2008 Saab 9-3 Review & Road Test at Automotive.com

»Locate a Dealer»Find a Used Car»Get Financing

Most Popular: Hybrid Cars|Lexus IS350|Dodge Charger

HOME

2008 Saab 9-3 XWD

Below is a review of the 2008 Saab 9-3 written by the automotive experts at Automobile Magazine. A full evaluation of the driving experience, price, equipment, and specs are here in a structured, easy-to-navigate format from journalists with a wealth of experience.

QUICK PRICE QUOTE

DEALER LOCATOR

User Rating

N/A

Rating:

Value Rating

N/A

LEARN WHY

IntelliChoice Value Rating

The chart above shows the purchase price versus ownership cost for each car from a specific vehicle class. The cars with better than average ownership cost/purchase price correlations are the best values, and these best value cars are represented by the dots below the curve. (i.e. the cars that have a lower ownership cost compared to its purchase price.) Those cars, which are worse than average or poor values, appear above the curve.

One way to view the graph is to draw a vertical line through any purchase price. You may see several dots that fall on this line - each of which is a car with a similar purchase price. However, notice the difference in ownership costs of each car represented by the vertical position of the dot. Two cars with the same purchase price can have thousands of dollars difference in ownership costs. This is what separates "good value" cars from "poor value" cars.

What is a good car value?

A "good car value" is one whose cost to own and operate is less than expected. The lower the cost to own and operate a car compared to what is expected, the better the value of that car.

But how do we know a car's "expected cost"?

For each car in the class, IntelliChoice plots the car's purchase price against the total five-year cost to own and operate it as determined by IntelliChoice research. Each dot on the above chart represents a specific car. Generally, we find that as the purchase price of the car increases, the cost to own and operate that car increases. This is why the dots on the graph tend to rise upward and to the right. This phenomenon also makes intuitive sense - as the purchase price rises, financing costs tend to rise, as do insurance, depreciation, taxes, and most other car ownership costs.

This is an important concept. It's normal for car ownership costs to rise as purchase price rises. Therefore, we can't just establish one "average" ownership cost number for each class, since cars in the class have different purchase prices. (This is why the "Relative" shown on each chart is different for cars in the same car class.)

Using statistical techniques, IntelliChoice "connects the dots" to form a curve that defines, for this car class, the relationship between the car's purchase price and car's ownership costs. This curve is our "expected cost" curve. The curve defines, for any car in the class, the five-year ownership cost that we would expect to see at each possible purchase price. If every car in the class were an average value, then all the dots would fall exactly on the curve. However, it's rare that any dot is exactly on the curve. Some dots are a little higher or lower, and some are a lot higher or lower. The dots that are a little lower are better than average car values, while the dots that are a lot lower are excellent car values (A dot that is a lot lower than the curve has ownership costs much lower than expected for a car of its purchase price). Conversely, a dot a little higher than the curve is a poorer than average car value, while a dot that is much higher than the curve is a poor car value.

Value is a relative term, not an absolute term. It is performing better than the logical expectation.

So is a Mercedes-Benz E320 expensive to own and operate? Certainly in an absolute sense. Most other cars cost less. But, when its cost to own and operate is plotted against cars with comparable invoice prices, the E320 costs less. So the E320 is not expensive to own and operate - it is a good car value. The Mercedes does not have low ownership costs, but it has low ownership costs for its invoice price.

Change Submodel

CHANGE VEHICLE

Review From Automobile Magazine

2008 Saab 9-3 XWD

By Marc Noordeloos / Article provided by: Automobile Magazine

One hundred and twenty miles north of the Arctic Circle in the middle of winter, it's very cold. A thick layer of snow covers everything in sight, and you notice that the locals prefer to drive vehicles that put the power down through all four wheels. You'd think, then, that Sweden-based Saab would have been at the forefront of the all-wheel-drive movement, but that's not the case. It has been nearly three decades since the launch of Audi's Coupe Quattro, and Saab just now is introducing its first homegrown AWD system.

