Category Archives: Saab Turbo X

Saab Turbo X

Saab 9-3 Turbo X continues to generate press

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The Saab 9-3 Turbo X is still generating interest in the press, in this entry, we see:

- Saab 9-3 Turbo X vs. Lincoln MKS (odd juxtaposition, in my opinion)
- The San Diego Union-Tribune Reviews the Turbo X
- A video interview with Steve Shannon on the subject of the Turbo X posted on the Kelley Blue Book website.

As we’ve discussed, even though the Turbo X isn’t a high-volume product, it has been used effectively as a halo model to generate media attention. Three more examples posted today.

From the Cox News Service via the Greenville, North Carolina newspaper, Rob Douthit asks a question that I think that very few will ask: Saab 9-3 Turbo X or Lincoln MKS? The comparison ends just as you would expect:

The 9-3 is a clear winner in terms of performance driving. It would knock the socks off the MKS on pretty much any track test you would administer. But when it comes to styling, the MKS does the sock knocking, with its elegance and maturity.

Naturally, I’ll debate the Saab styling anytime/anyplace vs. the Lincoln. The MKS could be an Infiniti or Hyundai without stretching the imagination. I guess that some folks like conventional designs and bling. What can I say?

Mark Maynard of the San Diego Union-Tribune reviewed the Saab 9-3 Turbo X and it appears that his opinions match the majority of Turbo X reviews. I like this line:

BMW’s all-wheel-drive X6 gets 20 mpg highway and it isn’t nearly as much fun to drive as this Saab.

Finally, Steve Shannon, General Manager of Saab USA, appears via digital video on the Kelley Blue Book website, kbb.com. Other than reinforcing the standard Saab company line, I like to see Steve getting “excited” about the upcoming 9-5, which can’t come soon enough, in my opinion. Nothing overly interesting here unless you are planning to puchase a Saab in North America in the near future.

Click to view on kbb.com

Click to view on kbb.com

AutoExtremist on the Saab Turbo X

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Yeah, another freakin Turbo X review.

But instead of a review written by Gimpy McButthead for the PokeHill Press, this is one of the heavyweight industry observers that you don’t hear much from in terms of car reviews – Pete DeLorenzo from AutoExtremist. It’s not a full-on review, but more of an opinion piece.

The full writeup can be read here (scroll down a little once you get there) but I think it’s worth whetting the appetite just a little:

I think it’s safe to say that the Turbo X is the most sophisticated and technically advanced Saab ever built. And driving it is, if not a revelation, at least an eye-opener – especially for you old-time Saab drivers out there – because it doesn’t act like any Saab that has come before it…..

….The Saab Turbo X is the finest Saab ever built in my estimation, and that’s a good thing. And GM seems committed to keep Saab in the fray, with a couple of new-think products slated for the brand that will actually give it a raison d’etre beyond 2010.

Click on through. This is in the On The Table section of AE.

It’s also worth reading today’s Rant if you’ve got an interest in the US Automotive manucfaturing sector.

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Thanks Paul!

NY Times on the Turbo X

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Normally when there’s a new Saab review out there, I might get one or two emails about it. Over the weekend I think I had close to ten about this one (thanks to everyone). Such is the drawing power of the New York Times and the writing of Ezra Dyer.

Dyer is the hot new property in Automotive writing and rightly so. He’s darn good. And apparently, he owns an old Saab!

This isn’t his finest piece of work. It’s far less emotive than other stuff I’ve seen. But it’s interest for us isn’t in his expression, it’s in his subject – the Saab 9-3 Turbo X. Dyer was at the same event that Eggs n Grits attended in Boston back in May.

Let’s start where we always do – at the finish:

The Saabs of the ’80s and early ’90s became cult hits not because they were offbeat, though they were, but because they had BMW-beating performance to back up the swagger promised by their spoilers and turbo-boost gauges.

The 9000 was good looking and had seats you could spend all day in. It had top-of-the-curve performance delivered in Swedish style, and, 17 years later, I’m glad to say the Turbo X makes that description relevant again.

Yes. This review does a few things to remind us about why we were excited before the Turbo X arrived, and why we were even more excited once it came.

It’s a very good car.

There may be a few automotive jerkalists that still like to bow at the Teutonic altar, but the Turbo X is a genuine step forward for Saab and boasts some serious credentials that are rightly recognised.

I won’t reproduce much more of the article here is it’s not a long one (though it was a long time in the making – a May drive finally put to print in August??) but here’s a couple of favourite parts:

….the fact that I can mention a Saab and an M3 in the same sentence, without that sentence being, “The Saab is drastically inferior to the M3,” constitutes a significant reordering of the European luxury-car pecking order…..

….This car has balance, a poised approach to aggressive cornering that you wouldn’t expect from a Saab, and I say it’s high time for that.

The Turbo X isn’t perfect, but it’s very, very good. I’m really pleased that someone with the profile of Ezra Dyer is writing it up that way. Go hit the link before it gets archived and hard to find.

