Category Archives: Saab Black Turbo

Saab Black Turbo

Two new Turbo-X reviews

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Like the rhyming headline?

:-)

I haven’t featured any reviews for a little while as they were all starting to blend into one another. Given that we’ve had a bit of a break, though, I thought it OK to bring these onto the front page.

From Australia:

Here we have Drive.com.au’s coverage of the event I attended at Lang Lang a few weeks ago. I had the option of attending the press event and maybe I should have as they got the chance to drive the car themselves.

It seems it made the appropriate impression, too. Whilst they’re not jumping out of their skins about it, the surefootedness of the car was noticed:

Saab invited us down to Holden’s cold, windswept proving ground at Lang Lang where we could put the hottest 9-3 through its paces in relative safety.

First was the skid pan, where a slalom course would demonstrate how tightly the Turbo X could spear through the cones. Yes, it goes hard, but although it is claimed the 9-3 could almost match a Porsche 911 for exit speed at the end of a slalom, with no 911 to test it against, we’ll just have to take that on trust. Then it was on to a wet circular track to demonstrate the Turbo X’s grip. Sprint halfway around the outer edge of the circle, switch to a full inside loop, and then down the other outside half to a stop.

It’s difficult looking at the speedo when gravity is trying to throw you out the side window, but other drivers said they had the Turbo X up to 80 km/h in a loop no wider than a soccer pitch.

And from the US:

MotiveMag got to drive the Turbo X at Road Atlanta and their tagline We’ve been waiting nearly a decade for a Saab like the Turbo X should tell you most of what you need to know:

We tested a standard 9-3 and a Turbo X sedan back-to-back at Road Atlanta and around a wet skidpad, and found that the Turbo X is a huge improvement over the 9-3 according to any metric you care to use.

It really is. that. good.

Enjoy either review at your leisure.

And if you’ve picked up a Turbo X recently and we don’t know about it yet, then why not shoot through a photo as well as your initial impressions of the car.

Maybe August should be the month of Turbo X loving? The photos mightn’t change much, though :-)

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Turbo X’s and tow hitches

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Jonnyboy asks a good question in comments:

Anyone have a tow hitch on their Turbo X SportCombi and where did you get it? I was told by a dealer today that you can’t install one because of the new chassis enhancements. Please tell me this isn’t so…as I really wanted to install a tow hitch utilized bike hitch.

Unfortunately for Jonnyboy, it’s true. Though in his case, he might be able to find a solution.

I heard about this for the first time last weekend and I’ve just written to a rep from Saab UK about it – just to make sure I had it right.

It’s not to do with chassis enhancements – or not primarily, at least – so your dealer’s a little out there. The reason why Saab won’t allow you to fit a tow hitch to a Turbo X is because the torque limiter has been removed on the Turbo X. As a result, Saab don’t want you towing heavy items with the vehicle.

Given that Jonnyboy wants to carry bikes around rather than a trailer or a caravan, it might not be such an obstacle, however. I’d suggest that your dealers should be able to help you with a solution.

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It should also be noted that the Aero with XWD will have the torque limitation in place, and therefore won’t be restricted in this way.

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Turbo X: the drive that stole the show

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Last weekend I attended a drive day sponsored by Saab Australia at the GM Holden proving grounds at Lang Lang, in south eastern Victoria.

Because Saab Australia only has one Turbo X to act as a photographic model AND press car, they didn’t want us car club hoons driving it at high speeds on a dirt track. To make sure we got something memorable out of it, though, they brought in Peter Johansson to take us for a spin.

During the week, Peter is the lead engineer working for GM on XWD applications for front-wheel drive vehicles. He’s third-gen Saab, his grandfather working on tooling for the very first Saabs and his dad working for them as an engineer as well. Peter and his Dad came up with some early AWD technology, which they sold to a company called Haldex in Sweden. See where this is going?

