Spy Shots: Saab 9-3X spotted up close
by Jonathon Ramsey on Feb 5th 2009 at 10:28AM 
The Saab Unless Saab decides to create an Aero edition that will use the 2.8-liter V6, the 210 horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter might be the only engine on offer in the U.S. initially. No price has been mentioned, either, but with the 9-3 SportCombi XWD running $38,585, that's probably a good place to start working your way up. We'll see the car at next month's Geneva Motor Show, and it is expected on sale later this year.
[Source: Motor Authority]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
alex 10:43AM (2/05/2009)
I don't know how i feel about this car... it's kind of weird.
but i guess that's the way a REAL saab is supposed to be, right?
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aeroturbo 10:56AM (2/05/2009)
Lets wait to see what it looks like with real wheels in the showroom... I have never been a fan of the Audi Allroad though
Jared 11:40AM (2/05/2009)
I like the.... Headlights...
I guess that's what airplane design does for cars. Silly Swede's.
Ligor 10:59AM (2/05/2009)
that's way too much for this car
$38+k can fetch me a CTS4, a G35x or a 328xi and these 3 options are just way better for the money
now the CTS and 3-series have wagon versions as well,
how's GM going about this? here is a CTS wagon $40k, or here is a Saab wagon $40k - they trying to prove this won't sell?
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alex 11:12AM (2/05/2009)
pricing hasn't been announced yet
British_Rover 11:13AM (2/05/2009)
Yeah but you aren't paying 38,000 for a 9-3 XWD. After all the incentives and discounts from GM we have sold them for between 33,000 and 35,000.
aeroturbo 11:17AM (2/05/2009)
I agree with you Ligor, I love my Saab but the pricing is starting to get completely out of hand.
Steve 11:17AM (2/05/2009)
And GM wonders why they can't get buyers for Saab? They have to stop deluding themselves in believing that Saab is a premium brand when they're trying to sell gussied up chevys, opals, and subarus. As someone who just drove a 9-3 loaner for the past week, its pretty crummy on the inside as well.
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aeroturbo 11:21AM (2/05/2009)
What year and model did you have? Also, Ioaner cars are never representative of the quality of a car, they are always abused.
ChopperDave 11:37AM (2/05/2009)
I can vouch .... I have two 9-3 Arcs, an '03 with 79k and an '04 with 52k. We've had lots of interior pieces replaced under warranty for delaminating and pitting. The general quality of the materials is completely unworthy of the brand or the price, and that goes for the '06 (or was it '07?) update to the parts-bin interior. It's BS that a $30k+ car (not that we paid that) has such a shoddy interior.
In fairness, the replacements have held up, but come on. As I've said many times on this blog, I wouldn't go so far as to say that the 9-3 is a gussied-up Chevy, but these cars aren't supposed to be competing with A4s and 3-Series ... It's been to Saab's detriment that they've been perceived to be doing so.
Steve 11:41AM (2/05/2009)
Whoops. Don't get the new commenting system.. see my comment down below. By gussied up Chevy I mean the 9-7X which was being laughed at in the service shop. By subaru, I mean the 9-2X which I own only because of its extended warranty and being many thousands less than the equivalent WRX at the time of purchase.
debany 11:52AM (2/05/2009)
I see what you mean, Steve. I was thinking you were referring to the 9-3's distant relationship to the Malibu.
Gregg 11:33AM (2/05/2009)
I suppose they have to carry on with already planned stuff, but Saab is really dead meat--unless the Swedish government takes it over. What car company would want to buy it? Overpriced cars and much too tied to GM platforms to be the quirky little company it used to be. Interiors have fallen behind the times. Power and gas mileage is nothing to write home about. The 9-5 is a laughably overpriced old thing. And GM has no money to revive it.
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Steve 11:39AM (2/05/2009)
2009 with 100 miles on it. And I'm not talking about quality of drivetrain or other worn down parts. I'm talking about the uber cheap overhead light plastic, the inane pedal position, the 3 second lag on manual shifts in sport mode, the useless cupholders, and the in speedometer menu system that is about as hazardous as they come.
Even my family's old 1998 900 felt better than this car. I don't know who would possibly cross shop this car with a 3 series, C class or TL. Anyone who has fond memories of the old 900 has had them set afire with GM's incompetence.
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fredswanson 12:13PM (2/05/2009)
i dunno, steve. i have an 06 9-3 wagon that works for me. great in snow, fantastic seats, unmatched safety, great power with the turbo. i cross shopped the audi a4 avant and volvo v40 and 60, and felt like i was in a much more nimble car in the saab-- plus i hate the red dash lights in the audi, hated feeling like i was in a pimped vw, and the volvo just makes me feel like an old lady. i get better mileage in the saab than in our other car, an 08 mazda 3 5dr, and have more room and power. it's all personal preference, but the saab works for me- and while i'd like the prices to come down, they're in line with volvo, which to me is the closest comparison.
Steve 12:45PM (2/05/2009)
My opinions are opinions for sure. Maybe I'm biased since I have such fond memories of my family's pre-rebadging 900s. But the market seems to agree with me. Its not upscale enough to compete with the luxury brands, nor is it quirky enough to satiate the Saab loyalists, if many exist any more.
aeroturbo 4:57PM (2/05/2009)
For some trivia, in January 2009 the Saab 93 outsold the Volvo 30 series, 40 series, 50 series, 60 series, 70 series and 80 series the Audi A3 the Audi A5 the Jaguar XF and the Jaguar X-Type among others that are further from being competition.
Steve 12:09AM (2/06/2009)
Not to belabor the point but you're talking about a month where GM has slashed all prices to absurdly low levels just to get cash.
I'm not saying the Saab is a bad car. Its just not something that excites me at MSRP nor as a former Saab fan. GM wouldn't be trying to get rid of it if they had done a good job maintaining the brand either.
Jared 12:00PM (2/05/2009)
Overpriced, overweight, poor gas mileage, and overly late. If Saab survives long enough for the 9-3x to make to dealer lots, they'll only sell a handful. The Audi Allroad sold poorly. The Volvo XC70 sells poorly. Why Saab thinks theirs will sell any differently is completely beyond me.
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alex 12:19PM (2/05/2009)
you don't know the price. you don't know the weight. you don't know the gas mileage.
LOGIC = FAIL!