Wheel Talk Radio Coast to Coast

Wheel Talk Radio Coast to Coast

Friday, January 18, 2008

2008 Saab 9-3 Sports Sedan


The new Saab 9-3 brings four-doors of excitement to this 5-passenger sports sedan with impressive aerodynamic design and a four-cylinder, turbocharged engine that delivers performance and fuel economy.

The first thing you see is its striking front-end with the 9-3’s low-slung grill and air-dam.

The aerodynamic-magic continues with a sleek over-wrapped hood and a blended windshield to make this sports sedan seem like it’s moving forward while its parked curbside.

The power plant is a two-liter, turbocharged, sixteen valve – overhead cam engine that pumps out 210-horsepower to drive the 5-speed automatic transmission.

Standard equipment on the Saab 9-3 includes: electronic stability program, power-assist rack and pinion steering, anti-lock breaking system and 16-inch spoke alloy wheels.

The interior of the Saab 9-3 sports sedan lives up to its Scandinavian heritage with the ignition key positioned between the two front buckets in the center console.

The leather interior and the overall appointments of the cabin are well made and comfortable.

The front instrument panel includes: climate control, am/fm – CD player and XM satellite radio.

The 8-way power driver-seat is a luxury feature that makes this nimble sports sedan comfortable and fun to drive.

The 2008 Saab 9-3, 2-liter, turbocharged sports sedan is a general motors product and features the 5-year, 100-thousand-mile powertrain warranty in addition to a 4-year vehicle warranty; see the dealer for details.

The estimated miles per gallon for the Saab sports sedan is: 19 in the city and 26 on the highway.

Base price for the Saab 9-3 is $28,385.

Our test vehicle is priced at $31,500 with its options.

My supervising producer, Monty Wolf, and I were able to drive the 9-3 up and down and across the great state of California from the Monterey bay, down to Newport Beach, over to Las Vegas for the SEMA Show and back to the Pebble Beach underground production studios on world famous 17-Mile Drive.

The 9-3 was a great road-car with comfort, performance and the refinements drivers really appreciate on long road trips, from 8-way power seats to the factory sound system.

Check out the 2008 9-3 Saab, 2-liter, turbocharged sports sedan online at www.saab.com or at your local Saab dealer.

This car was a blast!

Next week on wheel talk coast to coast: we’ll take a look at the latest Audi when we report on the a true sports car: the TT Roadster 3.2 Quattro MTG.

See you next week!