I don’t know how much noise it’s made overseas, but here in Australia, the motoring wires have been buzzing this week due to the arrival of a limited edition Volvo S60 tuned by Volvo’s racing partners, Polestar. This package has been put together specifically for the Australian market and Volvo Cars Australia will only sell 50 of them, each of the cars individually numbered.

A quick description, from the Fairfax press here in Australia:

Under the bonnet is the same 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbocharged engine in the T6 model, albeit tweaked to deliver an extra 18kW of power (242kW or 325hp) and a torque boost of 40Nm (to 480Nm) thanks to software upgrades.

It even matches its donor car’s official fuel use and emissions figures of 10.2 litres per 100 kilometres and 243g/km CO2. We managed 11.3L/100km during our time behind the wheel, including spirited driving through tight, twisting roads around Wollemi National Park in New South Wales.

Despite the performance gains, the official numbers again fail to live up to the car’s real-world abilities. At 5.8 seconds, it might only manage a 0-100km/h time of just 0.3 seconds less than the regular S60 T6, but it’s the Polestar’s impressive rolling acceleration that is likely to have buyers hand over the extra cash.

Unlike the US version, the Australian S60 Polestar is the only one of its kind in the world to receive stiffer springs for even sharper handling over the sporty T6 R Design. The Stateside version doesn’t get the sports exhaust system, bigger wheels or lower ride height either.

It sounds to me like the other Swede might be using us far away Aussies as guinea pigs for a wider rollout. Fair enough.

So why am I writing about an admittedly impressive-sounding Volvo here at Inside Saab?

There was a time, not so long ago, when Saab were the undisputed sporting choice for the Swedish car buyer. This goes right back to the earliest days of Saab, with their lightweight, tossable chassis and high-revving stroker engines. It continued through the days of the 99Turbo, the 900T 16V and even the 9000 Aero and 9-3 Viggen. By those later stages, however, Volvo were beginning to shed their block-of-flats design language and were starting to include some performance versions of their own. I still observe some of those early ‘R’ wagons with a degree of admiration.

Saab’s most recent quasi-performance edition was the 2008 Saab 9-3 Turbo X, a car that received a sitting ovation, mostly due to tamer-than-expected performance attributes. People expected the Turbo X’s output to be significantly raised over the standard 9-3 Aero V6 due to the addition of the XWD system. The truth of the matter turned out to be that the Turbo X was much more about XWD than it was about flat-out performance.

I have a feeling that the enthusiast set – me included – will come to appreciate the Turbo X much more as time passes, because it IS a great performing car on the road, even if the numbers on paper aren’t significantly different to other models. I know whenever I see one that I stop and stare, and my guess is that others do, too.

But back to the point…..

The S60 Polestar is a factory built collaboration between Volvo and Polestar, offered by Volvo Australia with the full Volvo three-year, unlimited kilometer warranty. It’s selling here in Australia for just over A$80,000 (previous S60R models from nearly 10 years ago sold for $20K more than that). All things considered, that’s a decent package.

I’d like to send a challenge out to Saab’s engineers and marketers – let’s not let Volvo have this ground to themselves.

Saab has the perfect performance partner, Hirsch Performance, from Switzerland.

Anyone who’s driven a car enhanced with Hirsch Performance gear knows that it’s a wonderfully integrated package that looks fantastic and drives even better than it looks. I first drove a Hirsch Saab 9-5 around 5 years ago and it was wonderfully, deliciously brutal when you wanted it to be, while still retaining all of the smooth qualities of the 9-5.

Saab has had a lot to contend with in the last two years – the carve-out from General Motors, the launch of the Saab 9-5 and 9-4x, and of course there are the severe troubles that the company has faced during 2011 and the immediate threat we face to our continued existence. We need to focus on getting past these obstacles and getting back on our feet.

I can’t help but think, however, that a project like the integration of Hirsch Performance into our factory offerings would instil a bit more pride, a bit more fight, into the Saab brand once we’re back on our feet. I know there are people in the upper echelon at Saab who are interested in these thoughts, too. As mentioned, though, we’ve just had too much on our plate in recent times to take it further.

