MotorWeek Road Test: 2009 Saab Turbo X

[ClubbySuperCharged]

We've seen Xs going as low as 5.4 to 100kmh

[manlyman6392]

yaaaa saab is gone. although it sucks for the workers,i do feel bad but these overpriced cars need to go

[benzbubblecat]

needs more boost, 6.5 to 60 is too slow

[RaguelAngelofBalance]

Who's AWD system was in the Saab 9-7x?

[maverick223]

@RaguelAngelofBalance 9-7x is a chevy trailblazer and the 9-2x is a subaru wrx

[RaguelAngelofBalance]

@maverick223 So its a GM AWD system?

[maverick223]

@RaguelAngelofBalance well yeah. its a GM car.

[RaguelAngelofBalance]

@maverick223 I thought MAYBE it was a Subaru design since GM has their fingers in Subaru.

[meteora8888]

i changed from a 2004 wrx.

the turbo x looks great BUT it is not a very good car....the subaru is by far superior in every driving aspect.

the saab interior creaks..i had no issues at all in my subaru.

the xwd is quite disappointing especially in the wet. its an improvement to a fwd car but its nothing compared to constant awd. my car understeers severely in a dangerous way in the wet. the 4cyl are punchier and more fun to drive.

[tzermiass]

@meteora8888 look here, the saab beats the sti in the wet!!!!! put saab turbox vs sti in google and click on one of the first links, watch the vid the sabb beats the sti in the wet.

[meteora8888]

@tzermiass chill out dude. no need for "look here" bizo..it's just a car.

the xwd system has been a massive disappointment for me especially in the wet on the road. i don't track my car so i can't comment.

[tzermiass]

@meteora8888 the wet lap times are 9in the article

[bucentaur]

I just got one because its on the shared platform as the G6. My old G6 had AMAZING room and comfort, one of the few cars that I could actually extend my legs in and not pinch nerves or anything. Its plenty roomy, plenty classy looking IMHO, very nicely appointed inside, very competent in inclement weather, and yet still very fast and agile. Its all the stuff I want in one car. Impreza was cramped for me.

[Suihkis86]

@Xaqtly Why so serious? Just relax. Why are you here convincing people about subarus "superiority"? Do you know that speed isnt everything in a car? Do you know that subaru dosnt look as good as saab? If you like subaru thats ok, but i would buy something with quality. Like Saab.

[Xaqtly]

@Suihkis86 Is there something wrong with stating the truth of the situation? Also, "looks good" isn't a fact, it's a completely subjective opinion. Do you know the difference between a fact and an opinion? Also, you should go check out the quality ratings for Subaru if you want a shock to your system. Saab does not equal quality, I've owned two of them. Ask me how I know. Furthermore, one of the Saabs WAS a Subaru. The 9-2X was a rebranded Subaru WRX wagon. How's that for irony?

[Xaqtly]

@zznwea Sure, you can tell yourself that if you want to. Don't let the fact that I've owned two of them bother you. Also, everything I've said so far is true. It has nothing to do with not understanding Saabs, it has to do with the basic facts of the situation.

It's great if you like Saabs, but the simple fact is that nobody in their right mind will buy a Turbo X when there are plenty of cheaper, faster and better alternatives available.

[benzbubblecat]

one of the coolest cars out there - needs a little more boost though

[Xaqtly]

lol, it takes a turbocharged 2.8 liter V6 to get that kind of performance in that car? Subaru WRX is faster than that with a 2.5 liter 4. 13.7 @ 100+, 4.7 second 0-60. And the WRX costs half as much, and its AWD system is better.

I guess the turbo X is cool if you're into exclusivity, but you can get a lot more bang for your buck with other cars. Even the 412 HP Mustang GT costs 10 grand less than this. I hope Saab wasn't counting on this car to save them.

[FantomLightning]

@Xaqtly dude have you ever even driven a Saab?

