| A Week at the Wheel | Cambs, England | Saab 9-3 Vector Sport 1.9TiD 150 |
Inside & Out: 
A recent refresh has made a significant difference to the Saab 9-3's appearance, the measure of its success depends largely on the viewer's tastes. As with so many new designs, it polarises opinions with the heavy-handed front-end treatment in particular causing a lot of debate. In profile, the trademark Saab cues have been diluted and the rear three-quarter view looks rather frumpy. It has definitely been given a badly needed change but the jury is out on its success.
Inside, things are better, with plenty of space and a good level of standard fit and finish. Designers are conscious of the brand's subtle touches so the meshed vents, night panel and ignition next to the gear lever remain; welcome sights but rare high points. Features such as the awkward handbrake continue to infuriate with the aesthetics-mightier-than-ergonomics treatment. New life needs to be injected into the interior.
Engine & Transmission:
Saab's latest engine range is true to the brand's core values of strong, linear and effortless performance. Previous,
non turbocharged 9-3s have felt somewhat at odds with what one may expect from the marque, but the diesel engines are pleasingly Saab-like. This 150PS version nestles in the middle of the range between a lower rated 8-valve derivative and the new, and decidedly interesting, sequential twin-turbocharged 180PS TTiD. As such it offers an excellent blend of performance and economy with the broad spread of torque masking its true pace. In reality you have to specify a blown 2.0-litre petrol version to match its pace, with obvious implications in terms of economy, tax and refinement.
On the road, the torquey nature of the turbodiesel unit is always evident, feeling a good deal quicker than the bare flat-out figures suggest, and the standard diesel short shifting driving style is quickly and naturally adopted. However, the engine is also willing to rev and makes a good fist of delivering at higher revs, although there's no doubt the TTiD version will be better in this respect. It's a pleasing enough driving companion partnered with a slick-shifting gearbox possessed of sensibly lengthy ratios.
Ride & Handling:
It's obvious a lot of effort has been expended honing the 9-3's chassis and it has paid dividends, the 9-3 being agile, grippy and - for the most part - neutral. Traction is good and the ESP system is appropriately relaxed and unobtrusive, but the overall experience is rather detached. The ride on the sensibly sized and profiled tyres is quite good, but the level of tyre noise on most surfaces was found to be markedly worse than in most rivals. There's no doubting the progress that has been made beneath the skin, but the 9-3 still lags behind the ability of rivals such as the
Mercedes-Benz C-Class and
BMW 3 Series.
Equipment, Economy & Value for Money:
If the 9-3 delivered at the level Saab believes it does (i.e. at the heart of the German class standard) then the list price would be altogether reasonable. However, it falls some way short and as such needs to be considered in terms of pricing against
Ford,
Mazda and
Honda offerings where its competitive price advantage is lost instantly.
Overall:
Product placement is key and Saab's belief that the 9-3 contends with the 3 Series and
new A4 and C-Class is, in practice, rather optimistic. All of those rivals that are cited give the 9-3 a thorough drubbing. Lower one's sights and it becomes easier to be more positive about the 9-3, but newer, keener rivals do make it feel a little tired. A few years ago the 9-3 was a middle order competitor, but Saab needs new blood in this market sector sooner rather than later and we'd struggle to recommend this 9-3 over the usual German offerings, Ford's Mondeo or the latest Japanese contenders in the shape of the Accord and Mazda6. It's not a bad car, but neither is it a good one.
