For every make of car, there is a fan base. Saab owners have for a long time prized cars made by the Swedish manufacturer (now a wholly owned subsidiary of GM) for matching high-end sophistication and performance with cutting edge safety and functionality features.
It’s in a tough market, competing with better known brands like BMW. Yet dedicated Saab buyers are out there, and the 2008 Turbo X – limited to a run of roughly 600 – seemed aimed right at them.
Brian Peat, Saab sales manager at Anderson of Hunt Valley, sold all five of the Turbos his dealership was allotted. Two of them were Saab trade-ins, he says, but two others were just added to the driveways of current Saab owners.
Peat has sold the make for 25 years, but raves about the Turbo X. “It out-handled and out-drove every other one I’ve tested,” he said.
High praise for a vehicle from a company first established to build aircraft for the Swedish Air Force. And there is no shortage of reasons for it.
As the name suggests, it’s turbocharged, with a dropped suspension and self leveling shocks that maintain a 10-mm lower ride height. Six-speed manual transmission is standard, but an extra $1,350 gets you an optional six-speed automatic.
The Turbo X features all wheel drive, with electronically controlled limited slip differential (eLSD); the Cross Wheel Drive system is mainly front wheel drive until detection of slipping sends up to 40% of the traction to back wheels. Additional control is provided by ventilated disc brakes (13.6-inch front, 11.5-inch rear) and top-flight 18-inch Pirelli P Zero tires.
Saab even promoted the precision handling and performance by treating buyers to a two day “Turbo X Driving Academy” at Road Atlanta racetrack in Braselton, Georgia.
An “All Systems Go” message appears after the extended initial idle settles down, creating the impression of “Mission Ready” status. The race begins.
“It’s the power and prestige” that sets it apart from the regular Saab, says Josh Virgo, a sales representative at Fitzgerald Saab in Frederick. He says the car’s performance and handling are best demonstrated on the mountain course near the dealership.
The SportCombi version keeps the somber black-on-black elegance of the sedan in a station wagon package, presumably styled and supped for the parent who wants to fit in a few rally laps before picking the kid up from piano practice.
The bad news for enthusiasts: there won’t be a 2009 edition. The good news: the same performance features previewed on the Turbo X will be standard equipment on the 2009 9-3 Aero sedan and SportCombi.