We simply can’t let the ball-bearing manufacturers from Gothenburg have the fun side of Swedish motoring all to themselves. Can we?

The good news is that Saab did start working on greater use of Hirsch products with the 9-3 Independence Edition Convertible. I know there have been problems with those being built due to our current circumstances, but it’s still a step in the right direction for greater Saab-Hirsch integration.

The Saab 9-3 Griffin, using the new direct-injected 2.0T engine would be the perfect canvas for Saab and Hirsch to collaborate and produce a feisty product that could get some tongues wagging and a price point comparable to that S60 Polestar.

Just a little food for thought……

The 9-3 SS is a car that’s being regarded by some as a tag-along car in Saab’s range. The rest of the product offering from Saab is quite new, whereas the 9-3 was originally introduced as a 2003 model year car. There’s a temptation (that many succumb to) to write the 9-3 off as being ‘old’ before one even jumps into it. Don’t do it.

The Saab 9-3 Griffin shares little but the bare bones from that original car.

The design, as is usually the case with Saab, still looks fresh and contemporary even after all these years. Some might consider that it’s all just details, but it’s the details that finish the car and the work done on the Griffin sedan makes the whole package look quite distinctive.

The grille, headlamps, foglamps, bumpers, air intakes, badging and wheels have all been changed and all to great effect. A rear spoiler is standard on all sedan models and you get twin exhausts poking out the back, too.

On the inside, there’s new seat trim with leather/textile seats and contrasting stitching (super smart looking and super comfy), new dash panelling, a new graphite effect dash surround to replace the silver strip. There are new treatments on the doors, gearshift and glove compartment, too.

As with the exterior, each of these enhancements is a small modification when taken on its own, but it’s the details that make the whole package that much more impressive.

The exterior and interior enhancements make the car look and feel better as you approach the car, but it’s the drive that really had me looking forward to experiencing this car.

The 9-3 Griffin has a new petrol engine under the hood. It’s the same 2.0T inline four cylinder engine that’s found in the new Saab 9-5, with a tin scroll turbo, variable valve timing and direct injection. The engine’s available with either 163hp or 220hp, the second being the one that I drove last week.

I was really looking forward to this drive. I’ve driven the 9-5 with this engine in it and it was my favourite version of the 9-5 in terms of being a driver’s car. It’s much lighter than the V6 and makes the car feel much more nimble IMHO. Plus, the engine seems to be incredibly elastic, pulling well from low revs and in a really smooth manner.

Transplant those characteristics into the smaller Saab 9-3 and you get an engine that offers a much more satisfying drive than its predecessor. It’s only 10hp more than the old 9-3 four-banger, but it’s all in the way it delivers that extra power and torque. It’s so smooth, quite eager to please, and so easy to keep in the power band.

The car I drove was also equipped with Saab’s XWD system. The Haldex system made its worldwide debut in 2008 on the Saab Turbo-X and is still the most advanced all-wheel-drive system there is. Buyers of the more regular 9-3 petrol-driven models now have access to the XWD system and you should definitely give it some consideration.

For those who are unfamiliar, the XWD system is an all-wheel-drive system that uses an electronic limited slip differential to distribute power not only between front and rear wheels, but also between the left and right rear wheels. It uses sensors on all four wheels to detect slip thousands of times per second and distributes power where its needed to get the optimum grip, balance and stability.

Mate this XWD system to this new 2.0T engine and you really have the best driving Saab 9-3 we’ve ever offered and my quick drive last week backed up all the anticipation I felt prior to driving this car. It’s smooth, it’s quick, it’s very comfortable and it just can’t be moved from where you point it.

If you’re thinking of a new Saab, maybe your first new Saab, check out the 9-3 Griffin 2.0T. You won’t be disappointed. The Griffin is the best Saab 9-3 we’ve ever offered in terms of a standard product and it offers the absolute latest in terms of powertrain technology and driver comfort.