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Saab all over the Detroit Free Press

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Mark Phelan from the Detroit Free Press is doing a full court press on Saab coverage today:

Phelan the love – Part 1 – Turbo X

Phelan has driven the Turbo X and likes it:

The Turbo X’s power and handling give Saab a legitimate competitor for all-wheel drive sport sedans like the A4, IS 250 and S80. Adding its power and handling to the broader line Saab has in the works could let the Swedish brand finally repay General Motors’ patience and investment.

I don’t want to seem ungrateful, but being kept on life support and denied the new models you need doesn’t fulfil my definition of an “investment”, but I digress….

Phelan praises the car’s looks, power delivery and great handling. On the negative side, he misses features like iPod or USB connectivity and doen’t like some of the interior trim.

Phelans known on the webs as a bit of a GM fanboy, which is understandable seeing he earns his salary in their backyard. It’s a good review, though, and as well thought ut as any other review I’ve seen on the Turbo X.

Phelan the Love – Part 2 – New Models

Phelan also dedicates an article to letting the folks around Detroit know what’s coming down the pike for Saab. I’m sure the execs at the Ren Center will find it informative. Always good to have new information coming in. *whipcrack*

He starts with the current situation:

The heart of Saab’s lineup today consists of the 9-3 and 9-5, two midsize cars that are too similar in size and looks to support a whole brand. The 9-7X SUV is a competent attempt to create a Saab from GM’s midsize SUV platform, but it’s no more than a stopgap measure to boost sales slightly until the new models arrive.

And then covers what’s coming. It’s nothing we haven’t heard about already, but it’s good to see the news is getting around:

A dramatically restyled new version of the 9-5 is to go into production next year. The 9-5 will be based on the next generation of GM’s global midsize car architecture…..

….Saab will also get a sporty crossover that’s very similar to the 9-4X concept car. Saab expects the 9-4X to sell best in the United States, so the vehicle will be built alongside the next-generation Cadillac SRX crossover in an as-yet unidentified North American plant.

The replacement for the midsize 9-3 may move to GM’s compact Delta architecture, Automotive News Europe reports. That would give Saab a smaller and more efficient high-volume model and increase the differentiation between its 9-3 and 9-5 lines…..

….Saab also has a smaller 9-1 model in the works.

Like I said, it’s nothing we don’t know, but it’s good to see the word getting out.

Phelan the love – Part 3 – E85 downunder

There’s only a little Saab in here. It’s mostly about Holden (yes, they’re writing about Australia in Detroit) and how they’re about to go E85 crazy! The strange thing about that is that we’ve only got a handful of E85 outlets here.

I won’t guess how many there are as I know I’ll be wrong (and Hawkeye will let me know!) but it’s got to be less that 10 right now.

It hasn’t stopped them marketing the bioPower cars here, though. Hawkeye’s got one and there’s a very nice looking black BioPower 9-3 here in Hobart.

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Friday Snippets

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GM head honcho Rick Wagoner showed off some of GM’s future offerings a few days ago, including the Saab 9-4x. The image that went around at that time was small and got very blurry when enlarged.

A new version of the image has popped up at Edmunds and whilst still not print quality, it gives a much better idea as to what the front quarter profile of the production car will look like. It’s not much different to what we’ve already seen in the concept car, to be honest. The greater interest will be in the back, where they’re sure to tame down those tail lights.

Click.

Saab 9-4x

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I got a few emails overnight about this one: Mercedes Benz to Introduce Fully Turbocharged Lineup by 2010.

I’ve been saying for a long time that Saab should have established ownership of the Turbo segment ages ago. First BMW brought out their 335i and now Merc are going to go full-on into it too. I guess everyone is.

It’s pleasing to see some Saab defenders in comments there (Go David!)

It’s good to see Saab emphasising turbocharging in their recent advertising. They really, really need to hammer this home.

And speaking of that…..

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Saab History has noted that SaabUSA have made some modifications to the “Recycle” TV ad that was featured here last week.

The voiceover, which repeated the script three times in the initial ad, has been edited to cut it down to two repeats (it’d definitely have potential to get on your nerves showing six times an hour during the Tour de France coverage) and the tagline at the end has changed as well.

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Andy Rupert is the voice behind the “Release Me” video, a former Saab 900 owner (and I know deep down he really, really misses it) and as of a few months ago – a Volvo sales guy.

With the recent featuring of “Release Me” in the video widget (see the right sidebar), the song got a new lease on life, especially at Andy’s workplace, where they managed to entertain themselves with some high-volume repetition and a Volvo adaptation.

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There’s been a bunch of recent Turbo X reviews come in:

* You can click here to download Go Auto magazine, an excellent Aussie publication, which has a review of the Turbo X based on the same session as the one I attended at GM’s proving grounds here in Australia. If you only read one of these reviews, make sure it’s this one.

* Drive.com.au cover the same event:

The test drive finished with a burst around the dirt circuit, where the Turbo X demonstrated a higher degree of sure-footedness than the front-wheel-drive Aero we were benchmarking it against.

