You'd be hard-pressed to find a better-handling sports saloon than Saab's 9-3. There's something tactile and immediate about the driver feedback from this Swedish reworking of Vauxhall's Vectra floorpan that makes it come alive on a demanding road.It's good, but is it a true Saab? Too much General Motors tinkering has tainted the traditional image of Trollhättan's products. They're watered-down versions of the unique Saab style and some consider them little more than rebadged clones of Vauxhall and Opel cousins. But that's unfair. After two weeks with a 1.9-litre 9-3 TiD turbo diesel in Vector trim I'm back on side.Look at it this way - General Motors pays the bills and makes some unpalatable business decisions; but Saab engineers design and build the 9-3, and it shows.Saab offers two turbo diesels in the 9-3 - a rather arthritic 2.2-litre version of an aging General Motors design which can be greedy and noisy and only manages 125bhp. The other is a joint Fiat/GM 1.9-litre product which is modern, clean, brisk and available in two stages of tune - an eight-valve 120bhp version and the 150bhp 16-valver I had on test.It's brilliant. Bolted into the sporting Vector specification it delivers a tax-efficient and fun-packed four-door with great handling, excellent seating, good economy along with some brash trim and a ride that reminds you the emphasis is on sports driving.Everything about the £22,330 turbo diesel Vector is geared to driving pleasure. The driver's position is low and snug in hugging half-leather seats. Few mass products make you feel quite as part of the car as the 9-3. It's almost as if you are in a tarmac-connected capsule, which grips like a limpet but lets you know every ripple and irregularity on the surface.Drive the pragmatic 9-3 TiD quickly over a twisty B-road and the rewards are fantastic. At 2000rpm with 236lb/ft there's perhaps just a little too much torque for the front wheels - my test car's 17" Continental SportContact 2 tyres were badly feathered by enthusiastic heavy-throttle cornering. They retained superb dry grip but clearly the lively 1.9-litre's 150bhp takes its toll on the 225/45 section covers and underlines the decision to opt for the 16-valver, in place of the 120bhp and 207lb/ft eight-valve.If you buy this fine car I see no reason why the 120bhp option makes any sense. This is a car for a keen driver. The Vector's 150bhp output leaves nothing wanting and in my opinion could only be bettered by spending another £1000 for the practicality of the fabulous new Sport Wagon.The six-speed manual gearbox is not the sweetest on the planet, but it's quick between ratios and gives the 9-3 rapid acceleration for overtaking and a relaxed cruise in sixth. Brakes are big and very powerful. Saab is renowned for serious braking systems and the Vector's four-disc set-up is beautifully balanced when setting the car up for a corner or scrubbing off excess knots.My only handling complaint is with the steering - the wheel is too vertical for my taste. I also found the assistance wooden, possibly because of the need to manage a lot of torque and wide, low-profile rubber.Standard specification is generous - alloys, half-leather, air-conditioning, four electric windows, remote locking and an excellent radio/single-slot CD underline its value. Safety is a high point with an advanced ABS system, front, side and curtain airbags and traction control. There's a feeling Saab wants to deliver good value here.The big boot is easily extended by folding the rear seat, but it's flawed by a high boot lip which is part of the body's strong collision protection. This robs the 9-3 of the practicality of the old 900 with its flat loading floor. The spare is a spacesaver and helps maximise available cargo volume.When I checked the options on my test car I found they brought the total to £26,295 - Saab's fine audio/satellite navigation pack at an expensive £1960, front electric seats with memory and one-shot window close at £1200, a superb sports chassis pack at £250 and Xenon lamps with washers at £595.The more I drove the TiD 9-3 the more it delighted. The low-profile rubber means there's a lot of irritating road noise and the TiD is hardly a paragon of silence. The 16-valve version of this excellent engine is gruff, but the upside is a responsive sporting unit which brings life to this fine-chassised Swede and helped me cover an easy average 42mpg during my test.If it has a weakness it's in its saloon guise. The Sport Wagon is a far more sensible option and for £1000 more the move to five doors makes a lot of sense. Engine 1910cc, 4 cylinders Power 150bhp Transmission 6-speed manual Fuel/CO2 47.9mpg / 159g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 9.6 seconds Top speed 131mph Price £22,330 Details correct at publication date
Our Rating