It was really pleasing, therefore, to receive an email a few days ago from a guy in North America named Glen M. It’s always great to hear customers’ stories about their new vehicles, what they’re doing and how much they’re enjoying them.

I’ll let Glen tell the story:

My family recently purchased a 2011 Saab 9-5 2.0t with 6 speed transmission to replace our 1999 Saab 9-5 wagon. We had been waiting for the new 9-5 SportCombi, but we had plans to head across the country to Canada for the summer and needed to update our automotive machinery.

We picked up the Saab roof racks and a Thule cargo carrier and made our way across the country in triple digit heat with punishing humidity. The new 9-5 was an absolute joy to drive, tracking straight and solid. Flawless performance after 15,000 miles and would gladly take it on the road again. That thing practically drives itself.

I am looking at snapping up an Aero version, but would like to get the wagon.

This is my third SAAB now. I still miss my Edwardian Grey 1989 900 SPG. The new 9-5 has been an absolute revolution and advancement in the state of the art for SAAB. I’ve attached a few snaps of our cross-country adventure. I did not go to any great lengths to pose her, but I had noticed the light playing off the sheet metal when we had stopped at Jocelyn Park at sunset, and I couldn’t resist.

Also, for the record … my absolutely favourite view of this car is the rear three quarter. Sublime. Hunkered down. Biomorphic. Unlike anything out there on the market today in this class and far better in my humble opinion.

These photos arrived overnight from the outbox of Just Saab in Ohio.

They show a couple of Saab 9-4x’s the dealership has just acquired for re-sale – and they’re rather special. The cars are 2011 models but feature exclusive paint/trim combinations that aren’t available as standard on the 2011 Saab 9-4x range. They are very early production models and have been used by Saab Cars NA for the last few months before being offered for sale.

Both cars have some miles on them (around 5-6K) but I’m sure you’ll agree they look absolutely stunning. I don’t think they’ll hand around for long.

Galleries below……

Saab 9-4x #1

• Atlantic Blue Metallic / Gray Leather
• 3.0i Premium
• XWD
• Moonroof
• MSRP – $41,695.

Saab 9-4x #2

• Ice Pearl Metallic
• Parchment Leather
• 2011 9-4x 3.0i
• XWD
• Moonroof
• PowerPackage
• MSRP – $39,705.00

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CLICK to enlarge.

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Right – Saab 9-4x 3.0 Premium

So even though I might tell you that from my recent test drives (Stockholm and back, Finland and back) that I think the Saab 9-4x is an outstanding new Saab, it would pay for you to check it out for yourself.

Two guys who did that recently were Steve C and Mitch. Steve emailed me directly over the weekend about his test drive. Mitch left his thoughts in comments to this website yesterday after taking a look at the 9-4x at his local dealer. Here’s what they had to say…..

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Steve C:

I chose one of the better summer weather days (Thursday) to take the day off, get an oil change and finally take a drive in a 9-4X. Reinertsen had 4 parked out front. This was a non-Aero XWD model and it lived up to expectations. I have a usual test drive course that offers me a fair comparison of vehicles.

The first thing I talk about when describing my first impression is that the 9-4X feels and drives smaller than you might think. When I set the mirrors to eliminate blind spots, I feel comfortable on multi-lane highways. On the narrow twisty road near my dealer, I was wondering how that would feel and the answer is great! I didn’t feel too conscious that it was too wide to stay in my lane and it felt great cornering.

I was impressed with the ride – even in sport mode it wasn’t bad. Probably better than in the 9-5 given the 9-4X tire size/aspect. That V-6 naturally aspirated engine likes to rev! I didn’t think I was too heavy on the gas but it still liked to rev before shifting, even in comfort mode. I liked that in sport mode, it showed you the gear it was in – even if you were still in auto mode. You don’t see that in comfort mode.

The other new thing for me was that the turbo gauge was replaced by a mpg gauge. And those side mirrors make for interesting visibility when looking out the side windows.