The Saab 900 was one of the must-have cars of the 1980s. But by the time the '90s rolled around, Audi had launched its Quattro all-wheel-drive system in the United States, BMW had unveiled the 325iX, and Mercedes-Benz had introduced the 300E 4matic - all while Saab maintained that its front-wheel-drive models offered all the traction anyone needed. For a while, buyers bought the argument. But as American prestige-car buyers became more and more enamored of - and got - huge horsepower, Saab still insisted that its front-wheel-drive strategy was sufficient. It wasn't. Managing director Jan-Åke Jonsson admits, "We should have done this many years ago. Maybe we were a bit too stubborn, feeling front-wheel drive was good enough."

Saab's new all-wheel-drive system, coined cross-wheel drive (XWD), might be late to the party, but it's anything but behind the times. It was developed with Haldex, the same company that supplies all-wheel-drive components for the Volkswagen R32 and the Land Rover LR2. During cruising, the system's multiplate wet clutch sends a small amount of power to the rear wheels for stability. Should the vehicle's data sensors determine it appropriate, the clutch, which is located in front of the rear differential, can lock to fully engage rear traction.

The most impressive feature of XWD, though, is the available active rear limited-slip differential (eLSD in Saab-speak). Similar to - although simpler than - Acura's super handling all-wheel-drive system (SH-AWD), eLSD is able to proactively juggle torque between the rear wheels for improved stability and handling. The Saab setup differs from SH-AWD in that it uses a single wet clutch pack for rear-wheel torque distribution instead of a pair of clutches on each side of the rear differential.

We traveled to a frozen lake in the Arctic to play rally driver with Saab's new setup. We spent most of our time in a 9-3 Aero SportCombi equipped with all-wheel drive but no eLSD. Traction and handling were both impressive, and XWD operated smoothly and quickly.

Near the end of our test-driving day, Saab handed us the keys to a 9-3 Turbo X for a very brief eLSD test on the ice. Immediately, we felt the rear diff at work. Turn-in was far more eager, and the chassis and handling balance felt more neutral. The Turbo X was also more stable during quick transitions compared with the 9-3 without eLSD. Most important, the Saab system felt more cohesive and linear than does Acura's more complex SH-AWD.

The limited-edition Turbo X is the first all-wheel-drive 9-3 model available. You'd better like black, because that's your only color choice for the exterior, which boasts more aggressive front and rear fascias than the stock 9-3 and new eighteen-inch wheels. The Turbo X also gets a retuned suspension with lowered ride height and larger front brake rotors.

Inside the Turbo X, you'll find carbon-fiber trim as well as sportier seats, a thicker steering wheel, and a turbo boost gauge. While peak power is the same as in the forthcoming XWD-equipped Aero model, the Turbo X delivers full power in all gears instead of limiting the torque in first and second gear. For the 2008 model year only, Saab USA is importing a total of 600 Turbo X models in both sedan and wagon guise. Since BMW denies Americans its 335i wagon, it's nice to see Saab offer a near-300-hp grocery-getter.

The eLSD is standard on the 2008 Turbo X and will be optional on all-wheel-drive 9-3 Aero models that will arrive later in the model year. Saab plans to trickle XWD into all 9-3 models except the convertible (the structural enhancements fitted to the softtop Saab don't leave room for the all-wheel-drive components). Also, the forthcoming 9-4X crossover and the next-generation 9-5 will offer XWD. It's ironic that a company that waited for so long to offer all-wheel drive will now have an impressive and sophisticated system available on most of its future products. Now, if only Saab can sharpen the 9-3's steering, overall suspension damping, and manual-shifter feel, the company might be able to ride the XWD wave and put Saab back into the hearts of enthusiasts.

Holiday on Ice
Sleeping on reindeer skins in a hotel made entirely of ice, enjoying moose stew cooked over an open fire in a tent, and driving XWD-equipped Saabs on a vast frozen lake--welcome to the Saab Ice Experience in Lapland. For $3500 (for two people), you, too, can enjoy this adventure as part of Saab's European Delivery program. After the flight to Kiruna, you travel by dogsled to the famous Ice Hotel (www.icehotel.com). On arrival, you can relax in a sauna that offers views of the spectacular northern lights (if the conditions are right). After a night in frozen accommodations, it's off to play rally star with a collection of Saabs. Along with the slip-sliding fun, activities such as snowmobiling and a helicopter ride to Kebnekaise Mountain, Sweden's highest peak, are offered. Saab is aware that one night in the cold is enough, so the rest of your stay is spent in a nice, heated hotel. Saab plans to offer the Ice Experience again for winter 2008-09.