by: George Achorn, photos by author

If you can see beyond the doom and through the gloom of the automotive industry lately, you might just find signs of life like those at Saab. There’s a newly energized regime that sees plenty of value in the brand’s performance history and a willingness to embrace that as the brand begins to stage a comeback. This inertia is no more on display than with the Saab Turbo X, while cars like our recently tested SportCombi with 6-speed manual transmission are perhaps the most targeted.

Manual transmission performance wagons won’t exactly make you hit Toyota numbers. Still, these cars appeal to two important demographics that may not be large, but are definitely influential. First are the Saab brand loyal – Trollhattan’s biggest ambassadors and they haven’t had much to write home about since the late, great 9-3 Viggen. Second are import brand car enthusiasts who can appreciate the merits of things like turbos, manual gearboxes and all-wheel drive. Think people ready to move out of those old twin-turbocharged Audi S4s and owners of Subaru WRXs and EVOs looking for more space and refinement as they go forth and procreate, but want to stick to a combination they’re familiar with. For these two groups, Saab has developed the Turbo X – looking to grow its brand ambassador base and grab a few headlines in the process.

If you read this website, then you likely know the basics of the 9-3 Turbo X – a car that celebrates Saab’s 30 years of experience with turbocharged automobiles. The car combines the up-rated turbocharged V6 of the 9-3 Aero with Saab’s new Haldex-sourced XWD system, some more aggressive bumper cladding on the facelifted 9-3 accented with matte titanium-finished elements like grille surrounds, intake surrounds, exhaust tips and even a set of iconic three-spoke 18-inch alloys with titanium finish. Every car in the 2,000 unit (600 for America) limited series is painted a sinister ‘Jet Black’.


Inside, the Darth Vader-meets-Venom treatment continues with graphite leather and carbon-look interior trim. We’re normally fans of carbon fiber, but this is the faux kind – printed plastic and stylized so its faux status is made even more obvious. It’s not as convincing as faux wood treatments in other 9-3s and those aren’t terribly convincing either.

Elsewhere, the interior is decidedly Saab. From the cool mint green interior lighting to Saab’s SPG-fabulous swept orange turbo boost gauge, the car very effectively calls on Saab ghosts past to give the car a unique performance flavor that could have only come from Trollhattan.

Under the hood is Saab’s familiar twin-turbocharged 2.8-liter V6, tuned to 280-horsepower at a usable 5,500 rpm and peak torque of 295 lb-ft available from 2,150-4,500 rpm.

Power is put to the ground via the latest and most extensive version of all-wheel drive from Sweden-based Haldex. This new fourth-generation Haldex system, known as XWD (proununced cross-wheel drive), is the most advanced yet, boasting several key improvements over Haldex systems found in competitors from Volvo, Volkswagen and Audi.

At the base of all Haldex systems is a center hydraulically activated clutch pack that operates as a software controlled differential. This ‘center differential’, not actually a differential at all, uses an electrically driven hydraulic pump to vary the pressure and channel torque rearward before any slip is detected or even at dead stop.


In addition to that, the Turbo X gets an electronically controlled rear differential (eLSD) similar to what you’ll find in the Ferrari F430, that can channel up to 40% of the torque between the two wheels. With control to either rear wheel actively controlled, this allows Saab to program in a degree of even oversteer based on power to the outer rear wheel in a given corner. Though our dry tarmac test route didn’t afford the opportunity, we’re told you can full-on drift a Turbo X in snow, loose pack or other slippery conditions where the engine’s torque can overpower the car’s impressive traction.

The Turbo X also benefits from more aggressive suspension tuning. This Sith SportCombi sits .4-inches lower than the standard 9-3 and it’s also more firmly sprung.

Twist the key in the trademark center console ignition and the car’s 2.8-liter turbocharged V6 fires up. The exhaust is subtle, but sexy as we blip the throttle. Out on the road, the sound is even better.

Our car has the manual gearbox and kudos to Saab for making both Sport Sedan and SportCombi available with the manual box in a market not always open to them. Enthusiasts will appreciate its direct feel and relatively short throws. The flywheel seems light, leaving the turbo six-pot easy to rev and thus rev match. Wind it out and the V6 has a satisfying bark of an exhaust tone. Power comes on smoothly – almost too smoothly, with little drama.

Steering is well weighted, but could be more communicative. The car is quick to change direction and handles well without being harsh. Pushing hard around a turn, you’ll feel yourself sliding a bit. We’d appreciate more aggressive bolstering giving the car’s capabilities.


Base price on a Saab Turbo X Sport Combi is $42,565. That’s not cheap, but it does fare well against German rivals in the value department. Our test car also included the Cold Weather Package with heated seats and high pressure headlamp washers ($550) and the Touring Package including memory driver’s seat, auto-dimming mirror with compass, universal home remote and rear park assist ($895). Add in a destination charge ($745) and this SportCombi stickered at $44,755. Turbo X models though were solely 2008 models, so any you find on a dealer lot today could likely be bartered down from there… if you can find one.

Added weight and frictional loss from the all-wheel drive system and added horsepower do dial up consumption just a bit. The EPA figures show an average city consumption at 16 mpg and highway consumption at 24 mpg.

So does the Turbo X deliver what was intended at Saab? All-in-all, this boosted, all-wheel driven onyx sled should keep the Saab loyal happy. It is everything the Viggen was and more save a bold hue. We know that the Turbo X got plenty more press coverage than any recent Aero model from Trollhattan and would guess it’s brought in some showroom traffic for those amenable to a competent European performance car or looking to upgrade from their rally-bred econobox like a WRX so long as said enthusiast doesn’t mind a more sparsely populated performance aftermarket. The Turbo X also has some incredibly strong competition, namely German, that it’ll have to contend with in the hearts, minds and wallets of car enthusiasts. Alas, we see the Turbo X’s biggest hurdle as its scant production numbers, relegating this most-capable Saab performance car yet as niche even as its new all-wheel drive chassis seeks to elevate it out of that status.