warming gave GM cold feet. The cars consumed too much fuel they were too big and heavy. Downsizing and scale down got important and someone come to the conclusion that the future 9-3 should be smaller and based on the lighter architecture that is found in the future smaller Saab. The 9-3 is moving to Trollhättan and Aftonbladet can reveal that the future 9-3 and the smaller Saab is virtually the same car.
9-3 will be 4-doors sedan, cabriolet and a kombi. The 9-2 will be a hatchback about half meter shorter than the 9-3.

The result is that the 9-3 shrinks a bit and the 9-2 gains a couple of centimetres and would be a bit bigger than Golf and Astra. Production of the 9-2 and Astra begins in 2011 and the 9-3 follows the next year.

A cheer of joy in Trollhättan but things in Rüsselsheim is dark. They were sure of three new models. Two models will disappear from production in Rüsselsheim and about 100 000 cars per year. You can count on big protest from the German union if this is realised. What happens to the 9-1? The name and car will have to wait for a new smaller car.

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Thanks Tobias!!

Is GM right in downsizing the Saab 9-3?

Posted on May 13, 2008 by swade

The following is a guest post submitted by WooDz, a man with more than a little Saab experience.

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IS GM/SAAB RIGHT?

For some reason, the news that the next generation 9-3 is to be built using a smaller architecture conjures up images of inferior quality. I’d imagine the immediate thoughts of many went like this: Physically smaller than its predecessor, second-rate technology, conflicts with a small vehicle that would share the platform. Then you have the market comparisons with Volvo and how bad the V40 and C30 are. These, in reality, bare no relevance to the market perception of Saab, who are still renowned for making quirky mid-size hatchbacks and not mammoth hunks of metal.

Before any of those assumptions can be made, maybe we should concentrate on the current model, where the platform first debuted as the Opel Vectra. If we add 4 years development time then we’re looking at a vehicle that was engineered over a decade ago. The 9-3 has just undergone an enhancement and as previous timelines would suggest, it will remain in this form for around the next 3-4 years. This means it could be as late as 2012 before we get to touch the all-new Saab 9-3.

When you look at the two global architectures Delta and Epsilon and consider that the next generation Delta platform, simply by systematic technological advancement, will be lighter and stronger than either the current 9-3 or the Insignia, you have to wonder where the negatives will be? An extended Delta could quite possibly be larger than the current 9-3 and more advanced, technically. If VAG’s Golf/A3 can carry a V6 engine then why not the next generation Delta? After all, Opel would no doubt like a comparable model to the Golf R32 or what will become the R36.

The 9-1 and 9-3 may end up sharing synergies and components from Epsilon 2 that could be utilised in the same way that BMW use the multi link axle and engines from the 3-series setup for the 1-series. This will greatly reduce development and production costs. Having that translate into more favorable prices will probably be unlikely. However, they will create a buffer zone when dealing with weaker currencies or generate profits for a future projects; a real Saab Sonett, anyone?

Trollhättan is also an issue and the potential to have the plant work at full capacity by producing a high volume of Saabs will show GM that the company can stand their own. Also, being able to bolster that output by building e-flex and other conventional vehicles destined for northern European regions will secure the facility further into the future. Having a strong manufacturing presence in their home country is of inestimable value for Saab.

Another issue is timing. If 2012 was to be the entry date for a new 9-3 using Epsilon 2, that would mean we’d have a new vehicle with a potential life of 10 years starting out on what will be a 4 year old platform. With Delta 2 the scenario is still not perfect, but it’s much better in terms of current engineering design.

It is without doubt the Audi A4 would be a larger vehicle but even the motoring media are starting to question whether the A4 has outgrown is market segment. It’s just as big as the current 5-series. We are finally seeing motoring markets, especially the US, turn the corner and accept that a smaller, more efficient car is the car of the future. Saab will still have a larger car, but this move will most likely make them the first to recognise the trend and design accordingly.

With Fuel prices that will only continue to rise and government regulations demanding lower emissions, larger heavier vehicles will no longer become economically viable for most families. In North America trends are already changing and even with the typical SUV no longer being of BOF architecture they will become obsolete as a family commuter. If you have money and want to drive a Caddy, fuel prices won’t stop you. However, the story will most likely be different for the rest of us. For those who want to pay the premium for a quality car where running costs are affordable something a lot smaller than a 9-5 might be the only answer in a global market.

