It’s a stereotype but Saab convertibles have been
known more for being driven by hairdressers than people into performance. Even
with turbocharged engines long available in Saab soft-tops, the perception has
always been about looking good rather than going hard. But all that’s now
changed. With the release of the 2.8 litre turbocharged V6 Aero, Saab just got
serious.
But it’s damn hard to pick the gun car – there are
no badges that say anything about a V6, let alone turbo. Instead you need to
look for the Aero badge, twin exhausts and the big brakes. But behind the
steering wheel there’s no confusion – put your foot down and feel the 6-speed
auto snatch a down-change, the boost gauge immediately rocketing around the
(uncalibrated) dial, the steering wheel twisting a little in your grasp as all
the Newton metres are channelled through the protesting front tyres. The engine
– creamy smooth and with an exhilarating exhaust note – surges the car down the
road with a wave of torque for each gear. Saab knows turbocharging very well and
with a technically sophisticated, all-new V6 at their disposal (courtesy of
parent GM), there’s no holding them back.
In fact it’s a source of astonishment that the
all-alloy 184kW 2.8 litre engine is simply a downsized and turbocharged version
of the 3.6 litre threshing machine found under the bonnet of the Holden
Commodore. The intercooled Mitsubishi TD04 turbo runs 0.6 Bar boost and gives
the smaller engine immense grunt everywhere in the rev range, with 90 per cent
of peak torque available from an incredibly low 1500 rpm! It’s vastly more
refined and sweet than the engine used in the Holdens and it’s also more
economical, especially in cruise. Over the 1100 kilometres we did in the week
with the car, it turned-in an average fuel consumption of just 10.3 litres/100
km – very good with the available performance and the high 1737kg mass. In fact,
the only criticism that can be made of the engine is that when started from dead
cold, it’s a little rough in idle – it feels almost as if it’s running a lean
air/fuel ratio to warm the cat converter. (Saab says that air injection occurs
into the exhaust manifolds for the first 30 seconds after a cold start, but that
doesn’t really explain the engine roughness in these conditions.)
Nought to 100 km/h is claimed at 8.1 seconds but
the Aero always feels faster than this – and it’s the in-gear performance which
is really exhilarating. We’ve got almost no complaints about the engine – and in
fact would rate it amongst the best turbo engines we’ve ever driven – but the
Aisin AW 6-speed auto trans optionally fitted to the test car isn’t quite as
effective.
A thinking trans with adaptive control logic, in
the main it does a good job. It’ll hold single gears up long hills and will
respond more quickly if you’re booting it. But at times when the car is
accelerated from a walking pace it selects first gear with a real jerk, and can
engine brake in a clunky way on long descents. Manual control of the trans is
available by pushing the selector across to the left and there are also buttons
on the steering wheel to effect changes. Don’t get us wrong - the trans works
very well with the engine but it could be improved still further with a little
more software development.
The handling is up to the performance but the 9.3
Aero is not really a car to drive by the fingertips, adjusting the handling
attitude with tiny throttle and wheel movements. Instead, what you have is just
lots of grip – the tyres are huge 235/45 Sport Contacts and the Aero-specific
sports suspension is set up to have very little roll. The steering is quick and
the combination gives turn-in that occurs with alacrity and high cornering
speeds. However, go beyond the level of grip and the car stodgily understeers,
the stability control system reining-in the movement with fairly unsubtle
corrections.
Mixing oddly with this handling behaviour is a
steering system with lots of feedback – probably too much in fact. Driven along
a bumpy road with the hands momentarily off the wheel shows it has a life of its
own – twisting and jiggling constantly. The suspension is also damn firm and
with the roof folded down (which also introduces some scuttle shake), the
steering and ride collaborate to reduce refinement considerably. Put it this
way: it’s the sort of car that on a smooth road urban test drive you could think
extremely refined; but put the car onto a broken bitumen secondary road and the
story dramatically changes.
Brakes are bigger on the Aero than the other 9.3
convertibles with 314mm and 292mm ventilated discs used front and back,
respectively. They’re controlled by ABS, brake assist, and stability and
traction control systems.
So there’s plenty of performance and grip but what
about the reason that people buy soft-tops - dropping the roof? The convertible
roof is operated by a single button – there are no latches to manually unfold.
Simply press the button downwards and accompanied by the quiet whir of hydraulic
motors, a short time later the roof is gone. It’s seamless, practical and fun.
Space for the roof is provided in the boot, which is another way of saying that
when the roof is folded, half the boot space disappears. (If you try to fold the
roof with the boot full, the system stops before any damage occurs and a warning
comes up on the dash.) We can see plenty of people packing the boot full for a
trip then when they reach their destination, unpacking and folding back the roof
for some fun touring.
With the roof up, the convertible has near sedan
levels of noise suppression and comfort. Some road noise gets through the fabric
(most noticeably on freeways with other traffic close by) but there’s no extra
wind noise or whistles. The rear window is glass, so you won’t get the creased
yellow plastic window that appears after a few years in lesser convertibles.
The rear seat is quite usable. Drop-down rear
windows are provided (although, oddly, they’re not under the control of the rear
passengers) and even with the roof up, the rear space is not claustrophobic. Leg
room is a little tight, but with the front seats moved forward a bit, even that
is fine. Front seat space is good (although what in a rear-wheel drive would be
the transmission tunnel is rather wide) and the glovebox and door pockets are
large and usable.
The roof must cost a lot because while the
equipment level of this AUD$92,400 car is adequate, it’s certainly not
outstanding. Navigation isn’t offered (even as an option) and there are only
four airbags. However, other safety issues are addressed with auto pop-up rear
roll bars and active front head restraints. Leather is everywhere and you get a
6 disc in-dash CD stacker and a 7 speaker premium sound system. The Aero also
gets dual electric seats, the drivers’ seat having three memories. But take a
look at the dash and you could be forgiven for thinking the car is packed with
equipment – that’s quite a complex panel you’re looking at! However, most of the
controls are easily mastered and the night lighting is particularly effective.
The digital displays are also clear, even in full sunlight. Unlike previous
Saabs we’ve sampled, the trip computer is no longer operated by multiple buttons
but unfortunately, the single rotary knob that has replaced them is also not
very easy to use – it’s difficult to turn it one increment at a time without
overshooting.
Overall, the Saab 9.3 Aero is an impressive
machine. It’s about as practical as a soft-top four seater gets, goes hard and
handles competently – and all without drinking like a crazed sailor on shore
leave.
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The Aero 9.3 convertible was provided for this
test by Saab Australia.
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