Category Archives: Saab Turbo X

Saab Turbo X

Saturday Snippets

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Thanks to Turbin, here’s some Turbo X advertising – Aussie style. Saab people mentioned last weekend that they have 4 confirmed orders so far. There were 30 Turbo X’s allocated to Australia and New Zealand.

Click.

Saab Turbo X

I like it.

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Thanks to Tim in Denver for letting us know there’s discounts available for College Graduates in the US. This is something I hadn’t heard of before. Neither had Tim.

Not sure how much. Not sure who. If you think you can benefit then register at GMcollegegrad.com

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Thanks to Sven, here’s a photogallery of the new Opel Insignia, which looks pretty sophisticated. Keeping in mind that the Saab 9-5 should be more refined and better equipped, I’d suggest there should be a fair bit to look forward to.

Opel Insignia

I’m not a fan, but I know some will be and it’s pretty fancy for what’s supposed to be a garden-variety domestic vehicle.

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Actually, looking at that interior…..

Last week I was chatting away with some Swedes about XWD, and the quiet word was that GM’s German contingent weren’t totally pleased with Saab developing it. It seems some of the development work was done…..a little undercover, shall we say. It was well advanced by the time it was brought to management’s attention.

The powerbrokers in Germany opined that Saab bringing this technology would set the bar too high for future Saabs…..

….which is kind of what they’ve done with this interior, isn’t it? I guess that’s probably the top shelf model they’re showing, but still, the premium Euro interior in the Saab’s going to have to absolutely brilliant (which is a great thing).

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Thanks to Rogan, there’s some more Saab 9-3 eye-candy to look at today. Another impressive set of shots.

Saab 9-3

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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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EnG Weekday Snippets

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I never know whether to synchronize my comment headings with Tasmania time or to write them in US time. Generally, I’m writing from the Central time zone in the United States which is roughly two-thirds of a day behind Swade in Oz. Therefore, I often post in the morning hours of the next day. “Weekday”. I know that fits.

Not to turn this into a foodie blog, I’ve enjoyed another regional delicacy here in Dayton, Ohio: Cincinnati-style chili. No side-trip needed for this little treat — there are chili restaurants all over Southwestern Ohio and Northern Kentucky. I tend to be a Skyline Chili man, but the others are good, too. Four way with onions, please!

Onto the Saabs.

First up, AutoWeek.com has a short mention of the Saab TurboX, most notable because the author criticizes automatic sport shift for having “terrible, very slow shift response”. For any other car, I’d wholeheartedly agree. However, this the TurboX. As you may recall, in my experience with the 2008 Saab TurboX the automatic transmission performed admirably in manual shift mode. Perhaps Swade’s recent drive will settle the disagreement.

Jalopnik is having a little fun speculating on the next generation 9-3. Their reasoning is sound: the Opel Insignia will be out late this year, and the model that it replaces, the Opel Vectra, is the current 9-3′s platform mate. Speculating that the new 9-3 will follow, they’ve based this Photoshop on the Insignia.

Not bad. Speculation is just that — speculation.

Finally, Saabrobz has a great set of pics from the Kak Midnattssolsrallyt 2008 on Flickr. Here’s a sample:

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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Hirsch officially launch their Saab 9-3 2.8 XWD tuning package

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Hirsch have finally lifted the covers of their upgrade package for the Saab 9-3 2.8 XWD. This tuning package will suit the Turbo X as well as Aero models with XWD. This tune is obviously for 2008 models, but I’m told that it will be the same package for 2009 models as well.

Using UK prices, the Hirsch tune comes in at GBP1,733.00, which includes VAT but doesn’t include installation. That’s definitely at the high end of the market, but it’s also at the highest end of the quality spectrum, too.

Hirsch XWDThe Hirsch XWD upgrade includes new software as well as a new intercooler and air filter housing. The output of you engine goes from 280hp to 300hp and torque rises from 400Nm to 430Nm. Top speed is still governed, but is lifted from 250km/h to 260km/h.

The tuning packages from Hirsch make for a very, very entertaining Saab. 20hp and 30Nm look like modest gains on paper, but (as always) it’s the way the car delivers the power that matters. With a Hirsch tune, the car becomes more responsive and aggressive when called upon. It’s not just the numbers at the upper limits that change, it’s the way it’s delivered.

Have a look at that dyno chart. The factory XWD tuning delivers maximum torque at 2500rpm. With the Hirsch tune, you get your response much quicker. The old torque max of 400Nm comes online at around 1750rpm and the new maximum of 430Nm kicks in at 2,000rpm, and it’s still carrying more than 400Nm right through to around 5200rpm. It’s a much more effective power band, making for a truly exhilarating drive.

Of course, the biggest thing about tuning your Saab via Hirsch is that you retain your original Saab factory warranty. I’ve heard good things about other tuners and know a lot of people that use their modifications, but only Hirsch allow you to keep your warranty.

If you’re fortunate enough to be in a market where Hirsch can sell you something, then check out their stuff for yourself. It’s the best there is in terms of both performance and support.

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Swade’s Canadian connections pay off for Saab

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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!!

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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