[Xaqtly]

@FantomLightning

1. Yes

2. What possible difference could that make

3. the Turbo X is a lot of money for not a lot of performance.

[FantomLightning]

@Xaqtly Just Wondering

[GoreForBreakfast]

@Xaqtly Ohhh hmm WOW Subaru IMPREZA WRX STI! OH MY GOSH FASTER THAN SAAB! Yeah well im better off in the SAAB thanks you know, having a FIVE STAR SAFETY RATING and all. Oh and BTW SAAB's Torque is GUT WRENCHING.

[Xaqtly]

@GoreForBreakfast Faster, handles better, brakes better, cheaper, pretty much everything. If you're driving a Saab, then you have never experienced "gut wrenching" torque. The WRX does 0-60 in under 5 seconds. Get back to me when you've actually been in a car that accelerates that fast before you talk about "gut wrenching"

What is it with Saab fanboys and blatant stupidity? It's not all about Subaru either, a Mustang GT also costs a lot less and is MUCH MUCH faster.

[absolutinspire]

Not even quattro allows 85% of the power to one wheel.. wrx is not the exception plus they both dont have reaxs active chasis.. xwd is the most advanced awd system in the world there's no other with predictive spining detection .. also fuel consumption is better in 9-3 with 2 more cylinders.. who the fuck would by a wrx it looks like a chinese FAW.. 93 aero is one of the most balanced cars out there.. you must see the mustang racing the saab at 10000ft of height and see what happns

[Xaqtly]

@absolutinspire Um, nothing changes the fact that the Turbo X costs twice as much as the WRX and doesn't perform as well. So I guess the people that would buy a WRX are the people that aren't stupid enough to spend twice as much money on a car that isn't as good.

[absolutinspire]

doesnt performs as well???? What are talking about?? take any car and make it pass as much fuel per minute as the subaru and the engine will increase at least 30hp you just need to remap the ecu which wrx did thats why it isnt a world class car as saab is.. Now this is the top of the line 93 that's why it costs 40 grand.. the top wrx is 37 grand.. twice the price?? you dont even know how to add..

[Xaqtly]

@absolutinspire Yes, the WRX is FASTER. That's what "performs better" means. Was I not clear about that? Nobody cares about fuel per minute. The WRX performs better. The end.

I'm fine with adding, but you're bad at reading. I said WRX. NOT STI. W-R-X. As in, the BASE MODEL WRX is FASTER than the Saab Turbo X. Do you understand now or should I say it again? The WRX is nowhere near $37k. You're thinking of the STI. Also the Turbo X STARTS at $42,500.

Please stop being stupid, thanks.

[absolutinspire]

You don't have a girl do you??.. im not going to argue with you cause it looks you dont even have a car... FASTER?? a rock falling would be faster than a porsche.. acording to you thats performance..

[Xaqtly]

@absolutinspire So you're saying that speed isn't a measure of performance? How stupid are you, exactly? Yeah, that's what I thought. I'll say it again: a base model WRX is faster than a Saab Turbo X for about half as much money.

If you can't see why that's a problem, you have bigger issues than your idiotic defense of Saab.

[hadabenz]

@Xaqtly yes but this is a car not made for a wrx looser like you. this is made for saab enthusiast so they can have extra fun. go to hell, work to make money or something rather than just bulshitting around like you have plenty of time in front of youtube. dork.

[Xaqtly]

@hadabenz Yes, this is a car made for people with more money than brains. Stupid people are always willing to throw money away. If you're interested in ACTUAL performance, get a WRX for half the price. Done deal. Or, be an idiot and spend almost 50k on a car that is not as fast as the WRX. Your choice.

Or spend $32k and get an STi that absolutely RAPES the Turbo X for $10k less. Or, you know, keep trying to justify the high price of this car. That's a good use of your time.

