Category: Large Family 
Price Range: £19,995 to £28,751
Distinctive image; excellent new diesel engine; E85 option; well-designed cabin; value for money.
Thirsty petrol engines.
Substantially updated and ever more powerful, the Saab 9-3 can be a great drive as well as a practical, safe and sensible purchase. A very nicely thought-out all-rounder.
Five stars overall in the NCAP crash tests (though just one for pedestrian safety, in the 2002-07 model) and top marks in the American IIHS tests, but Saab has always stressed that it designs its cars to survive well in real-life accidents as well as laboratory conditions.
This is consistently backed by statistics from all over the world involving data on fatalities, occupant injuries and suchlike, Saab always topping surveys by organisations such as Folksam, Sweden's largest insurer (which also rates it well for security and thief-proofing) and the US Highway Loss Data Institute.
Standard equipment includes active head restraints - claimed to reduce neck injuries in rear-end impacts by 75% - front, side and full-length roof-mounted airbags and seatbelt pre-tensioners.
To help avoid an accident in the first place, some models have standard stability control, and new options include bi-xenon cornering-beam headlamps and tyre pressure monitoring.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Saab 9 3
wrote on 20 09 2007
wrote on 13 08 2007
wrote on 23 08 2006