Car Reviews > Saab > 9-3 Sportwagon > Saab 9-3 Sportwagon Car Review

Facts At A Glance
Prices: £21,120
Engine: 1.9-litre 4-cylinder turbo diesel
Gearbox: 6-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Power/torque: 158 bhp/ 361 Nm
0-62 mph: 9.3 seconds
Top Speed: 137 miles per hour
Economy: 62.8 miles per gallon
Emissions: 119g per kilometre
Equipment: 17-inch alloys, six airbags, climate control, heated leather seats, cruise control, Bluetooth, parking sensors, automatic wipers, ESP, electric windows

The estate gets a facelift in a bid to breathe new life into an old favourite

Saab has been, perhaps understandably, struggling to find its feet somewhat following its recent, unfortunately very public, financial problems, but to their credit, this has not prevented the company from unleashing the newly updated version of the 9-3 Sportwagon on the world – the question is, is it an improvement?

The estate’s familiar looks have been given a gentle revision for next year, with a brand new pair of “ice block” green headlights that have quite clearly taken a great deal of their inspiration from the 9-5 Saloon. Likewise, the lower grille has also been altered slightly and provided with a new blacked out honeycomb design.

On the inside, the changes appear to be somewhat less obvious. The new titanium look of the trim on the gearlever and on the dials looks disconcertingly cheap and obviously plastic. Likewise, the layout of the dashboard also appears to be very out of date, and the build is flimsy and very much lacking compared to some of its class rivals.

That being said however, Saab is claiming that the addition of the twin turbo diesel engine makes the revised estate nothing less than the most powerful such vehicle ever to go on sale that comes in below the 119g per kilometre CO2 emissions barrier – meaning that it will be exempt from road tax for the first 12 months.

Certainly, the estate is surprisingly punchy with a bhp rating of no less than 158 and a strong pull in the mid-range. The lack of regenerative braking or any kind of stop-start system also means that the combined economy figure – that of 62.8 miles per gallon – is undeniably very impressive indeed.

Unfortunately, the estate is also very lacking in practicality thanks to the surprisingly small luggage bay that is capable of giving only as much as 477-litres of space. It cannot be denied that the Saab is fairly well kitted out, but it is not as spacious as the likes of the VW Passat by a long way – while at the same time coming in as being more expensive to actually purchase.

The estate remains a reasonably capable cruiser, and the extra kit that has been added to the new and updated version does keep things nice and fresh for regular loyal customers, with the diesel engine also offering a very strong mixture of both economy and performance.

The fact remains however that the engine is not the most refined that has ever been seen, while the estate’s standard chassis and interior are now beginning to show their age and look well past their prime, possibly in need of a complete and total revamp rather than a gentle update. At a price of £24,120, the Sportwagon does come in at under the price of its more premium rivals, and yet both Ford and VW are both offering estates that are bigger, smarter and altogether more modern than this for a considerably reduced price level, all of which means that while by no means a complete disaster, the Saab 9-3 Sportwagon can hardly be labelled as an absolute necessity either.

by Autoweb