On All Fours
by David Morgan (13 Mar 08)

Saab is hitting the headlines again, this time for the right reasons. A new 9-X small car has just been confirmed and an exciting 4x4 saloon and estate ready for delivery. The small car is in the future but the best news is that XWD, Saab's first foray into four-wheel drive, is here now - and it rocks.

The 9-3 Turbo X uses the latest-generation 4 Swedish Haldex 4x4 system and turns the saloon and SportWagon estate models into dramatically able machines. Driving both on the Paul Ricard test track and on a mountainous road circuit near Marseilles I got to grips first hand with the new car. It's a superbly-engineered arrival and a reminder of the good old days when Saab were genuine innovators.

Only 500 Turbo X models will be available in the UK out of a global production of 2000. That says a lot about the importance of Britain as a Saab market - second only to the USA as a leading buyer of the famed aircraft manufacturer's cars.

The Turbo X model is a special edition with a turbocharged 2.8-litre V6 petrol engine and priced from £32,495. Finished in a lustrous black metallic, it celebrates 30 years of Saab turbocharging and has a performance and handling character that breaks new ground, even for this sporting marque.

Unlike the standard 4x4 9-3 models that will follow later this year, the Turbo X comes with a clever 4x4 enhancement called e-LSD. But there's no hallucination here - this is an advanced electronic limited slip differential mounted as part of the car's rear transaxle that's able to sense and split torque between the rear wheels and ensure maximum power goes to the tyre with the highest grip.

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