We often feel that the big General seems to step from one blunder to the next, that little thought is ever given to automotive passion and that the whole company is bound by its financial analysts and accountants, who by natural gene-chemistry have zero creativity and the passion of a dormant snail. Yet for a company that has employed a load of dim-witted baboons, they’re still doing OK. GM are still producing nearly 10 million vehicles per annum and are profitable in all markets except North America. Maybe they’re more capable than we give them credit for?

The auto industry is heading for some big changes in the next decade and where most manufactures still want to make their next generation vehicles larger than their predecessors, I think GM are allowing Saab once again to show some of their unique lateral thinking. Consider the BioHybrid console, which has more of a horizontal 99 / 900 layout as opposed to a sweep around 9000 look – you never know the next 9-3 might even be a hatchback?

One can dream.

Saab 9-3 to be built on Delta – from the horse’s mouth

Posted on May 13, 2008 by swade

RE-POSTED

I’ve bumped this back to the top as a) it’s big news, b) it was posted on the weekend so there may be a bunch who missed it, and c) there’ll be a follow up piece later.

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It takes a big story to interrupt a wedding anniversary, ja?

First, the news:

I’ve received notice from a member of the Djup Strupe collective inside Sweden – and this comes straight from the horse’s mouth – that the next generation of the Saab 9-3 will be built on GM’s global premium compact architecture, presumptively called Delta II.

This architecture will be used for a number of GM vehicles, the highest volume-seller most likely to be the Opel Astra, and the Trollhattan plant in Sweden is one of four European plants recently chosen to build vehicles on this architecture. The other plants are in the UK, Germany and Poland and the production of vehicles on this new architecture is scheduled to commence no earlier than 2010.

There’s been no word on the timing of this new 9-3, but given that this decision could only have been taken quite recently it’d be safe to assume 2011 at the very earliest, more likely 2012.

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Second, the opinion:

The biggest concept vehicle reportedly based on the Delta II architecture so far is the Opel Flextreme which measured 4550mm. The current Saab 9-3 is 4647mm in length. With the current Saab 9-3 already having compact rear seat legroom, it’s going to pose a challenge for designers to preserve cabin space in the smaller package.

The one thing this will definitely do, however, is separate the 9-3 and the 9-5. With a new Saab 9-5 coming on board late in 2009, it will be positioned as the definite flagship model with this more compact Saab 9-3 beside it in the model range. Importantly, the new smaller 9-3 will also be easier to “rightsize” – Saab’s terminology for getting a smaller engine into the car with more power but reduced emissions.

I think this is a great decision. I feel quite confident that the Saab 9-3′s designers can pull off a great interior layout, which is going to be the only major concern with this architecture. It means the car can be smaller and lighter, more sporty, and leaves the new 9-5 plenty of space to play to the larger-car crowd with a bigger range of models than what we might have previously thought.

The other truly fantastic news in this is that there’s a very good chance that the cars will be built in the Trollhattan plant in Sweden. I can’t stress enough how important it is for Saab to retain a significant manufacturing presence in their home market. It’s not definite, with three other European plants capable of working with Delta II, but it’s quite possible.

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And a chronology of the reporting, just for the record….

May 6, 2008 – More talk on the next Saab 9-3 was posted here at Trollhattan Saab. It was the first report in English on the subject of the new 9-3 being built on Delta and possibly at Trollhattan.

May 7, 2008 – Next-gen Saab 9-3 to be produced in Sweden was published at Motor Authority and contains basically the same info as I had in mine.

May 8, 2008 – Saab 9-3 Shrinking was reported at Autocar and contained essentially the same central piece of news with some extra fodder for filling.

These reports all cover the story out of Germany in the last week that the production of the Saab 9-3 had NOT been confirmed for Russelsheim as was previously assumed. That added fuel to the growing story that the 9-3 was being considered for something other than the Epsilon II platform.

What we have here in this story is the first confirmation from inside Saab that this is indeed going to happen – that the next generation 9-3 is going to be built on the compact architecture.

Saab Cars – Trollhattan Saab

Saab 9-1, 9-3, 9-4x, 9-5, 9-7x News

Category Archives: Saab 9-3 Convertible