When I first saw the 9-4X prior to the NY auto show when my dealer had it for a week, I did all the things you can do when it is standing still with the engine off. This trip was just for driving and, taking everything together, I can say there is no question that this is a Saab!

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Mitch:

The 9-4x is brilliant. Too bad this piñata phase at Saab is detracting from it and other great products like the new 9-5 sedan and upcoming 9-5 ‘Combi. I spent some time this past Saturday with Chad at Just Saab Dayton OH and their showroom floor 9-4x Aero. Wow. The owner of the 9-4x reported as a sale on July 23 over at SaabsUnited pulled into the lot as we were talking. Wow. Just wow. The 9-4x looks even better in motion.

… I really need to hurry up and pay off my 2009 9-5 Combi …

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As always, don’t take my word for it. Get in and check out the 9-4x for yourself. It really is a cracker of a car and I’m sure you’re going to love it.

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You’ll need to be patient with this one. It’s around 9.5 minutes long and it shows a few different things. I think your patience will be rewarded, however, with an exhibition of just how incredibly intelligent and effective Saab’s XWD really is.

The video starts off looking at Drivesense, the switchable vehicle setting that debuted in the Saab 9-5. Drivesense changes the steering, suspension and throttle response settings according to selections made by the driver: comfort, sport or intelligent. In the video, a display is connected to show how intelligent mode varies the inputs according to conditions (and how it delays those variations if required – e.g. not changing steering settings whilst you’re cornering).

Later on (at around 5:30 in the video), there are some amazing displays of grip thanks to the Saab XWD system. Consider the conditions (very wet), the speed and the way that Stefan is pulling the steering wheel. The car just never got out of control. Absolutely amazing.

Enjoy.

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Last weekend I had the good fortune to pilot a Saab 9-4x for three days, covering 1,140kms from Trollhattan to Västerås for the Midnight Sun Rally, and then on to Stockholm for one night before returning to home base in Trollywood.

This was my first time driving a Saab 9-4x. I’m not what you’d call an SUV traditionalist. In fact, I’m the exact opposite, preferring smaller cars with efficient use of space and some sort of fun factor – that the 1999 Saab 9-3, a Mazda MX-5 and an Alfa Romeo 33 have all made appearances in my garage in the past should bear this out.

Still, this is a vehicle designed from the ground up as a Saab by a team led by Swedish engineer, Peter Dörrich. This is a vehicle we’ve been anticipating since we first saw the concept car in early 2008. To say I was excited about the opportunity would be an understatement of considerable proportions.

Styling

Do I need to add anything to the two photos, above? Styling is always subjective, but I think the Saab 9-4x looks absolutely fantastic.

It’s very contemporary without being flashy and stands out in traffic as much for its clean lines as it does for anything else. The proportions of the vehicle look strong and solid but when you park it amongst other modern vehicles, you realise that it stands out not because of its size – it really isn’t that much taller or longer than many modern vehicles – but the way the Saab have styled and formed its size into a very handsome package.

The Aero model comes with all the exterior trim but even the non-Aero model still looks very smart (see the Aero vs 3.0 section, tomorrow). When you’ve done a good job on the basics, the add-ons can only compliment what is already a fantastic piece of work. And when I consider the looks of the competition, there’s very little that comes close (seriously. really.)

On the inside

Reviewers have raved about the seats in the new Saab 9-5 Aero. For me, with a slightly larger build than the average bear, the seats in the 9-4x are even better. I find that a flatter seat squab suits me better for longer journeys and the 9-4x seats were perfect for my trip over the weekend.

The side bolsters aren’t as intrusive for someone of my build on these seats, but they still provide appropriate support and hug you into place nicely. And get this – on the Aero model that I drove and the Premium 3.0 model – you get electrically adjustable seats, with memory (incl pedals and mirrors) AND seat ventilation as standard equipment. Outstanding. Mrs Swade made particular mention of the height adjustment, which had her small frame sitting quite nicely once she figured out that she could adjust it.

