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Saab 9-2x Delivers Speed, AWD, Guts...and a Hatch!
To the casual
looker, there’s nothing obviously Saab about the new 9-2X except for its
noble Scandinavian nose, but the company’s dealers needed something to sell
for under-30 grand to the under 30 showroom visitors who couldn’t buck up for the
larger, pricier 9-3 and 9-5.
There is also a small contingent of former Saab owners who insist on a
versatile hatchback, absent from the line for a few years. So for a hatch,
GM-owned Saab turned to corporate cousin Subaru, which is 20 percent owned by the
General. From the hatchery, Saab fished out the sensible Japanese-built Impreza 5-door with a 165-hp horizontally-opposed four cylinder engine and
the Impreza WRX model with its hi-po optional engine with 227 turbocharged
horses.
By adapting and Saab-izing the Imprezas, the Saab stable now includes an
entry-level auto intended to bring back some of the excommunicated
hatchlings as well as to entice shoppers to become first-time Saab owners.
They could have done worse, especially considering that CEO Peter Augustsson
admits that modifying the Impreza to Saab specs was a relatively easy fix to
achieve short-term marketing goals. The company expects to easily sell all
8,000 units in the U.S. and Canada this year, and make a profit doing it.
Full-Time AWD Really Works
The Linear starts under ,700. The upscale Aero can be had for about
,000, but enough options can be checked to load it up to ,000. Both
feel solid and strong, and both feature full-time all-wheel-drive for
surefootedness and safety. This feature they got right; it really works,
whether with the 50 front/50 rear split or the variable power-split systems
supplied with some models and transmission choices.
 The most obvious change from Impreza is right in your face, and that’s
the car’s face. The designers ran the Impreza’s hood and grille through the
morphing machine a few times and came up with ... a smiling Saab face, large
as life. But as for the rest of the package, it still has the proportions of
a bumblebee, albeit with more buzz.
A spoiler is nicely integrated into the trailing edge of the roof, but
trying to hide the Subie origins with a roof spoiler is like trying to
disguise an elephant by plopping a baseball cap on its head. The taillights
and liftgate do, however, resemble those of the 9-5 wagon. The hood scoop on
the Aero is less obtrusive than the WRX’s, but still flows the same amount
of air. Under the skin are many suspension improvements, and in your ear is
better soundproofing.
The company brags of interior upgrades, but more conspicuous is the one
Aero downgrade from the WRX. That’s the front seats, which have been
down-specked from excellent, contoured, brazenly-bolstered racing seats to
merely very good, less severely-profiled thrones.
What wasn’t changed is the entire drive train from engine to
transmission, although somehow the animalistic urgency of the WRX’s
acceleration has been subdued. The transformation has in no way tamed Rex,
but has smoothed the power delivery so that launching and accel-pedal
mashing are less-explosive experiences. Any Saab owner taking a test drive
will, however, immediately know that the lower-case x is like no other prior
Saab except the late Viggen.
The power comes courtesy of a compact, vibration-free boxer engine which
makes 165 hp and 166 lb-ft of torque from 2.5 liters in the Linear, and
227/217 in the 2-liter turbocharged dohc Aero. Linears weigh under 3200
pounds; Aeros under 3300 pounds, making the Linear very quick and the Aero
f-a-s-t!
Performance With Comfort
Other changes were made to lighten the suspension, and on the Aero, to
tighten it. I’m glad to report that getting this incremental performance and
safety do not come with the penalty of an uncomfortable ride. The
performance from the stubby little auto is the kind of performance you can
feel and not merely measure with instruments. Trying it out on your favorite
twisty road or stretch of rough pavement will leave no doubt that Nine-Two
Exxes are performance vehicles.
 The Bridgestone rubber held onto the scariest curves, gripping like an
octopus opening a clam. As chassis designer/engineer Per Jansson explained,
tires are one-third of the equation that determines road performance,
traction, braking, and cornering. Wringing out the Aero on some very scary
San Diego County mountain roads, I was quite aware that the rubber was all
that lay between me and eternity – and eternity loomed very close. The
G-forces generated during this thrill ride are usually felt only on a race
track, not on pavement bordering deep canyons. Sorry, but I guess I have to
warn you to not try this at home.
The Bridgestone Potenzas with their proprietary internal sidewall
stiffeners were tailored to the suspension to provide valuable feedback
under all conditions. Linears come with RE92s in P205/55/ R16V, considered
to be all-season. Optional on Aeros are Potenza RE011 215/45 R17 ultra
hi-performance “summer” tires.
Later in the day, back at sea level, on a tight low-speed slalom course
and on a higher-speed layout, I was able to pursue the actual limits of the
little scrambler, this time with no cliffs and no traffic to fear. The x
responded to throttle steering with no scariness. Only purposeful prodding
could overcome the stickiness of the suspension/tire team and even then, the
drifting was easily controlled. (Please, no practicing on public roads.)
The significance to the everyday commuter is that you have to try very,
very hard to get into trouble in this Saab. The Exxes have ABS, but no
stability control nor traction control mechanisms because AWD and superb
handling make mechanical and software servo intrusions unnecessary.
Linear
or Aero?
The Linear can beat the Aero off the line, but within a half block, the
sprint belongs to the Aero. The Aero did 0-60 in under seven seconds, but
using less car-friendly techniques would cut the time down by at least a
second. At high speeds on a pre-arranged course, the Aero closed in on 135
and had lots more go left in the engine. Again, for the average commuter who
isn’t on a Wyoming highway, the significance is that there is plenty of
reserve power if needed in an emergency or when executing a quick pass.
 The two models have the same silhouette and the same interior space –
Saab claims 28 cubic feet of cargo space with back seats up, and 61 cubic
feet with seats folded -- but Aero is a little richer looking indoors, and
has more sound deadening all around. The back seats in both are reasonably
comfortable for a compact car. Headroom is above average, but the
middle-seat passenger sits higher and harder. One drawback is that the
designers forgot to allow toe room under the front seats.
Aero also has a lighter, stiffer suspension, quicker steering, climate
control, and 6-CD changer standard, among other features. Both models have a
neat 5-speed manual transmission standard, and a 4-speed automatic as an
option. Oh yes, there are aluminum bezels on the instruments, and the pedals
are bright aluminum to remind you that you paid more. [Don’t read the next
sentence if you live in Florida.] Optional on both are heated seats,
mirrors, and wipers.
Everything is warranted for four years or 50,000 miles, with free
roadside assistance for the same period. Too bad, AAA. In addition, all
scheduled maintenance is free for two years or 24,000 miles.
The gummint says you can expect mileage of 22/29 with manual in the
Linear, and 23/29 with the automatic; 20/26 with manual in the Aero, and
19/25 with auto. Dual front airbags and side airbags for the front seat are
standard, as are active front head restraints.
Q: How can a Saab not be a Saab but still be a Saab? A.: When it’s a
Saabaru.
9-2xs are not meant to be parked. They are driver’s cars. The Aero
version is as quick as the lamented extinct 9-3 Viggen, but the charm lies
not in looks but in zoom and in value. This stealth rocket will have you
whooping “Yahoo, Saabaru!”
Joel Levin writes about autos, wine and food,
entertainment, and travel.
Copyright Joel Levin 2004
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2005 Saab 9-2x |
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