Super TestCar reviews - Saab - 9-3 - Aero rangeSaab modelsOverviewSaab's 9-3 Aero range receives an Aussie boost with a Holden-sourced Turbo V69 Dec 2005 By CHRIS HARRIS SAAB isn’t taking its sales slide sitting down any longer. First salvo comes in the shape of the 9-3 Aero V6, a front-wheel drive sedan, convertible and – from early next year – an attractive station wagon, offering BMW 330i levels of power in a larger and significantly cheaper package. A new six-speed auto is also included, as are better brakes and increased safety, so Holden’s Swedish sister is in with a big chance for a turbo-charged turn-around... Model release date: 1 December 2005 to 1 October 2007 All car reviewsAlfa Romeo Abarth Alpine Alpina Audi Aston Martin BMW Bentley Chevrolet Chery Citroen Chrysler Dodge Cupra Ferrari DS Ford Fiat FPV Foton GWM Great Wall Holden Haval HSV Honda Hyundai Hummer Isuzu Infiniti Jeep Jaguar Lamborghini Kia LDV Land Rover Lotus Lexus Maserati Mahindra McLaren Mazda Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-AMG Mini MG Nissan Mitsubishi Peugeot Opel Proton Porsche Renault Ram Rover Rolls-Royce Skoda Saab SsangYong Smart Suzuki Subaru Toyota Tesla Volvo Volkswagen Previous modelCOMPLETELY unrelated to the Holden unit, Saab’s last (and only) V6 appeared in the last 900 in 2.5-litre DOHC 24-valve guise. Built by Vauxhall in England, this powerplant was smooth but not very powerful, offering just 125kW, and 227Nm of torque. Managing this was a four-speed automatic or five-speed manual gearbox. It wasn’t really a success, partly due to this 900’s inability to compete in quality or dynamics against popular German rivals like Audi’s A4 (Saab used the iffy 1988 Opel Vectra as the 900’s chassis base), but also because people perceive Saab is purist making turbocharged four-cylinder engines... |
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