by David Morgan (26 Sep 05)

Saab could be the first European manufacturer to hit the market with a "boxer" turbodiesel engine. The alliance between Saab and Subaru which created the Impreza-based Saab 9-2X for the US market is about to signal the return of the 96 badge in Europe - and it looks set to be their first 4x4 SUV with a horizontally-opposed diesel power plant.

By late 2007 British Saab drivers will be able to order the Swedish car maker's first crossover 4x4 - the Saab 9-6X. The all-wheel drive five-door will be closely related to the Subaru B9 Tribeca (pictured) which is built in Indiana and has been on sale throughout North and South America for the past few months.

Saab's upmarket version will be individually styled inside and out, but power and drivelines are strictly Subaru. The first Saab 9-6X models will be powered by the same three-litre flat-six petrol injection engine used in the current Subaru Legacy 3.0R. The 241bhp power plant will be linked to a five-speed automatic gearbox driving a Subaru 4x4 transmission system and mounted on a modified Legacy platform featuring a revised multilink rear suspension.

But the big news is that the three-litre petrol boxer engine will not be alone. Saab and Subaru have been working closely to develop a boxer turbodiesel which is likely to debut in the 9-6X as a flat-four or flat-six. Industry sources say Saab have been working with Porsche engineers in an effort to advance the design of a horizontally-opposed turbodiesel engine. The German firm's expertise in extracting high outputs from petrol-fuelled boxer layouts has apparently proved useful in creating an oil-burner with a sporting character.

The 9-6X is due to make its UK debut around the same time as Subaru introduce their Tribeca to Britain. But the SUVs will have individual styling and features, although both are expected to be available in five- and seven-seat guise.

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