The legroom is generous in the front. Rear seat passengers will generally be quite OK as well, though adults of my size might find the rear a little challenging over a long journey if someone of similar size is sitting in front. We had four guys over 6-feet tall in a 9-4x yesterday and it was OK for the journey that we took, but let’s just say that I wouldn’t have wanted to do my 1,100km+ weekend trip that way. Kids will have great fun in the back, especially if the car has the rear-seat DVD system. The sound is outstanding.

There’s so much to like about the interior of this car. The sound insulation is first class. The materials used in the cabin are first class. The Aero features some “graphite fibre-effect” trim around the console and dashboard, as well as in the doors, and it really is tastefully done. The Premium model features wood-effect in the same places and it combines with the dark interior to good effect.

As with the new Saab 9-5, the dashboard in the 9-4x has a layout that will be familiar to anyone who’s driven a Saab right back to the Saab 9000 of the 1980′s. The cockpit style layout and curvature of the dashboard makes for easy visibility of the gauges as well as operation of the climate and infotainment systems in the center stack.

Safety is a priority with every Saab we build, though it seems that safety now means extremely thick A- and B-pillars that come a long way inwards from the windows they surround. I reckon you could fit four A-pillars from my 1991 Saab 900 inside one A-pillar housing from the 9-4x. These pillars used to just be structural pillars in 1991 but today they house airbags and enough structural steel to help the 9-4x gain a Top Safety Pick award in the US. The trade-off is visibility, which is effected to a small degree looking forwards and moreso looking back. To help with rearward visibililty, the Saab 9-4x I drove was fitted with a rear-facing camera (standard on Aero) that employed some fancy graphics when you turn the steering wheel.

Trunk space is a competitive 827 litres and the Saab U-rail system is standard on the Aero model to help keep your luggage under control.

There’s also a powered tailgate, another feature that Mrs Swade found to be remarkably convenient (gotta keep the ladies busy hauling those bags, ya know….)

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I’ll be back tomorrow looking a little deeper into performance and fuel economy. I’ve also got a short comparison between the 3.0 Premium version, which I got a quick chance to drive on Monday morning.

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Would it be possible you to take some photos of new 9-3 Griffins especially 9-3Xs? Interior footage is the most interesting. It is hard to make decisions of ordering a new car if you don’t know how it looks like – dash, steering wheel, seats etc.

Griffins can be a little hard to come by at the moment, but when I was at the Saab Museum yesterday photographing the Saab 9-6 prototype, they happened to have a Saab 9-3x Griffin on display there.

Seeing that the enquiry sought some more details about the Griffin, I think it’s appropriate to share a few things about the Saab 9-3 Griffin range of vehicles. You can also read the full 9-3 Griffin press release from vehicle’s debut at the Geneva Motor Show.

Click the images to enlarge:

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Refreshed exterior styling:

• ‘Ice block’ headlamp effect introduced on the new 9-5 sedan now on the 9-3.
• More prominent, wing-shaped central bar carrying the SAAB wordmark, again like the 9-5 sedan.
• The SAAB wordmark replaces badging on the chrome trim at the rear, and all Sport Sedan variants receive a trunk-mounted spoiler.
• Re-profiled front bumpers include a deep, trapezoidal air intake finished with black, ribbed bars, or a mesh insert for Aero variants.
• Front fog lamps fitted as standard.
• 16-inch alloy wheels are now fitted as standard, increasing to 17-inch for Aero and Saab XWD variants. New 17- and 18-inch wheel designs are also offered.

Refreshed interior styling:

• Titanium metallic-effect trim is introduced around the instrument panel, gearshift molding, doors and glove box, and as an option for the instrument panel fascia.
• The Aero interior features a graphite fiber-effect for all these items, including the fascia. A brushed metallic effect is also introduced as an option for both standard and Aero variants.
• Shark grey fabric inserts now complement both the black and parchment standard leatherette seats, while irregularly ribbed leather with contrasting stitching is introduced for Aero upholstery.

