Category: Compact Executive 
Price Range: £23,000 to £24,550
Distinctive styling, diesel economy.
Modest boot, small dealer network.
A Saab 9-3 in a sharp suit.
The BLS drives well, with a comfortable ride, although it's a little soft when cornering, with a tendency to jar over potholes at low speeds.
The driving position is good and the seat is electrically adjustable in all directions on the mid-spec Elegance trim level and above. The steering wheel adjusts for both rake and reach, so most people should be able to find a decent driving position without too much trouble. The seats have little in the way of lateral support, though, so passengers will find themselves slipping around if the driver corners aggressively.
Enthusiastic drivers will be disappointed if they're expecting the front-wheel-drive BLS to come even close to matching rear-drive competitors such as the BMW 3-Series and Mercedes C-Class. The steering feels numb and disconnected, with little in the way of feedback coming from the front wheels.
Five engines are offered in the BLS, all of them turbocharged: two 2.0-litre petrols, with 173bhp and 207bhp; a 2.8-litre V6 petrol with 252bhp; a 1.9-litre common-rail diesel with 148bhp and a new version of the same engine with a two-stage turbo, producing 178bhp.
The 173bhp petrol has a five-speed gearbox, manual or auto, where all the others have six-speed 'boxes. Its 195lb-ft of torque is available at 2,500rpm, giving a 0-62mph time of 8.8secs (10.0 auto) and a top speed of 134mph (131 auto). The 207bhp version has an extra 45lb-ft of torque, which brings the 0-62mph time down to 7.8secs (8.6secs auto) and a top speed of 137 (134mph).
The 2.8-litre V6 turbo is the only hot engine on offer. Its 252bhp and 269lb-ft of torque (available from 1,800 to 4,500rpm) give a 0-62mph time of 7.4secs (8.0 auto) and a 149mph top speed.
The basic diesel musters 148bhp and 236lb-ft of torque, giving a 0-62mph time of 10.4secs (12.1secs auto) and a 124mph top speed (121 auto). The relatively narrow peak torque band of 2,000-2,750rpm means that you find yourself having to change down a gear to overtake on the motorway or when tackling a steep incline. The two-stage turbo version (available from autumn 2007) has 178bhp accompanied by 295lb-ft of torque, or 273lb-ft for the automatic. Its 0-62mph time is a decent 9.1secs and its top speed 134mph (9.8secs and 131mph auto).
We've tried three of the five engines. The 178bhp diesel strikes the best compromise between economy and performance, although we found it tricky to drive smoothly.
