Saab 9-3 Sedan 2.0T XWD with 210 CV, road test (Part II)

In the first part of the test we told you about the engine and good handling of the Saab 9-3 Sedan equipped with the 210 CV two-litre turbo engine and permanent four-wheel drive. But if the handling of the 9-3 Sedan is up to the mark, the interior space and materials follow in the same direction.

In addition to its exterior design with personality and a sporty touch, when I tested the convertible I already liked the interior space, it was very spacious for a convertible, the only drawback being that only four people could travel in it. Well then, the saloon has five seats, enough room for three adults in the back. But let’s take it one step at a time, let’s start with the exterior design.

Exterior Design

The first thing I liked about the exterior design is its front end (derived from the Aero X prototype). As with the convertible, if you look back and see the earlier Saab 9-3 Sedans, they had a blander and less eye-catching front end; it lacked personality. That problem was solved very well with the restyling the range underwent in 2007, with more pronounced features and a more sporty character.

At the rear, the lights framed by that black strip stand out, giving it a modern look, but there is another element that stands out at the back: the two exhaust pipes that complement the sporty air of the Saab 9-3 Sedan. The car also comes very well shod, since our unit was equipped with sporty-design 18-inch alloy wheels (see detail) and tyres measuring 235/45 R18 that kept it firmly planted on the road.

Interior design, spaciousness and build quality

When we move to the interior, the word that defines it is sobriety. The driver’s position is oriented towards the driver, which is a very positive point, and the centre console is free of buttons, very simple and sober. We have the multimedia system, a couple of side buttons and the climate control knobs, without a doubt all very Saab.

But at the same time, it is sober and of good quality. If we look at the dashboard materials (although there are hard plastics in the central section where the key goes), they feel pleasant to the touch. Furthermore, the steering wheel has silver-coloured trim that adds a little sporty tint to the sobriety, as does the turbo pressure gauge, which reminds us that we are at the controls of a powerful version (the TTiD also had it).

The driving position is very good; you quickly adjust the seats or the steering wheel to suit the car to you. The seats are leather of impressive quality; they are an extra over the Aero version, which has lower-quality ones, but the soft feel of the leather and the headrests is on a par with a larger premium saloon. The front seats are heated, but they are not ventilated, a shame that not all brands yet incorporate that technology; they also have electric adjustment with memory.

In the rear seats you travel very comfortably: you have good legroom (more than the premium saloons’ three-pointed star) and rear air vents. By the way, in the rear seats there is a curious cup holder (see detail), as well as the practical rear map pockets. Interior visibility is also good, better than in the convertible, but there is one detail: the light beige upholstery was quite reflected in the rear glass at practically any time of day.

Finally, regarding interior storage the Saab 9-3 Sedan came fully equipped, with a wide, cooled glovebox that takes a one-and-a-half-litre bottle and some very practical compartments in the centre section for leaving your phone or keys. The boot is not the largest in the segment, but it has regular shapes and a capacity of 461 litres. We can increase the size by folding down the rear seat backs completely or in a 60/40 split. And on the centre seat, we can open a hatch that connects with the boot for carrying, for example, skis (see detail).

So it is a spacious car in which we can travel without problems, because we will always be comfortable both in the front and rear seats; in fact, four people travel very comfortably and five without problems. In the next part of the test we will discuss the equipment of the Saab 9-3 and its shortcomings (already seen in the 9-3 convertible), as well as the price and overall assessment of the model.

Photos | David Taboada