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 Wagon has 419 litres of boot space with the seats up, or a modest 1,285 litres with the rear seats folded down. A BMW 3-Series has equivalent figures of 490 and 1,385 litres - and the BLS saloon actually has a six-litre advantage over the Wagon's seats-up figure. It's the price you pay for those sharp lines.
Driver and front-seat passenger accommodation is good, with decent amounts of head, shoulder and leg room on offer. Those in the back are less well catered for, as the sloping rear of the car limits headroom. Two six-foot-tall adults would not be able to sit in comfort behind each other - although younger kids will be fine in the back.
Standard kit is good, with air conditioning, cruise control, 16" alloy wheels, steering wheel-mounted radio controls, electric windows and a seven-speaker CD player fitted to the entry Business trim level. Mid-range Elegance adds automatic wipers, electric seats, dual-zone climate control, wood trim and bigger 17" alloys. Top-spec Sport Luxury gains sports suspension, xenon lights, heated leather seats and 18" alloys.
A fantastic Bose six-CD sound system is optionally available on all trim levels, as is DVD-based satellite navigation and Bluetooth compatibility.