[hadabenz]

@Xaqtly I don't care man, you seem to have a lot of time on your hand youtubing. go to school or something. the reason why only 600 turbo X were produced was because saab fans requested a special edition car and this is it. No further comments or question needed. and certainly they dont care about price-value argument, unless it's a poor fella like you with freetime. What a shame.

[Xaqtly]

@hadabenz For somebody who doesn't care, you are spending an awful lot of time on Youtube arguing with me about it. What does that say about your free time, hmm? Maybe you should be going to school.

It's great Saab fans got a special edition car. That's fantastic. It doesn't change the fact that the Turbo X is HORRIBLE value for money. If you want to buy one, go ahead. But don't try to convince me or anybody else it's a good idea. If I want performance, I will not be buying a Turbo X.

[hadabenz]

@Xaqtly yeah right, i dont go to school anymore i've graduated college...i can judge that youre probably somewhere b/w 13-17 years old and haven't got a license. sod off.

[Xaqtly]

@hadabenz So because I know more about cars and have better grammar than you do, from that you're deducing that I'm 13-17 years old? Wow, you must be a god damned genius.

Oh by the way, you're replying to me on youtube again. Weren't you the one accusing me of having too much free time? Have you ever looked in a mirror? Does the phrase "pot kettle black" mean anything to you? How about "hypocritical jackass"? Just wondering if that college education you got is worth a crap.

[97I30T]

@Xaqtly Dude we dont give a shit about the WRX, stop mentioning it. These two cars werent even made for the same reasons. Oh and you say the Saab is terrible value eh? Well no one said it was made to be a bargain. You obviously dont get it, The Saab is made to be a classy, exclusive sedan for Saab enthusiasts while that WRX you wont shut up about is made for little boy racers to show off in. Stop comparing these two cars, theyre in two different leagues in the first place

[Xaqtly]

@97I30T Of course I get it. I've owned two Saabs. The Turbo X is a massive waste of money. I got to race one a few days ago, and I beat his ass. I'm currently driving a Subaru Legacy that cost $26k brand new, and now has almost 85k miles on it and is 6 years old.

If you want to throw your money away, that's your problem. The Turbo X gives you nothing but a Saab badge and a feeling of exclusivity. The performance is shit, and you guys are what we like to call "poseurs".

[97I30T]

@Xaqtly I do argee with what you say and I didnt know youve had two saabs. To me a Saab is about driving a car that makes you feel good and feels right. They certainly are expensive and theyre arent a good value for performance bang for the buck but I feel like people buy Saabs more for the driving experience and prestige than the performance. If I want a fast car I would get say a Subaru, I like Subarus, but you get the point. Its all preference and youre entitled to your opinion

[tzermiass]

@97I30T look here, the saab beats the sti in the wet!!!!! type saab vs m3 and sti in google and the link will come up. then watch the vid. it beats the sti,and a 335i in the wet, and loses only by a mili second to an m3.

[tzermiass]

@97I30T the wet lap times are in the article

[tzermiass]

@Xaqtly type saab vs m3 and sti in google. Click on one of the first links and watch the vid. it beats both sti and the 335i in the wet!! and only loses by a milie second to the m3!

the saab you competed against probably was an auto, witch i can admit lacks the punch of a manual and suffers cause of its clumbsy automatic gear box. it take more than one second more than the manual to one hundred. just check the video out.

[tzermiass]

@Xaqtly the wet lap times are in the article

[gabrideen]

love those rims!!!

[MrSegaGenesis]

SAAB should come out with another viggen.

[VegetasRage]

6.5 seconds.........their driver sucks, i have sen the turbo x go 0-60 in under 6 seconds

[flaxplan]

it was a automatic gearbox,

[VegetasRage]

@flaxplan ....no wonder jk

[740ilPower]

@VegetasRage

yes but not when the weather is hot

[chinkyeyes86]

SAAB IS SAVED!!!

[20044runner]

@chinkyeyes86 or not

[8motion]

slow...a bit no?