Engines.

The BIG news about the 9-3 Griffin range for many European markets is that the Saab 9-3 SportCombi now joins the Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan in offering a diesel variant with less that 120g of CO2/km. The TTiD engines offer up to 180hp and all three variants of the engine produce just 119g/km, offering significant ownership savings.

There’s good news for those who prefer gasoline engines, too, with the Saab 9-3 Griffin range getting the new direct injection engine as offered in the Saab 9-5. The new 2.0-liter gasoline engines offer 163 and 220 hp variants (market dependent) and include direct injection, variable valve timing and twin scroll turbocharging. Combined cycle fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are reduced on average by 4% across the range.

That’s 10hp more, using 4% less fuel.

E85-compatible Saab BioPower variants of both gasoline engines are also available, and six-speed transmissions become standard across the entire powertrain line-up. Saab’s XWD system is also available with both gasoline engines.

The Saab 9-3 Griffin is the best 9-3 we’ve ever offered for sale and we can’t wait to get them out the door.

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The new Saab 9-4X crossover has earned ‘Top Safety Pick’, the highest rating for crashworthiness awarded by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in the United States. Only three weeks ago, the Saab 9-5 Sedan received the same accolade.

“To achieve two Top Safety Picks in three weeks is, of course, extremely gratifying,” says Per Lenhoff, Head of Safety Development at Saab Automobile. “Our main priority is always the protection of real people in real accidents, but the IIHS tests are a valuable guide for consumers and it is important for us to achieve good results.”

IIHS is a research and communications organization funded by auto insurers in the US. The test procedures include front impact (offset) and side impact crashes. Seat/head restraints are also tested in a simulated rear-end impact to assess protection against whiplash injuries and the roof structure is tested to assess vehicle rollover protection.

Performance is rated as ’Good’, ’Acceptable’, ’Marginal’ or ’Poor’ in each of the tests and to achieve the ’Top Safety Pick’ award, cars must achieve the highest rating in all four procedures and should also be fitted with ESP®.

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The reason? Well, it all started back in the Swedish winter with an icy road, a bend and a telegraph pole…..

This photo was taken in the dark with a cell phone, so it’s a little blurry, but here’s a look at some of the damage.

The repair took some time to complete and the first opportunity to pick up the car was last weekend. I came along to share the driving responsibilities so this story is part vehicle comparison, part road trip and part lessons learned (more on that later).

Our ride for the trip up was a rented Saab 9-3 SportCombi from 2010 with a small-t BioPower engine and a six-speed manual gearbox. The car got us from A to B in relative comfort seeing we were carrying three people, their overnight needs and a full set of 18-inch summer wheels and tyres in the back.

Fully loaded and with the small output engine, there isn’t much to talk about with this particular Combi in terms of sporty performance (which is, generally speaking, my personal measuring stick). That said, it did manage a pretty respectable 9.8l per 100kms on E85 when I had the wheel for the afternoon stint and was just a little less efficient per 100kms on the whole drive.

The car did what you expected it to do: it held the road very well and got us to our destination in comfort. Passing speeds on the E4 motorway were best reached via a multiple downshift to fourth or even third gear depending on the speed and the incline. It was stable, predictable, efficient and comfortable and for 99% of its buyers, this is just what they’re looking for. This model was not intended to be a road rocket, but it did everything it should, including looking pretty darn nice under the northern midnight glow:

We got up early the next morning and headed up to the workshop where Rune’s car was (almost) ready and waiting. Despite his cool outer demeanour, Rune was very much like a kid at Christmas and I can understand why – it’s not that often you get to take delivery of your car twice within a year. After such a long absence, it must have been like getting the car for the first time all over again.

The car needed a wash as it had been sitting outside for quite a bit of the time and had accumulated some pollen and other grime. I guess when you live in such northern latitudes, you get accustomed to doing most things indoors, including hosing down the car…..

Rune took care of the minor details just before we took off for our journey south, affixing the Saab Car Museum decoration to his number plate holder…..

