Expansive blue skies set the scene for a perfect spring day in New England as an enthusiastic team from Saab greeted us journalist types and eagerly showed off the Swedish brand's newest top-level sedan, the TurboX. After a quick Powerpoint chat with Saab USA GM Steve Shannon and a stroll under a TurboX that was hoisted on a lift, we were making use of the Big Dig highway improvements on our way to several hours of blissful thrashing. Federal dollars never sounded so good as we held the turbocharged 2.8-liter V6 in first gear, happily snarling along in the upper reaches of the tachometer and turning the underground portions of the highway into a gigantic reverberator.



Photos: Zane Merva/AutoInsane

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Here's a PSA for the Saab aficionados among our UK-based readers. We now know what you'll have to pony up to roll in one of the 500 Saab Turbo X's earmarked for your market. Set to debut in England the the Top Gear boys' MPH show, the Turbo X will start at £32,495 and go up from there. As you already know, the Turbo X delivers 280 HP / 295 lb-ft (400 Nm) from its 2.8L V6 turbo mill, and XWD is standard equipment. Given its limited nature, those 500 cars would likely have been snapped up irrespective of price. In addition to the pricing news, we now have 3 new shots of the car in its spiffy wagon form. Enjoy, and happy shopping.

[Source: Saab]

click above image for high-res gallery of 2008 Saab Turbo X

Like many vehicles being debuted at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show, the 2008 Saab Turbo X was leaked early. Surprisingly, the few preview images we saw didn't do this car justice. When seen live under the lights of Frankfurt's Messe, the Turbo X looks like the Official Car of the Sith. While GM rolled out a Turbo X sedan during the press conference, we found a Sport Combi model back in the Saab stand we liked even more. The look of these vehicles evokes the classic Saab 900 "Turbo Black" models, an original of which was on hand. The Saab 9-3's new face is looking good here, and the rear of the car is upgraded by a set of dual "romboid-shaped" tailpipes, as well.

Backing up its blackness is a 2.8L turbocharged V6 producing 280 hp and 296 ft-lbs. of torque. The real news is the XWD all-wheel drive system with an eLSD that can divvy up power between the front and rear wheels, as well as splitting it between the two rear wheels, as well. The chassis and suspension have been tightened up, larger brakes been added and a set of gun metal gray 18-inch alloys fitted (19-inchers are available outside the U.S. and Canada). One neat little touch by Saab is the turbo boost gauge on the Turbo X, which is a replica of the original boost gauge on the original 900 Turbo. The rest of the interior, meanwhile, has also been dipped and darkness and features black surfaces all around.

Check out Saab's official press release after the jump for more details on the Turbo X, and view our live shots of the reveal as well as new official shots from Saab in the gallery below.

click above image to view gallery

Though scheduled to debut next Tuesday at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show, the special edition Saab Turbo X has arrived a bit early courtesy of one particular Swede-o-phile over at Trollhattansaab.net. Actually, only three more images have arrived, but in addition to the front teaser shot that Saab had already released, the new pics show the car from the rear, as well as its exclusive blacked-out interior.

To refresh, the Saab Turbo X will debut the automaker's new XWD all-wheel drive system from Haldex. It's capable of dividing power between the front and rear wheels, but also from side to side in the rear thanks to a new electronic slip differential. Saab's 2.8L turbocharged V6 has been worked over for duty in the Turbo X and now produces 280 hp, up from 255, and 295 ft-lbs. of torque. Trollhattan reports that it will be good for a 5.7 second sprint to 62 mph, which makes it one of the fastest Saabs we've ever heard of.

Check out the official tech specs and press release from Saab at Trollhattansaab.net.

[Source: Trollhattansaab.net]

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Frankfurt will be the stage upon which Saab reveals the Turbo X, a limited edition 9-3 that will reportedly serve as the debut vehicle for the automaker's new XWD system and celebrate 30 years of turbocharging at Saab. According to Trollhattan Saab, which has been discussing and dissecting the Black Turbo/Turbo X speculation for a while, the car will make 280 horsepower and more importantly, feature eLSD as standard equipment. eLSD will be available on XWD Aero models, but only as an option. This limited slip differential adds the ability to split torque between the rear wheels in addition front/rear split that XWD affords drivers. Look for Turbo X styling to be more aggressive than what you'll see on the other restyled 9-3s, as well as an interior treatment exclusive to this model. Many people have called for an AWD performance Saab, and it's almost here. All will be made known in Frankfurt, and we'll be on hand to tell you about it soon after it goes down.

[Source: Saab]