Car buyers are a funny lot. If a car manufacturer produces a new high-quality saloon with some sporting pretensions it is often viewed as dowdy, only fit for sales reps. If the same car is given a more practical estate body style, fitted with some nice alloys and given a snazzy name like "SportWagon" it is the coolest thing on four wheels! Saab's 9-3 is a case in point, and the SportWagon version (or SportCombi as it will be known in Europe) debuted at the Geneva Motor Show, a full three years behind its saloon sibling.

So is the SportWagon worth the wait for September 2005 deliveries? It does all the grown up estate car things well, with 419 - 1,273 litres of luggage space and a clever dual level floor tagged "TwinFloor". The technical specifications of the SportWagon should get the juices flowing too; amongst the seven-engine line-up is an all-new 250bhp, 2.8-litre V6 unit, with turbocharging. This powerplant will see service in the Aero version only and will also be available in the saloon and convertible. Turbodiesel was the choice of 60% of UK buyers in the Saab's market segment last year, so it will be no surprise to see at least two diesel variants in the SportWagon range.

The distinctively Saab styling of the 9-3 saloon has been enhanced on the SportWagon with a steeply raked rear window and new 'frosted' rear light clusters. Meaty dual-exhaust outlets and an integrated rear spoiler add to the sporting image of the new car; though the spoiler is said to be functional increasing the car's high-speed stability. Saab emphasises that the SportWagon is just as good to drive as the 9-3 saloon, utilising the same 'ReAxs' passive rear-wheel steering system, and matching the saloon's torsional rigidity.

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