[VegetasRage]

@8motion its not supposed to be a rocket

but saab are quite fast on the highway, some saabs are faster than porsches 911 s from 40-70ish highways speed

[246Johnny]

OMG! I have a 2008 SAAB 9-3 2.0T fully loaded except Navi; I think I want a TurboX now!

[huronlad]

The boost gauge is in all the newer Saabs in Canada.

[SitBackAndChillAx]

@huronlad the boost gauge is in EVERY single saab turbo old or new, or so i noticed from have a 2003 93 vector, 2006 93 aero, and a 1999 viggen. all mine have the boost gauge, its pretty inaccurate though, best to buy after market boost gauge.

[VegetasRage]

@SitBackAndChillAx our old 9-3 se had a turbo gauge as well

[SitBackAndChillAx]

@VegetasRage yup, gotta love the older saabs

[fasciatus]

Saab is swedish pride

[ScLeCo]

Saab in GM pride

[8motion]

@fasciatus sold..its pride?

[fmyboki892]

@fasciatus GM pride

[Skid00everest340]

thid anybody know that köningssägen have taken over the saab industri becuse general motors expected a bonus from sweden becuse of general motors had some truble with the econymi.

[supradave9]

koenigsegg

[usama1119]

it is slow, the 2006 honda accord has 36 less hp than the saab but basically has the same acceleration, which means its slow.

[mac680]

This is not really comparable. It goes from zero to sixty in 6,5 seconds with automatic transmission, as shown in this test. With a manual gearbox (which is the only option, for a real car enthusiast!) the zero to sixty time is 5,9 seconds. Besides that, the Honda isn't remotely as agile as the Saab, with its sluggish natural aspirated V6 engine, and front wheel drive. 0-60 is one thing, handling and mid-range torque is a whole other story my friend.

[8motion]

@mac680

That really slow for all the power and torque. 15 seconds to the 1/4/..m

[star11scream]

My dad owns that car

[xxjonfajonxx]

mine too!

he loves it when i and him go like 240^^

[naireland]

I got to try the nasty 09 93 aero and I thought that was a beast. can't imagine what this thing would do

[djillen]

This car with autotransmission feels jumpy to drive in the city.

The turbo effect is far to direct wich interfears with normal driving, when driving normallly, when the turbo just should asisst on low preassure and react first when you want powerful acceleration Daniel Trollhättan Sweden

[djillen]

I drive a 280bhp 09 aero v6 and I think that the 9000 aero feels stronger in the lower regions. Due to the 9000's small 2,3 turbo engine the 9000 aero feels more powerful from 1800rpm.

the V6 engine needs higher rpm's ro react.

[styleKIMCHI]

Something went wrong with their testing. My 08 9-3 Aero (auto) does 0-60 in less the time. They should be hitting just under 6 seconds with the Turbo X. Bad shifting maybe...?

[YS3Caero]

slow? So what´s fast?

[keviiinn]

I love the way this current 9-3 looks. I hope they make it.

[JoseBaiona]

my father just bought a SAAB 9-3 of 2006

a pretty nice car, computer, GPS

a car for a nice and comfortable trip

i never heard of saab's but the car i bought is amazing

it costed 30,000€

[coandcaiv]

far to many better choices...for less money ..then to buy this car...saab's are just too odd

[daniel0164]

Sleeksilver are you an idiot? 280 Horsepower alot more than you get in a merc c class or bmw 3 series and there alot more expensive from the newest year. I wud easily pay for the Turbo X what a great car

[RAFSQNLDR]

To own one is different from commenting on what you read and see on video. It is amazing - especially on ice. I know - I own one!

[fcabido]

very cool alternative to a 3 series or c class

[sleeksilver]

Not impressed in the least. I am even less impressed when you consider the price of the vehicle...

[TuuSaR]

"15.0 in the 1/4? lmfao"

Its was non-modern automatic box, not manual stick which is faster.