A lap of the dirt track at rally car speeds with Johansson behind the wheel shows just how capable the Turbo X can be in skilled hands.

* Walkerton.com, from Canada, give a great insight into the good old days of Turbo in the X-review:

Count one, two, and then bang as the boost came on. You had to anticipate this rush because there was a phenomenon called torque steer.

Those were the days…..

Potent and sexy, the only real problem with the Turbo X is that only 100 are allotted to Canada and most are already spoken for.

* Autoweek have a “short stint” as well:

Most impressive is how it handles rounding turns. The all-wheel-drive system and sport-tuned suspension do a great job of keep the car planted when attacking corners. There are some signs of understeer when you push it hard, but for normal to semispirited driving, it provides all the grip you need. The stiffened suspension isn’t too harsh, either, for day-to-day motoring.

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And finally……some Japanese Chinese towing images that I got via email. Unbelievable.

Thanks to Ying for the correction!

Tuesday Snippets

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Here’s a TS-tip: if your Saab 9000 is quite low on fuel you can do either one of two things.

    1) fill it up (that’s the best bet), or

    2) park facing uphill so that the fuel pump still has something to drink when you go to start it up a few hours later.

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We have a black BioPower 9-3 on the roads here in Hobart now and I’ve got to say, the 2008 styling, in black, is absolutely stunning.

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Somewhere along the line, the excellent Winding Road magazine changed their name to Next Autos. A terrible, terrible outcome. Nevertheless…..

They have an article up at the moment about the Saab Turbo X and it’s receiving some mixed opinion. Kroum has jumped in to fly the flag and if you’ve got a Turbo X then I’d encourage you to follow suit and share your impressions of the car.

Even if you don’t have a Turbo X (that’s the vast majority of us), I’m sure you might still have a perspective to share. Feel free.

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Saab DriverOur unofficial Saab Ambassador in the UK, Robin M, is dominating the pages of the most recent Saab Driver magazine.

He’s got the cover, seen here on the right, as well as a two-page spread about his six weeks in charge of a Saab 9-3 TTiD. In case you’d forgotten, he had the task of getting as many people as possible to test drive the car in six weeks. For his Herculean effort he won himself a trip to Sweden, another Ice Hotel trip IIRC.

That’s not all……there’s also a two-page article on the Swedish Day he hosted a few months ago.

Congratulations, mate! More pics of the Saab Driver features available here.

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Saab South Africa have reconsidered their X-ness and are now going to sell the Turbo X there. I’m not sure who’s losing a few in order to create an allocation there, but it’s happening.

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The Turbo X has also just been launched in South Korea. More pictures here.

Turbo X Korea

They only do Mercedes Benz in the north, I hear.

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If you’re interested in developments in vehicle production, then this article on a new method for roll forming of steel might be of interest to you. It’s cheaper than using gigantic steel presses and they’ve just developed a new method that’ll increase the strength of the steel, meaning that the cars will end up safer in a crash.

I’m not very familiar with such things. My curiosity was piqued because one of the part-owners of the operation is Peter Augustsson. He’s the former General Manager of Saab Sweden who pulled the pin once GM cut Saab’s budget back around 2005. He was replaced by Jan-Ake Jonsson.

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Saturday Snippets

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I’m not allowed to write about the Alfa here, so I won’t tell you about the new exhaust, or the new induction kit, or the chip that’s arrived but isn’t fitted yet, or the fact that it’s been a blast so far and hasn’t broken down once!

If you’d like to see some Alfa’s having a blast and having the occasional problem, then I can highly recommend Top Gear’s Alfa Romeo Challenge on YouTube (watch it before it gets pulled!!)

Thanks Robin C.

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You might remember the problems that Saab had in the North American market with some Turbo X’s arriving without the factory installed SatNav. There were a number of disappointed customers and the treatment they received, initially, was less than ideal.

I’m pleased to say that Saab have offered them a $500 rebate through their dealers on the purchase of an aftermarket unit. You buy the unit, take the receipt to your dealer and you can collect up to $500 to cover the purchase price.

I heard all this from David M, who’s X now has around 1200 miles on it an is getting between 20 and 25 mpg. He’s absolutely loving it and will hopefully send in some photos soon. He’s got another very nice Saab in the family and the family portrait should be quite a sight :-)

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Another Turbo X owner has had his purchase story documented in his local newspaper:

Jacoby ordered the car in December 2007. In May 2008, he walked into Saab of Baltimore to take delivery.

“I couldn’t keep my composure. I had a grin on my face. Just a grin,” said Jacoby upon seeing the vehicle.

Awesome. I’d really love to buy a new car one day. Especially a first release like this. What an opportunity.

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GM Europe have written a little piece in their social media newsroom about the 2009 Saab 9-3, confirming the spread of XWD and the widening of the Aero specification as well.

Check it out, baby!

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Rick Wagoner denies speculation about bankruptcy or brand closures.

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Here’s a great chart clearing up any confusion about the price of fuel. It’s from the LA Times and was sent through by our own Los Guardian Angelis, 1985Gripen.

fuel price

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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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