First drive: Saab 9-3's huge leap forward

LAUNCHED this week in the Swedish capital Stockholm and due on sale in Australia by mid-October, the first new 9-3 in nine years represents the biggest product development program in Saab history.

Vital to the success of the Swedish company as General Motors' premium global brand, Saab says the 9-3 is also the first compact sedan in its history, and therefore the first to compete directly with small prestige sedan stalwarts such as BMW's 3 Series and the Mercedes-Benz C-class.

The first all-new product to appear under GM ownership, the 9-3 sedan is the first of a family of at least four model variants to sprout from the new compact Epsilon platform, which also underpins the new Vectra.

Developed at a cost so far of about $US2 billion, including $US900 million towards a new production facility at Saab's Trollhattan factory in Sweden, it is hoped the 9-3 sedan will double sales volumes recorded by the current range of dated three and five-door hatches.

That means Saab Automobile Australia selling about 450 9-3 sedans in the remainder of this year, which would increase total sales to around 3150 units.

A target of about 1500 9-3 sedan sales in 2003, its first full year of sales - along with five new models over the next five years - is integral to SAA's ambitions of selling 5000 units by 2005. Globally, the 9-3 sedan is the first step in a plan to virtually double current Saab volumes to 200,000 units in the same timeframe.

A new 9-3 convertible will be launched in about 12 months, during which time the popular current drop-top will continue on sale, while a five-door wagon will follow that a further 12 months later.

Though a 9-3 coupe appears to be off Saab's present agenda, once a BMW X3-style crossover version of the 9-3 appears around 2005 - the first product fully designed by new Saab design chief Michael Mauer and based on the 9-3X concept revealed in Detroit this year - it is likely that vehicle's all-wheel drive technology will also be offered across at least 9-3 sedan and estate models.

SAA officials remain cagey about exact pricing and specification of the new sedan, and direct comparisons with the current 9-3 hatch is complicated by the fact four models will effectively replace two.

But the Australian 9-3 sedan line-up will reflect that of the recently facelifted 9-5 range by including Linear, Arc, Vector and Aero grades.

Due to kickstart the 9-3 sedan launch Down Under in October, following their Sydney motor show debut appearance, are the midrange Arc and Vector models, both powered by a 129kW/265Nm version of the GM-sourced all-alloy, 2.0-litre, DOHC 16-valve, inline four-cylinder engine with 0.7 bar of peak boost pressure.

The Arc will be priced between $52,000 and $57,000 as a direct competitor for BMW's 318i Executive, the Volvo S60 2.4 SE, Jaguar X-Type 2.1 V6 and Mercedes-Benz C180 Classic.

Also badged a "2.0t", the 9-3 Vector - expected to be the volume seller of the 9-3 sedan range with 50 per cent of sales - will be priced between $57,000 and $63,000 as a rival for the Audi A4 1.8T, BMW 320i and Benz C200K.

Due two months later by late December is the entry level 9-3 Linear, which will wear a "1.8t" badge despite using the same 2.0-litre engine with lower-blow 0.5-bar peak pressure turbo and 110kW/240Nm output. It will be priced between $47,000 and $52,000 to compete with the A4 2.0, 318i and S60 2.4.

Finally, the range-topping 9-3 Aero is not due on sale Down Under until March, 2003, when it will sell for between $65,000 and $70,000 as an alternative to the S60 2.4T, X-Type V6 Sport, BMW 325i and C200K Avantgarde.

Like the entry level Linear, the Aero is expected to comprise about 15 per cent of 9-3 sedan sales, although that could increase to 25 per cent if the 9-5 Aero's popularity is any gauge.

Powered by a 155kW version of the 2.0-litre four with a larger turbocharger, and delivering a handy 300Nm of torque at just 2500rpm, the Aero will be available in six-speed manual guise. The current 9-3 Aero, in five-door manual form, sells at $62,475 and produces 151kW.

"The new 9-3 sedan aims to broaden the appeal of Saab while maintaining a clear point of difference," said SAA managing director Tony Jennett.

"Saab wants to appeal to more than obscure professors."

DRIVE IMPRESSIONS:

FORGET what you know about the current 9-3 hatch, because the new-from-the-ground-up sedan rewrites the 9-3 book.

