Every Saab article needs an asterisk these days. The Swedish luxury auto maker's cash crunch and its unsuccessful attempts to tackle its unpaid bills means there are as many dramatic twists to its latest financial, dealer, government and/or Chinese partner agreements as a tell-all Schwarzenegger autobiography.
It's impossible to look at the auto maker's vehicles without considering the shaky corporate picture. The company left the Canadian market once and now has a smaller dealer network with no large auto maker backing it up after GM not-so-fondly bid it adjö, and its factory in Sweden was closed for weeks due to a lack of parts from various miffed suppliers.
For Saab, it's time to order more Chinese-Swedish dictionaries. And this time, in bulk. Because even after Saab's deal in early May with small Chinese car maker Hawtai fell apart a week after it was announced, Saab struck a hastily arranged deal with Chinese car dealer and distribution group Pangda.
Pangda has no manufacturing facilities, and both it and Saab will therefore look for a partner to build Saabs in China as well in the next few years, Pangda's CEO and founder Pang Qing Hua explained. And there will certainly be more agreements, more partnerships, and likely more dramatic twists to the Saab story before the 9-4X ever arrives in Canada.
That arrival is now planned for October, after production started in Mexico in mid-May with a few tail-end 2011 9-4Xs built for the United States. Global production of the 2012 models is to begin in late August or September, off the same assembly line as the Cadillac SRX. While the Saab and Cadillac models share platforms, Cadillac said recently it will make its own 3.6-litre direct-injected V-6 the only engine available on '12 SRXs. So Saab 9-4X buyers will mostly receive the refined but huffy 3.0-litre V6, making 265 hp.
This engine needs revs to find its slightly overwhelmed 223 ft-lb of torque, located way up in the rev range at 5,100 rpm, but it does get you better fuel economy than the optional 2.8-litre turbo V-6 standard on the top-line Aero models. And it takes regular gas, unlike the Aero.
Although Saab estimates the Aero will only make up 15 per cent of North American sales, that was the only version at the Washington launch, as the 300-hp turbocharged engine combined with the Aero's standard all-wheel-drive is undoubtedly the tastiest version behind the wheel. But that 2.8T is going to cost you at the pump, both in terms of its increased thirstiness and because it requires premium gas.
Saab has done an admirable job on the 9-4X's suspension, nailing a more composed and European-feeling handling confidence with very little if any compromise in ride comfort compared to the Caddy. Base models are front-wheel drive, but the advanced Haldex AWD system provides a welcome bit of extra control, with the ability to push torque to the outside rear corner in turns to create a more dynamic push out of turns.
The 9-4X's design appeal achieves a similar level of dynamism: nothing ground-breaking, but an overall laudable effort. Turbine-like wheels, blacked-out A-pillars and rear-view mirror housings help impart a jet-plane canopy look to the greenhouse, while greenish-blue "ice-block" accents in the front, side and rear lights provide a unique, upscale colour splash as well.
Not nearly as successful is its interior styling. A sharp-looking flat-bottom steering wheel is about the extent of the daring inside, with large stretches of decent quality but still overabundant black plastic. The Aero also offers dark grey seats and carpeting, which help lighten up the vampire treatment a touch, though warmer woods and two-tone themes are available. The ignition lies between the front seats, as with all true Saabs, but is now a push-button design.
For a company most closely targeting Audi buyers, this simple-to-the-extreme Saab interior philosophy has to be puzzling. And likely a sign of where GM tried to save some money, as the whole 9-4X project was done and wrapped up when new owner Spyker took control in February, 2010.
In the end, that interior really hurts the 9-4X, an otherwise fine vehicle that will be competing against many fine vehicles with financially stable corporate parents.
Tech specs
2012 Saab 9-4X
Type: Mid-size, five-seat luxury crossover
Base price: (estimated) $35,000-$50,000
Engine: 3.0-litre V-6/2.8-litre turbo V-6 (Aero)
Horsepower/torque: 265 hp/233 lb-ft for 3.0-litre
300 hp/295 lb-ft for turbo 2.8-litre
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Drive: Front-wheel or all-wheel
Fuel economy (litres/100 km): 13.8 city/10.2 highway for 3.0-litre; regular gas
15.7 city/10.7 highway for turbo 2.8-litre; premium gas
Alternatives: Audi Q5, BMW X3, Cadillac SRX, Lexus RX 350, Lincoln MKX, Volvo XC60
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