On the weekends, Peter drives rally cars. The AWD technology that he and his dad developed was primarily a response to his own needs in rallying. Not only can he build this stuff, he can really use it too.

There were four events on the program. I’ll get to the other three in another post, but this was the final event that our group took part in – Peter Johansson taking us for a hot lap on the GM proving ground dirt track in the Saab Turbo X.

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Peter got to speeds of up to around 170 km/h on the back section of the track and if you’ve never been that quick on dirt, let me tell you it’s quite an experience!

The car was an auto, much to Peter’s disappointment, but he still gave it a pretty good run.

This really was the highlight of the day. The car’s incredibly solid and to see it in the hands of an expert was quite a revelation. We did two laps of filming at the end of the day and the brake rotors were glowing at the end of them!

I hope you enjoyed the video. There’s plenty more to come from the weekend.

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Saab Turbo X: What it’s all about…

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Some time ago I put a post up here asking new Turbo X owners how their cars were going.

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there’s been a bit of traffic in that comment thread over the last few days. One owner has even posted his mini-review in there and in keeping with my theory that the best judges of a car are those who actually pay for it, I thought I’d reproduce it here.

Saabs are a bucketload better than what the press give them credit for, hence we try and tell the great stories about Saab here. The satisfaction and happiness evident here make for a pretty good recommendation if you ask me.

Our owner’s name is Bob. I’m not familiar with who Bob is, but his story seems to include some prior Saab ownership, as well as wider Swedish ownership having traded a Volvo S60R for his Turbo X.

His review (for which I thank him), as posted in comments on June 17, goes like this:

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OK, here is a mini review.

I got my car 10 days ago and I am now at almost 1000 miles, as I had to drive around the state. It had 200 miles on it as it had to be driven for the trade. It is a Sedan Navi 6 speed. Looks gorgeous and I love the relatively narrow wheelbase which is so SAAB. Very aggressive looking, esp. from the rear, as it stands a bit elevated.

No gas cap lock, but XM module takes it’s place. Got me a Stant locking cap.

Peels off like there is no tomorrow, kicks your head back, then just goes. My fault was that I was used to the Volvo S60R’s longer clutch so I was hesitant to drop it fast. The clutch is quite short and you just drop it, the car is so powerful it will not die, as long as you are at 2000 rpm. My mistake was to grind the clutch thinking it was already engaged while accelerating. No more, now I got the hang of it and it is a blast.

The cop in our two stoplight town was having his donut and looking at me downthrottle (brrrvvmmm), downshifting (oh so sweet noise to my ears it does it like the Lamborghinis in the movies) to stop, then we looked at each other, then PING! I am off to 35 mph in 1 sec, he just jumped into his car and followed me all the way to work 5 miles down the road at 30mph. We talked and he had a good laugh, he thought i was going to gun it for 80 in town :)

Well, now he now knows my new car and aversion of lawyers :(

On the twisties going up on a 20 deg gradient it sings in 3rd gear with the Haldex doing its magic on gravel, love how it howls for more. Windows down is a must.

On the highway I stopped dropping in 5th to pass, all it takes is a gentle “milking” of the turbo with the needle in the orange zone (just like the 2001 9-3 I had) and voila, I am flying slowly releasing the gas while this things “buuuugs” whistling past people.

So far I’ve had about 10 people stop me and talk to me about the car, but keep in mind I live in the deep country, I may have the only SAAB in town :) People turn heads to watch (men more than women) the source of that sweet throaty growl that this thing puts out between 1500-2500 rpm in town.

Needless to say I am in love again. Not much time to play though: infant seat in the middle and two child seats on the back row. I’ve already removed juice, crackers, and ice cream from the car :)

My 5 year-old looked at the car one evening when I pulled in and commented on the car, “Oh daddy your car looks like a monster”, then pointed to the LED eyebrows over the active cornering halogens that really wiggle as I turn the steering wheel.

