Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan Aero

The 9-3 Sport Sedan is focused on delivering a unique, ‘fun to drive’ experience that places it among the class leaders for sporty performance and excellent chassis dynamics.

The coupe-like silhouette and strong, sporty stance of the Sport Sedan help convey that ‘moving when stationary’ look. The model is positioned in the premium, mid-size segment, providing an alternative choice to natural competitors such as the BMW 3-series, Audi A4 and Mercedes C-class.

The extensive powertrain line-up offers a 'tri-fuel' choice of gasoline, diesel or bioethanol powered engines, led by an all-aluminum 2.8-liter V6 turbocharged engine rated at 280 bhp in combination with all-wheel- drive (Saab XWD).

Exterior Design

The distinctive looks of the Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan clearly positions it as a product that could only come from Saab. The styling strategy brings together contemporary and classic Saab design themes in a progressive, modern expression of the brand’s distinctive character. The result is a bold and assertive stance for both bodystyles that reflects a strong, sporty driver appeal.

At the front, the deep, prominent evolution of the Saab grille adopts a theme first seen on the Aero X concept car. This is complemented by sweeping headlamp units that incorporate a thin ‘eyebrow’ lighting zone designed as a brand specific ‘signature’ feature. These units culminate in an upswept rear edge, introducing a Saab design theme from the 9-5 range and classic 900 model. The grille’s central wing motif is retained as a reference to Saab’s aircraft heritage.

The shaping of the side sills, rear body panels and the radius and curvature of the rear corner of the C-pillars in the Sport Sedan all play a part in helping to reduce drag. The result is an impressive drag coefficient of 0.28.

Interior Design and Features

The Saab 9-3 is designed to provide a near perfect driving position for the vast majority of drivers, almost irrespective of size, through a multi-adjustable driver’s seat and a steering wheel that adjusts for both rake and height.

The main instrument panel gently arcs round the driver, an evolution of the same theme in the previous model. In typical Saab fashion, the controls are all logically grouped, those most frequently used bring nearest to hand and closest to the driver’s natural field of vision. The short gearshift lever is just a hand span away.

The main dials - a large speedometer, with a compressed scale above 100 mph, is flanked by a smaller rev-counter and a combined fuel/water temperature/turbo boost gauge - are recessed in traditional Saab fashion. They are white on black and continue to be softly illuminated in green as Saab believes this is the most restful color choice for night driving.

The ‘Profiler’ facility, offering driver pre-sets for a wide range of functions is operated via steering wheel buttons, with on-screen prompts and selections shown in the main instrument display. Automatic climate control modes, the clock/alarm, speed scale illumination and, where fitted, the anti-theft alarm, parking assistance, rain sensitive wipers and heated seats can all be tailored in this way.

All Aluminum 2.8-liter V6 Turbo

This sophisticated engine has a 60o vee-angle between its cylinder banks for perfect balance and combines excellent multi-valve refinement with outstanding performance. Exclusive to Aero variants, it develops 280 bhp and exceptional torque of 295 lb-ft, when offered with Saab XWD. The all aluminum construction provides a light and compact architecture, well suited to its transverse installation.

Careful tuning of the Aero's twin sports exhausts downstream of the main catalyst adds a distinctive, exhilarating engine note.

With the 2.8V6 Turbo, a close-ration six-speed manual gearbox comes as standard, with a six-speed automatic offered as an option. The automatic transmission includes ‘Saab Sentronic’, a sequential manual gearshift giving closer driver involvement. When the shift lever is moved across the gate to ‘manual’ Sentronic mode, ‘up’ and ‘down’ changes can be made with full lock-up in 3/4/5 or 6th gears. The process can be taken a step further by the option of steering wheel buttons, which bring gear shifting right to the fingertips of the driver.

Source: www.rsportscars.com