[mavrick790]

Don't get this crap. They're trying to be innovative when they don't need to. The Saab 9-5 arc and Aero are great cars because of they're ability to push out high torque at low RPM, so they are amazing on the highway. The AWD, larger engine is useless. Like Jeremy said the Aero will do 40-70MPH faster then a Porsche 911 Turbo.

Please people, don't get sucked in by this POS, go for the older ones trust me. Im a proud 2004 Saab 9-5 owner :).

[WarGamezzz]

I have a 9000 Aero with 225hp @ 1800rpm

with a 4 Cylinder

Also it can get 30+mpg on the highway or normal road driving.

I agree the older Saabs are better in a lot of ways, but these new models are pretty cool if you can foot the cash.

[tgseason12]

Yup. The 2.3T is really fast!

[WarGamezzz]

for sure, surprised how much kick u can get out of a heavy car and a 4 cylinder. It's also able to push 300-500hp depending on modifications and ECU upgrades.

My 9000 has 215,000 miles on it and has very little problems/minor rust. Saabs are definitely reliable.

[YS3Caero]

I have a 2.3l 9000 Aero too and let me tell you if I could I´d have one of those in my garage... Side to 9000!

By the way I´d like to know what 911 was Jeremy talking about...

[tgseason12]

I've driven one. Fast thing for sure =)

[mrbenyong]

im just not a saab person

[TwiztedTurbo]

15.0 in the 1/4? lmfao VOLVO 850 T5 did that back in 1994

[tgseason12]

Opel GSi (150bhp, N/A) did 15.5 in 1988...

[TwiztedTurbo]

lol

[tgseason12]

This Saab is pretty damn slow =/

[TwiztedTurbo]

true

[boravw1]

this is the most pathetic saab super car!!! I used to have a SPG and a Viggen and those actually brought excitement to True saab owners! this uses a Haldex controller which is straight from VW or Volvo... also you bumped it to 280HP LOL I think i just pooed myself thats pathetic! for 44K get a EVO or STI and you will have more excitement in your life.. I wish I was on the developement of SAAB the first thing I would do is Per Eckland, and Mr. Carlsson as consultants on how to make it be fun

[Pagelos]

Haldex is 100% Swedish, and its a 100% stand-alone company.

[shonzy7]

they must be heavy huh? only running a 15.0  not putting the car down sounds awesome looks great just heavy

[calebp15]

its so cheap in america! they cost over 60000 euro in ireland!

[samsemtex]

get one in from england for about €35,000 with VRT paid. I plan on getting one when there are some 2nd hand ones available next year.

[rharta]

woah its nice but too pricy. i would rather take an evoX MR

[gilluminati]

I have this car too. The problem with it, is it has too much body roll during quick, high speed direction changes. The B-piller is in the way of doing shoulder checks. The back head rest is uncomfortable for me. And the gear shift has such a long travel, I can barely getting it into 5th without moving my seat forward further. The clutch is ridiculously springy and has a long travel too. Other then that, car is perfect.

[markuskiel]

i can affirm this because i have a X, too. And the car is a real allwheeldrive.

[keviiinn]

I love this car. the best Saab ever

[nico74321]

it's not AWD omg why do they keeping saying it's AWD it's still FWD but with eLSD. i've test drive one of those the eLSD only deliver the torque to its rare wheel when cornering which is a big let down in straight line accleration. to be honse this car is over pricing, wait till next year the eLSD will be optional feature in 9-3 aero sedan hopefully in convertible version too.

[Fasttrader01]

Turbo X IS allwheeldrive (Haldex 4), eLSD shifts the power between the rear wheels and not between the front wheels. If it were not an allwheeldrive it could not shift the power to the back wheels. And that's why it will not be available in the Convertible, the vert remains FWD. How do I know? I have a X in my garage...

[samsemtex]

oh gawd. It IS all wheel drive. It is a very very advanced type of AWD at that. its called xwd