K&N filter 33-2337 arrived today, UltimatePedals ($120 alternative to Hirsch’s $400 aluminum extravaganza) are on the way. To BSR or not to BSR? I pray RICA does a PPC based tune just like I had in my S60R.

Get it while you can!

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Learning the limits of the Turbo X in Atlanta

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It seems like everyone’s out there driving Turbo X’s these days!

Earlier it was an Aussie flying to Spain for his X-rated experience, now we have JT taking the not-insignificant flight from Hawaii to the US mainland to hit the Turbo X edition of the Saab Aero Academy at Road Atlanta.

My thanks to JT for sending in the following writeup and photos.

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I was one of the fortunate few to be in the first Turbo X Academy which was held on June 2nd and 3rd. I believe there were about 15 of us in total. It was quite an eye opening experience, learning what these vehicles can do and how lousy most of our driving skills were.

In addition to the usual Aero Academy exercises such as the autocross, skid pad, emergency braking and slalom, we got to drive on the Road Atlanta track. Going around that historic track at high speeds gave me a whole new respect for Saab engineering. For us “island folk”, I’d say it very well could be a chance in a lifetime experience.

I definitely believe that the TX Academy has made me a better driver in a variety of conditions. I was able to shave 4 seconds (33 sec. to 29) on my autocross time. That was good for third-most improved. However, I believe that was still light years behind Kaylan’s best time. What I am not proud of is having to sit out of a few exercises because I was on the verge of losing my lunch from all the spinning, braking and G forces.

The Skip Barber instructors were the nicest and most professional bunch of guys you’ll ever meet. I have a whole new respect for what they do. It was also a treat to sit with Steve Shannon (one of the 15 in our class) at lunch and pick his brain on everything Saab. I know Saab USA spent a lot of money to put this event on for such a small group, but I believe that in the long run, it’s memories like this that make Saab people so loyal to the brand.

I know the pals I made at the TX Academy frequent TS, so I look forward to reading their take on this great experience.

Turbo X

Turbo X

Turbo X

Turbo X

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Exploring the limits of the Turbo X in Spain

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Aussie regular and SportCombi pilot, Turbin, recently won a competition and scored an opportunity to drive the Saab Turbo X at the IDIADA test track in Spain. This is an ultra-sectret test facility used by many different companies, hence there are no photos from the event as cameras were strictly off limits.

One of our mates from England, David R, also attended the event and we may hear from him in the next few days as well. Until then, here’s Turbin’s account of the trip – an unforgettable event.

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As Swade previously reported, my wife and I were recently in Spain to tour Barcelona and ultimately drive the Turbo X. The couple of days in Spain were fantastic and the hotels and restaurants were great, enhanced by the friendliness of the staff. Our group consisted of a mixture of Saab salespeople and employees from several nations, as well as some lucky customers such as ourselves.

Track The main event, of course, was the Turbo X drive at IDIADA.

IDIADA is a top-secret, world-class proving ground and a black hole for the automotive press. The media isn’t welcome there so it is one track motoring writers will most likely never drive or report on. We have been instructed to say that we saw nothing there but Turbo Xs, which may as well be true. Once we got past security there was a Combi at the welcome lunch to whet our appetite for the rest of the afternoon. The welcome presentation was conducted by Chris, Saab’s events manager, and attended by Jean, Kenneth and Kent from the Saab Performance Driving Team.

The drive event was divided into four segments, to be completed in groups and a final time trial event involving all attendees. The four segments were:

    High Speed Driving
    Wet Handling
    Dry Handling
    ABS Braking

High Speed Driving

This was conducted on the high-speed loop, a 7.5km track with 2km straights and banked corners. Waiting in the carpark were 2 lines of 5 or 6 Turbo Xs with Sportcombis at front and back and sedans in the middle. The idea is that the vehicles travel in convoy with the lead combi setting the pace and the other checking the tail. All vehicles were equipped with autos and 19″ wheels, and were set up in stock specification. There would be three full high-speed laps with an extra at each end to get up to speed and slow down. Speed would be limited by the lead car and a safe gap was to be kept with no intentional “rubber banding’, dropping back so you can accelerate to higher speeds. The minimum speed limit was set at 130km/h – how refreshing :-) .

