02 Jun 04
The redesigned front and rear are supposed to resemble a baby-9-5's, but the Japanese origins are still blatant. The tell-tale bonnet scoop has shrunk because Saab says the increased angle of the bonnet line means the same amount of air can be funnelled into a reduced gap.
That air feeds the four-cylinder turbocharged boxer engine lifted straight from Subaru, which means 227bhp, 5.7 seconds to 60mph and 217lb ft of torque in the Aero model, although there's also a normally aspirated 165bhp 2.5-litre from the Subaru Legacy in the entry-level Linear version.
The first thing you notice as you fire up the engine is that Saab has wiped out the Impreza's exhaust warble as part of a refinement drive that also cuts road noise through higher density carpets, more roof insulation, re-engineered engine mounts and specially commissioned Bridgestone tyres, riding on lightweight 16-inch alloy wheels.
The driving experience is predictably sure-footed given the legendary Impreza underpinnings, although Saab's work in softening the harsh ride without taking away the marvellous back-road charging ability is to a large degree successful. The 9-2X is composed when pushed hard through the twists before eventually breaking into mild predictable understeer at reasonably high speeds. Although the company claims to have tweaked the Aero's steering ratios compared with its donor car, little change is evident from the Impreza's informative and precise experience. The 2.7 turns lock-to-lock does mean you're bouncing off the lockstops in tight car park manoeuvres, however.
