Saab 9-3 Sportwagon (2005 - To Date)
BY ANDY ENRIGHT
When choosing a mid-sized estate car, convention dictates that you either go for something sleek and stylish but which cant carry a great deal or you choose a car that looks as if it was designed with a setsquare and ruler but which can lug a lot of gear. Back in 2005, Saab deemed that there could be a third way and the 9-3 Sportwagon demonstrated a very elegant compromise. With used examples now starting to appear in decent numbers, heres what to look out for.
Like the Sport Saloon and Convertible models, the Wagon is one of the best-looking cars in its class, the tight overhangs and chunky proportioning giving it a real presence. With a backlash forming against the dowdy driving characteristics of many 4x4 and MPV-style vehicles, premium mid-sized estates have seen an increase in popularity in recent years and Saab has capitalised upon a market that demographics suggest is often younger and more affluent than the traditional saloon and hatchback sectors. Whats more, diesel engines a growing area of Saab expertise account for most of the estate sectors sales. Smart load carrying features, a usefully proportioned cargo area and unsullied driving dynamics make a very attractive combination for those looking for something suitably lifestyle with an esteemed badge on the bonnet and the 9-3 Sportwagon deserves to command a sizeable piece of that action.
| Build |  |
| Comfort | |
| Depreciation |  |
| Economy |  |
| Equipment | |
| Handling | |
| Insurance | |
| Performance | |
| Styling |  |
| Value | |
This is where rivals such as the Alfa 159 Sportwagon and BMWs 3-Series Touring fall down, favouring style over practicality. Saab aims to offer both.
A 1.8t Linear Sportwagon on a 2005 05 plate retails at around £10,750 with the Linear Sport tacking another £500 onto that price. Go for Vector Sport trim and youll be looking at around £13,000. The 2.
0t proved a popular powerplant and these open at around £11,200 in Linear trim, so its well worth stumping up a couple of hundred pounds for a usefully quicker car thats banded in the same insurance grouping as the 1.8t. A capital T at the end of the nomenclature means even more power and these start at around £14,500 for an Aero model and are seriously swift. The diesels are very sought after and a 1.
9TiD 120bhp in Linear trim is holding up well at around £11,750 on an 05 plate.
Few other manufacturers share Saabs reputation for longevity. Although the 9-3 doesnt feel quite so ridiculously over engineered as some Saabs of yore, it still feels like a car thatll shrug off 150,000 miles with disdainful ease, so theres no need to scratch off some of the higher mileage ex-fleet cars from your list. Just be sure that theyve been given regular doses of main dealer TLC. One area that is worth checking, especially on the more powerful models, is front tyre wear.
As with any powerful front wheel drive car, expecting the front tyres to cope with the demands of steering such a weighty beast and transmitting all that horsepower to the ground is a serious task. A heavy right foot can see front tyres waving the white flag within 5,000 miles, dependent upon make.
(approx based on a 2005 9-3 2.0t) Its apparent where Saab have taken a delve into the capacious GM parts bin. Certain items are very cheap, especially for a car that competes in a premium sector. A clutch assembly is in the region of £275, and brake pads are £50 a set for the fronts and £35 a pair at the back.
A radiator is a fairly reasonable £220, and a headlamp unit is comparable to most major rivals at £170. A starter motor wont see change from £180, whilst an alternator will only see small change from £260. An exhaust system is around £310, again, not unreasonable for a classy executive car.
The first Saab model to offer zero lift over both axles, the 9-3 SportWagon isnt just a pretty shape. Although some may question the fitment of the integrated rooftop spoiler, it does serve a function, preventing unwelcome vortices at the back of the car, helping high speed stability and contributing to the cars creditable 0.33Cd drag figure. Whereas many hatchbacked cars are a good deal less rigid than their booted equivalents, the 9-3 Sportwagon generates the same 21,000Nm/degree torsional rigidity figure as its saloon siblings.
What this means in practice is that the suspension and ReAxs rear wheel steering system can work to the best of their abilities without having to take into account deformation of the chassis during hard cornering. Some things, however, dont change. The 9-3 still campaigns on the basis of bhp per pound, its predominantly turbocharged engine line-up effectively blitzing anything from the established rivals at any given price point. Five petrol engines and three diesels are offered in the Sportwagon lineup, kicking off with a 122bhp 1.
8-litre, then progressing to a 150bhp 1.8t unit, moving on to an all-aluminium 175bhp 2.0t engine, with an upper case 2.0T denoting the 210bhp version.
The big buzz is the 280bhp turbocharged 2.8-litre V6 petrol engine which really flies. The 1.9-litre TiD common rail diesel engines offered in 120 or 150bhp form are both Euro 4-compliant and both are mated to 6-speed manual gearboxes.
The range-topping diesel is also a 1.9-litre unit but the TTiD uses a two stage turbocharger for a more progressive power delivery of its 180bhp. The only other option is the intriguing 2.0t Biopower engine which has 200bhp and can run on renewable E85 Bioethanol as well as unleaded.
Saabs 9-3 Sportwagon proves that buying a used estate car doesnt need to be boring. A range of spirited engines, sleek styling and a cerebral, left-field image marks this load lugger down as something worth buying. Our pick would be either a 150bhp 1.9 TiD or one of the 2.
0t engined variants.
