Saab 9-3 SportWagon
New estate car features TwinFloor thingy
Saab has launched its new 9-3 SportWagon. The stylish and muscular looking car gives Saab the chance to grab a slice of a growing sector in the market.
Last year, Europe's growing premium mid-size estate segment reached a quarter of a million units, with the UK accounting for almost 50,000 of these. Diesel engines accounted for 60 per cent of UK premium mid-size estate sales, and 70 per cent of overall European sales. In Europe the model will be known as the 9-3 SportCombi.
In addition to a comprehensive seven-engine line-up, the Aero model will launch an all-new, high performance, 250 bhp, 24-valve, 2.8-litre V6 Turbo – the first in the segment to have a turbocharged six cylinder engine. The new V6 Turbo will also be available in the 9-3 Aero Sport Saloon and Convertible models from September.
The SportWagon comes with a TwinFloor stowage facility. By pulling a chrome, aircraft-shaped handle, the main boot floor can be folded and relocated for access to a recessed sub-floor.
This 9-3 is the first Saab to achieve zero lift levels at both axles, (0.00 Clf and 0.00 Clr). It has low drag with 0.33 Cd and high speed stability, and integrated rear roof spoiler.
Targarama said:
Yawn. Looks like a Subaru Legacy to me.
Interesting alternative to a Audi A4 Avant I guess.
Whose chassis is this built on? Vauxhall/Opel or Subaru?
This is still based on the 9-3 Sport Saloon that has been around for a couple of years and has Vectra underpinnings.
This should do well. A lot of Saab buyers are families although they will also be pursuing the left-fielders and activity types with this, all of whom will welcome the hatch and extra space.
Don't forget the old 93 was a hatch but the marketing boys pressured the company into the new one being a saloon as they read somewhere that is what junior execs want... ;-)
hendry said:
[quote=Targarama]
This should do well. A lot of Saab buyers are families although they will also be pursuing the left-fielders and activity types with this, all of whom will welcome the hatch and extra space.
Don't forget the old 93 was a hatch but the marketing boys pressured the company into the new one being a saloon as they read somewhere that is what junior execs want... ;-)
Spot on this comment. Instead of widening the audience with the vastly better handling 'new' 9-3, Saab just seemed to swap one target audience for another by foregoing the hatchback option.
Given this is a family oriented vehicle or one for those needing space for Fido to stretch out in the back, probably unrestrained, I would have thought that 250 should provide enough go for it to easily exceed any realistic maximum speeds the target audience might desire.
If the torque is at or above the levels of the 4 pot 250bhp HOT engine in the 9-5, given the 9-3 is presumably lighter, that should be quite adequate as well.
Perhaps a 4x4 using the Subaru setup but with the V6 instead of the flat 6?
As for the 9-3 Wagon - looks good. And yes us "true" performance car drivers own cars with bhp/litre over 100, but they're a little extreme for many people, and can be rather more expensive to build...a nice lazy 250 from a big V6 with a low-pressure turbo is likely to be easier and sweeter to drive than the equivalent 2.0T with 250bhp.
Sadly, GM hasn't yet grasped 'that' part of the marque's heritage...
(Oh, and 281 bhp through he front wheels is adequate as long as the car around it doesn't weigh anymore than 1,200 kgs and the gearing is so short that you're flat out at 7,000 rpm in fifth @150ish...
)
Saab should introduce a new AWD 900 with an option for 300HP and have it compete with the WRX/Evo. I'd have FIVE of them.
) was well on its way to being an icon of comparable order when GM decided to replace it with something Cavalier-based... FesterNath said:
I scratched my head when I saw it. It don't make no sense. Why couldn't SAAB have kept updating the 99, like a mass market Swedish 911...
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