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Everything about the £22,330 turbo diesel Vector is geared to driving pleasure. The driver's position is low and snug in hugging half-leather seats. Few mass products make you feel quite as part of the car as the 9-3. It's almost as if you are in a tarmac-connected capsule, which grips like a limpet but lets you know every ripple and irregularity on the surface.

Drive the pragmatic 9-3 TiD quickly over a twisty B road and the rewards are fantastic. At 2000rpm with 236lb/ft there's perhaps just a little too much torque for the front wheels - my test car's 17-inch Continental SportContact 2 tyres were badly feathered by enthusiastic heavy-throttle cornering. They retained superb dry grip but clearly the lively 1.9-litre's 150bhp takes its toll on the 225/45 section covers and underlines the decision to opt for the 16-valver, in place of the 120bhp and 207lb/ft eight-valve.

If you buy this fine car I see no reason why the 120bhp option makes any sense. This is a car for a keen driver. The Vector's 150bhp output leaves nothing wanting and in my opinion could only be bettered by spending another £1000 for the practicality of the fabulous new Sport Wagon.

The six-speed manual gearbox is not the sweetest on the planet, but it's quick between ratios and gives the 9-3 rapid acceleration for overtaking and a relaxed cruise in sixth. Brakes are big and very powerful. Saab is renowned for serious braking systems and the Vector's four-disc set-up is beautifully balanced when setting the car up for a corner or scrubbing off excess knots.

My only handling complaint is with the steering - the wheel is too vertical for my taste. I also found the assistance wooden, possibly because of the need to manage a lot of torque and wide, low-profile rubber.

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