This is where the road trip section of the story begins.

For those of you who haven’t been on a long drive within Sweden, your view out the window will generally take one of two forms. It’ll either look like this……. lots of trees on either side of the highway:

Or like this….. occasional field with optional (mostly) red-painted buildings:

There is the occasional variation – a yellow house, or a blue one. A turnoff for a village, a lake or even a piece of coastline. But for much of your long drive on a main highway in Sweden, this is what you’ll see. Get off the main highways and the roads are a lot smaller, twistier and the scenery is often much more varied and interesting. The domestic architecture doesn’t change much, but it’s part of the charm.

I guess this is where we get to the lesson learned, which is concerned with the satnav and the way you use it. We entered our destination and if I recall correctly, the system offered us a couple of different routes by which we could get there.

People should note that the ‘shortest distance’ offered does not necessarily mean the quickest trip, as we found out on our return leg. It was definitely more picturesque, but the occasional (and rather long) roadworks along with twisting roads and vastly reduced speed limits added around three or four hours to our return journey. Yes, three or four hours. Take note, nav owners and users.

To the 9-5, then.

This is a 2011 model 2.0T Aero with XWD. Rune is a BioPower advocate and waited deliberately until the BioPower model became available before making his purchase. The engine is the new direct injection engine producing 220hp and 350Nm and Rune selected the 6-speed manual gearbox to go with it. He also chose the navigation and entertainment system, grey perforated leather seats, head-up display, rear privacy glass…… so it’s pretty much got all the creature comforts a young owner could want. And yes, he looks very happy, as he should:

The trunk didn’t quite cope with all four winter wheels and tyres, so we had to fold down the rear seat and have a few of them poking into the cabin. Despite this, and despite me sitting in the passenger seat with my bulky frame and reasonably long legs, Anna still had plenty of room in the back, too. Check the distance between my headrest and Anna – it’s almost a football field in there.

I had a chance to spend a fair bit of time behind the wheel on the way home and it was a good reminder of just how impressive the new Saab 9-5 is. You can see the space for yourselves in the images in this story, but that’s only part of the tale. This is a pretty big car, but you’d never know it by the way it drives.

When I first drove the new Saab 9-5 at the vehicle launch last year, I declared this setup – the 2.0T with XWD – to be my personal favourite. The four-pot is so much lighter than the six cylinder and what it doesn’t get in power, it more than makes up for with handling. The car is so sure-footed and feels so right when you steer it into a bend. It really does feel like a much smaller car.

The other thing that made a very distinct impression on me was the flexibility of this 2.0T engine. While the little BioPower engine in the 9-3 (no badging on the car, but I think it was a 1.8t) coped very well with regular driving, it felt a bit breathless when challenged. This new Direct Injection engine in the 9-5 was outstanding in that respect. Going uphill in sixth gear and need a little more? No problem. No real need to even change down to fifth, let alone fourth.

Of course, if you’re overtaking and need to do so safely, then a change down is a wise idea to ensure a safe, quick pass. But I was amazed at how elastic, how flexible this engine was on both the highway and the back roads.

And the really good news? This is in the 9-5, which is a big car and reasonably heavy compared to the 9-3. That same engine in Rune’s car is now available in the Saab 9-3 Griffin and I can’t wait to have a drive of that particular model.

People have a tendency to overlook the 9-3 now that there’s some new product coming online in the 9-5 sedan and wagon, and the 9-4x. I say that’s premature. The 9-3 has held its looks quite well and with this new mechanical package, it’s surely the best 9-3 that Saab have ever offered. It’ll be well worth a look when it arrives in your neighborhood.

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We covered over 2,000 kilometers in two Saabs, all within two days. The cars were quite different and it was great to compare one to the other. Both had their strengths. Both did everything that was asked of them, and quite well, too.

Rune and Anna got their car back and the smiles tell the story. They are a pair of very happy campers, and after spending the day in their new-again Saab 9-5, I can well understand why.

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