While the entry level 110kW Linear was not available to drive at the international launch, it is clear after driving the 129kW and 155kW cars that Saab's decision to compete in the largest and fastest growing global passenger car market has paid handsome dividends in terms of interior packaging.

A voluminous boot with a split-folding rear seat is one of the new sedan's greatest attributes, but even more apparent is the vast increase in interior headroom, particularly for rear seat passengers, courtesy of a 17mm-higher roofline. Overall interior space is further liberated by a 55mm wider bodyshell on a 71mm longer wheelbase.

Saab's traditional aircraft-style cockpit is further refined in the sedan, presenting its driver with an array of logically located controls and a supremely ergonomic, low-slung seating position with trademark counter-sunk door armrests.

The feeling of quality is enforced once on the move, the more rigid platform and strict attention to reducing unsprung weight resulting in a car that is larger, more refined and more precise in both the way it reacts and communicates.

The over-riding impression is that the 9-3 sedan is far tighter feeling than its hatchback predecessor, with a strong European flavour and just a dose of Saab eccentricity thanks to the continuation of a centre console-mounted ignition switch and the funkiest cupholder ever invented.

While the Swedish launch drive loop took in largely smooth and flowing roads, making it difficult to explore the new chassis' front-drive tendency toward understeer at the limit and lift-off oversteer, it is clear the new vehicle is world's away from the car it replaces in terms of driver involvement and outright cornering ability.

Grip levels are a vast improvement on the ageing, outgoing model and there is no question the new car's performance envelope has been greatly expanded by a stiffer bodyshell that weighs about the same and has a similar 60/40 front/rear weight distribution, but with lighter, more highly specified suspension components.

Both the MacPherson strut front suspension and new four-link independent rear suspension with "ReAxs" passive steer are steel subframe-mounted and employ hollow anti-roll bars, in addition to aluminium hub carriers and lower rear suspension links.

On the highway, a degree of road and engine noise from the four-cylinder-only engine range was a minor distraction from an otherwise well isolated cabin. Despite no sign of excessive bodyroll, the ride was never anything less than luxurious - even if the firmly tied-down Aero can crash and buck over serious road irregularities.

Far more substantial feeling than before, the 9-3 exhibits none of the previous hatchback's steering rack rattle over road irregularities, and remains well poised in most conditions. But how the unmodified chassis will cope with the rough and tumble of Aussie roads remains to be seen.

Acceleration, at least in 129kW form, is best described as brisk, while the 155kW Aero provides a greater level of even more willing and flexible torque right from idle, with only a hint of turbo lag and a small amount of driveline snatch.

Like the chassis, the new all-alloy powerplant is vastly smoother, more efficient and refined in the way it goes about its business, but the best bit is there's virtually no torque steer with or without the highly intuitive ESP stability control switched on.

The arrival of a well sorted six-speed manual for 9-3 is as welcome as the availability of a slick-shifting five-speed adaptive automatic transmission with tiptronic manual control, although the steering wheel-mounted gearshift buttons of the optional Sentronic semi-auto transmission will not become available until some time next year.

The first 9-3 sedan is so far ahead of its hatchback predecessor that comparisons are redundant. Indeed, if the sedan is any indication, the new family of compact Saabs will be noted for being some of the finest handling front-drive sedans on offer - combined with all the unfussed engine performance we have come to expect from Saab.

But in the inevitable comparisons with BMW's segment benchmark, the pin-sharp 3 Series - which Saab's move into the compact prestige sedan market so obviously invites - it is a simple fact that steering precision and feedback are compromised when front wheels must drive as well as steer.

For 99 per cent of the population, in 99 per cent of circumstances, the pace at which that becomes apparent negates the argument, and for current Saab enthusiasts - and even the Audi/Benz/BMW conquest buyers the 9-3 sedan hopes to lure - the huge improvement in sheer handling ability will guarantee many years of rewarding motoring.

The 9-3 has a broader performance envelope than ever before and maintains its poise to extremely high levels without skimping on the traditional Saab values of comfort, safety and quality - just don't go thinking Saab has built a 3 Series beater.