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Kroum finally gets his X

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This is another one of those purchase stories that we followed for a long time.

There were all sorts of mishaps along the way. In fact, you could say that at several points along the way, Saab Canada were doing everything they could to not sell him a Turbo X. There’s a salesman at Saab on the Queensway who should thank his lucky stars that Kroum’s been so patient and so keen on giving the Turbo X every opportunity.

The good news is that Kroum held his interest and finally picked up his Turbo X last weekend. His initial thoughts follow. I’ve got to say, it’s very satisfying to hear him so keen on the car. I’ve been backing this car since day 1, and that’s in spite of the “only 280hp” concerns. I loved the very idea of this car and felt justified at the great things we saw at the release.

Now, with someone who actively shopped quality competition from the Germans choosing the X, I feel really pleased, mostly because he feels so very happy with the car.

Congratulations, Kroum!!!

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Hey Swade,

It’s been a long road with a few bumps along the way, but it has finally come to writing to you about the Turbo X from an owner’s perspective! Actually, make than one very happy owner’s perspective.

You know that thing they say about Saabs having souls? Ever since I had a firm delivery date for my X, I started to feel kind of sorry for my old 9-3 Sedan. I felt like I’m betraying my first Saab, feels almost as if I left my loving wife for that younger, hotter girl.

Saab Turbo X

I guess no one would be surprised when I say the Turbo X is one heck of a great car. It just begs to be driven, and the mean exhaust note is absolutely addictive. You almost want to keep it a gear lower all the time just to get more of it – that, however, is an expensive addiction as the X is everything but a Prius. For the first 100 km. I was averaging 18 l./100 km. mixed driving. That has improved to around 15 l./100 km. for today, and I sure hope it has something to do with the car being brand new. My old 2.0t was averaging around 9.5 l./100 km. and it was automatic – I know that’s like comparing apples to oranges, but I’m pretty sure it will go down to 12-13 within a week or so. I’ve always filled up with premium (Sunoco 94), it adds performance and helps with mileage, too.

The Turbo X is a fast one, let me tell you that. Acceleration is effortless, and that considering I am trying to not rev beyond 4,000 rpm for the first little while, just to be sure. Highway cruising is a blast and even shooting out in 6th gear is ridiculously easy – all you need is throttle. Drop it down a gear and it catapults so quick it becomes borderline-stupid with heavy Toronto highway traffic. And no matter what you do to that car, the engine seems completely unimpressed – the “wake me up when you’re up to something no good” attitude. But I’d rather let her nap for now as I do value my driver’s license. Don’t we all wish we lived in Germany sometimes? As my girlfriend said, you itch for a fast car and when you finally get it you find yourself aggravated there’s nowhere to drive it.

Saab Turbo X

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Black Turbo meets Black Turbo

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My thanks to Brad Lauzze from the Saab Owner’s Association of Rochester for sending me the link to these shots.

Brad turns wrenches at Dorschel Saab in Rochester, New York and they got their first Turbo X’s delivered last week. Being a quick thinker, Brad called up Gary Stottler, owner of one of the best kept Saab 99 Turbos in the US – and a black one at that. Gary was only too happy to bring his 99 Turbo down to get some respect from the X. It’s the original Black Turbo, after all.

It’s a case of Black Turbo 08 versus Black Turbo ’78. And I think they both acquit themselves pretty well. That 99T certainly looks the goods, even 30 years after it’s release. That’s a tribute to Sason and Envall’s great design as well as Gary’s TLC.

The full gallery of shots is here. Click to enlarge the couple I’ve posted here.

Saab Black Turbo

Saab Black Turbo

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