Category: Compact Executive 
Price Range: £19,995 to £28,751
Well-designed, capable and credible alternative to the German cars in this class. Excellent engines, fine cabin and satisfying to drive. And a little different
Styling a little bland, ride poor with some wheel/tyre combinations, not quite as accomplished as BMW 3-Series, noisy diesels
A Saab for which excuses need not be made, and a satisfying, sensible buy to boot
The quality of the ride varies according to the wheel/tyre combination, but on the whole, the 9-3 Sport Saloon rides quietly and smoothly. In sportier specs, with 17-inch or larger wheels, it jolts and jars at low speed over rough surfaces, but strangely, the all-out Aero, with its lowered sports suspension, feels more refined. Road roar can intrude on coarse surfaces, too.
The more comfort-oriented versions, with more traditional interior trim and 16-inch wheels, have squashy but supportive seats and prove the softest-riding. The petrol engines are muted most of the time, but they turn a little strained when revved hard. The GM 1.9 diesel is less noisy than the previous 2.2, but still clatters a bit on start-up.
The cabin is well equipped with lots of useful storage facilities, and the heater is very powerful, although it does take a while to warm up. There's not a huge amount of rear legroom, but the 9-3 Sport Saloon compares favourably to the 3-Series, A4 and C-Class saloons. The Sportwagon estate isn't exactly a huge load-lugger, either, but it's comparable to the A4 Avant, 3-Series Touring, V50 and so on, with a usefully-sized flat load bay.
Anyway, the key theme to this model is "driver first", and the driver (plus front seat passenger) is indeed very well served for space. Even the tallest should be able to get comfortable, with multi-adjustable seats and steering wheel. This car is wider and taller than its predecessor, though around the same length, with an increased wheelbase, and the difference is clear, especially in the more generous headroom. One minor annoyance is that the boot release gets very dirty in bad weather.
There are several grades and upgrades of stereo available; the standard Premium 70 system with single-slot CD player has just four speakers and a 70-watt amplifier, but you can specify up to 13 speakers and 300 watts; the mid-range multi-CD set-up we tested had excellent sound quality but proved difficult - sometimes very - to load with CDs. Satellite navigation with a colour screen is optional, as are a telephone keypad, SMS messaging, Bluetooth connections, GM's OnStar telematics connections and link-ups to diagnostic and dealership facilities (when the infrastructure is established). You can also hook up an MP3 player.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Saab 9 3
wrote on 20 09 2007
wrote on 13 08 2007
wrote on 23 08 2006