Stepping back from the edge

I was sitting at my computer, transcribing the notes I’d made about my week with the 2009 Saab 9-3 Aero, when something odd happened.

While I worked, the TV was on in my office and I was half watching the second round of the (former) Big Three Detroit automakers’ coming cap in hand to the U.S. Congress for a bailout.

One of the things the (supposed) guardians of taxpayer dollars seemed to want was a guarantee the money would be used to reduce excess production capacity.

Search for a used Saab 9-3

That’s when the possibility of General Motors shedding its Hummer, Saab, Saturn and Pontiac divisions came up again.

After the hearings in Washington there was an immediate outpouring of Internet support for Saturn, but not so much for Saab. Interesting, I thought, because my notes on the 9-3 Aero X read: “Has lost most of the quirkiness that used to make a Saab a Saab. It might as well be a Pontiac.”

And therein lies the problem with GM in general and Saab in particular. Even after dissolving Oldsmobile in 2000 – the same year it gained 100% ownership of Saab – GM still makes too many cars that are too similar. The industry calls it overlapping and, yes, it’s partly a result of globalization and the effort to cut costs by sharing engines, transmissions and platforms. But those of us who are old enough long for the days when a Chevrolet was a Chevrolet and a Saab was a Saab.

It’s not that there’s anything wrong with the 9-3 Aero XWD I’d been driving. It was a roomy, quick and capable four-door sedan. But somewhere during GM’s ownership the Swedish brand has lost most of the style that helped make it such a cult favourite.

Sure, the 9-3 still has that funky cupholder that pops out of the dash, the cool Night Panel setting that leaves only the most vital functions illuminated and the trademark ignition switch set flat on the centre console. But something’s missing.

Saab made its name by being different – offering turbocharging and front-wheel drive at a time when few others were, and by looking unlike anything else on the road.

Saab also was one of the first automotive companies to take safety and the environment seriously. Its innovations include active head restraints, asbestos-free brakes and CFC-free air conditioning. But everybody’s aboard the safety and environment bandwagons now.

And front-wheel drive, which gave Saab its first North American foothold in snowy New England, is now the industry norm rather than the exception.

Saab didn’t introduce electronic all-wheel drive, dubbed XWD, until 2008. It works by monitoring the operator’s driving intentions, along with traction and g-forces, to distribute torque between the front and rear wheels with the best grip. A $2,975 option, XWD improves the car’s handling on dry roads and worked well enough during the surprise snowfall that blanketed my region in our week with the 9-3. But my wife, who rarely drives above the speed limit and slows down even more if there’s snow on the roads, reports that despite the intervention of the ABS system she slid halfway through one country intersection when the Pirelli PZero Hero performance tires refused to grab the slick surface.

GM has tried to find a niche for Saab in its corporate lineup by marketing it as a luxury vehicle. But isn’t that the ground already occupied by Cadillac? And as a performance car, is it a contender or a pretender?

Well, the cabin’s design and appointments are okay, but certainly not anything special. Among GM’s other brands, Buick does interiors better.

The 2.8-litre turbocharged V6 makes 280 hp at 5,500 rpm, and can send the 9-3 from 0-100 km/h in 6.9 seconds and from 80-120 km/h in 6.6, but there’s a fuel penalty to be paid for all that power. Competitors such as Acura TL, Hyundai Genesis and Infiniti G37 are quicker, and road noise also seemed louder than that in other entry level luxury cars costing under $50,000.

Driving a Saab used to say you were someone who dared to be different, perhaps even a bit eccentric. What’s it say about you today?

In an era when image is everything, Saab has lost its way. Perhaps it could regain it under new ownership.