2008 Saab 9-3 SportCombi
9-3 SportCombi a sporty combination for the family
The Saab brand lends GM perhaps the most European flavour of any of the General’s family of automakers. While we have recently seen GM bring in a couple of Opel vehicles under the Saturn nameplate, Saab retains a uniqueness that distinguishes its cars from most other makes sold in North America.
One thing the 9-3 shares with virtually all of GenMo’s North American cars, though, is a panoply of sublevels and trims; so to clarify our tester this week is the Saab 9-3 Aero SportCombi.
The “Aero” prefix designates this 9-3 as having the larger of two engine choices available, a 2.8-litre turbo V6 (it can also be had with a 2.0 litre four-banger, also a turbo), and the “SportCombi” moniker is Saab-talk for wagon (the model is also available as a four-door sedan).
So what we have here is a quirkily Euro-flavoured, turbocharged station wagon with just enough sport ‘n’ performance touches to make you forget that it’s a family hauler; and just enough styling cues and interior design flourishes that it feels different from other marques under the General Motors umbrella.
Under the hood, my tester’s engine kicked up a respectable 255 horsepower when revved to 5500 rpm, and moved it to the wheels via 258 lb.-ft. of torque at a much more accessible 2000 revs.
What this translates to is pretty good acceleration in a heavy-ish family car (the SportCombi weighs in at 1490 kg), with ample get-up-and-go from a standing start. The engine feels good whether in city or highway use; emits a refined note with little whine, and is tuned to be fairly quiet.
Handling in the car was better than I expected it would be in a wagon, isn’t my favourite in the world of wagons (that would be BMW’s 3-series Touring); but the steering feel is very good, and the low center of gravity keeps the long-bodied SportCombi flat and without feel of excessive rolling in corners.
A buyer has the choice of a manual transmission, but my tester was equipped with a six-speed automatic and steering mounted thumb-shifters – small flick-buttons mounted above the spokes on the steering wheel. One for upshifting, one for down, and the whole rig worked well enough, but I get tired of the whole steering-mounted-shifter thing in about five minutes in any test vehicle I have driven, and knock it back into full-on automatic mode.
It’s all the rage in cars in a certain price range, this steering mounted manumatic thing, but for my money the better transmission feature of my Saab was its Sport Mode selection.
Sport Mode is engaged with a dash mounted button that when selected, basically holds the vehicle in a gear longer than ‘normal’ during acceleration, and also downshifts earlier, keeping the engine revving higher and extracting optimal horsepower. I found it the better, and easier, way to get the snappiest performance from my Aero.
The interior of the car is what you would expect in a wagon; a five seater (leather upholstered, in this case) cabin with good headroom front and rear, and a fold-down armrest in the rear that turns it into a much more comfortable 2+2 configuration.
I found the driver’s seat very comfortable, even after long drives (the seat had optional 3-position memory, which worked in conjunction with the rear-view mirror settings), and all controls were in easy reach.
Being in easy reach didn’t necessarily make them easy to use, however; and I will say that some of the stereo/nav interface is fiddly.
The dash is a solid-feeling, well constructed affair, with an aluminum-trimmed cutaway that divides the driver’s side from passenger, and encircles the upper center stack from mid-dash to gauge cluster.
On the whole I liked it, frankly; the Saab dash and console is just the right balance between style and function, with the overall presentation being distinct without becoming either sterile or a weird collection of unrelated shapes and themes that sometimes sneaks into certain competitor’s vehicles.
Also, I have to mention; the pop-out cup holder is great. Not especially functional, mind you and the location is poor (much like the cupholder in Porsche’s 911, it suspends your drink precariously close to the stereo and nav controls) but its fun to play with.
It’s a spring-operated device that simultaneously pops out and unfolds at the touch of a button, and kept me amused for hours. I want every car to have one of these. Heck, I want them in my house.
Fact is I liked a lot of what the 9-3 Aero SportCombi had to offer; though it has its detractions. To wit:
A long overhang at the front end; extending well in front of the wheels, the low-slung front is one to watch when parking, as even average-height cement curbs present the possibility of wrecking the fascia.
The center console cover/armrest tends to slide around. This is bothersome to us gangly types who rest our elbows on it, as well as to we types who use it as a brace when exiting the vehicle.
Summary:
Strong Points
Weak Points
- - solid performance
- - comfortable driver's seat
- - nice dash and gauge display
- - long and low overhanging front end
- - less-than-user-friendly electronics
- - compromised visibility when shoulder checking
Editors Rating:
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