Call us nuts, but we really had a thing for the departed Saab 9-2X Aero.
Call us nuts, but we really had a thing for the departed Saab 9-2X Aero. Although it had more Subaru stamped bits than Petter Solberg's spare-parts bin, it represented a car with all of the performance of a WRX but with slightly better steering, cornering and a reduction in the overall boy-racerness. If you managed to get in on GM's "clear the lot" incentives a few years ago, you might have even snagged one for less than it's Subaru sister. Not a bad deal for the astute buyer.
Still, it essentially represented the antithesis of the Saab ethos -- originality and style with a scoopful of quirk. No, it was little more than a Subaru with a Swedish nose job. The so-called Saabaru was even built in Japan alongside its sister Subaru. The general public was indifferent and the model was scrapped, leaving Saab with the aging 9-3 as its entry-level car. The Car Connection reports parent company GM remains committed to the brand, and we'll soon be seeing a totally redesigned 9-3 with a revised 9-5 large sedan in the works. What Saab really needs are new models, however, and not more rebadged interlopers from GM's various marquees.
Saab is planning to launch a totally new crossover late next year, commonly known as the 9-4X, which will take a comparatively conservative approach to the burgeoning segment. It will employ a new all-wheel drive system dubbed Cross-Wheel Drive, or XWD, which will also debut on the upcoming 9-3. Similar in execution to Honda's Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD), XWD actively redistributes torque to individual wheels and serves as a stability control system. Under normal driving conditions, the front wheels receive 90 percent of the engine's power.
A new entry-level car is also on the horizon, probably a year after the crossover, and it's not an Impreza (GM cut ties with Subaru's parent Fuji Heavy Industries last year, which was promptly scooped up by Toyota). At this early point it's impossible to say what form it'll take, but considering America's general loathing of wagons, expect a compact resembling Opel's next generation Astra hatchback. The success of the other Swede's new hatch (that would be the Volvo C30) may determine the final form and function of the smallest Saab.
Saab also has no intention of submitting to the rear-wheel drive revival. Years ago, managing the torque steer of turbo Saabs like the SPG and Viggen became a manly art. Early reviews of the 9-3 indicate torque steer and turbo lag are greatly diminished, so maybe there's hope for high power front drivers after all.
Our take? So is there hope, or will the pundits' predictions come true with the demise of yet another legendary brand? We hope Saab pulls through, but also recognize the need for the return of what made Saab unique all those decades ago. It seems everyone can do luxury these days, so Saab needs to capitalize on is its traditional accessible weirdness. Cars that made a statement and stood distinctly within the mass market. We have to think there are still people out there who'd rather buy a funky Saab rather than yet another BMW 3-Series.