by Jeff Mullins 03 February 2012
At the turn of the 21st century, Saab Automobile was a company that still traded off its quirky appeal and distinct attributes upon a range of just two models. The only problem was that that appeal was dwindling; after a decade of underwhelming progress under GM ownership that spawned the underwhelming NG 900 (later improved and renamed 9-3) as well as a replacement for the 9000 known as the 9-5, which looked distinctly average when accompanied in a class that was also occupied by the then extremely talented E39 5 Series. It could be argued that it was a period when the rot began to set in and lead to the company’s recent demise.
Rather suprising then that General Motors actually increased its stake to full ownership in the year 2000 and bought out the Wallenberg family’s remaining share. With this, plans were put in place to revitalise the Saab brand and create a credible rival in the 3 Series segment that would boost the company back into profit and increase volumes. They also enticed Michael Mauer, a former designer at Daimler Chrysler who today designs Porsches, to the position of design chief. 
The second generation Saab 9-3 debuted in the fall of 2002 and had a troubled gestation period that would not be exposed until later in its production life. As platform sharing was a common concept by this time and a thing that was nothing new to Saab, it was to be expected that General Motors would want the car to share their all-new Epsilon platform that was to underpin many of its mid size cars globally and take advantage of the efficiencies that it provided. A sign that Saab engineers were not happy with the components that their parent company provided them with was the re-engineering of several key parts, which created much extra cost and made their adaptation of the platform almost unique. This infuriated GM management, who then reacted by postponing the development of the estate model and withdrew most of the budget for creating a quality interior that could live up to the standards of the time that saw quality in the form of that of the B6 Audi A4. Legend has it that GM intended to produce the Pontiac G6 convertible on the same production line as the 9-3 and the pick-up points wouldn’t fit such was the extent that Saab engineers had modified the platform. Indeed, when Saab Automobile was sold to Spyker years later in 2010, the 9-3 did not incur any licensing fees to GM due to the fact that the platform was essentially a design that was unique to Saab. 
The 2002 Saab 9-3 was a car that would upset Saab traditionalists over two factors; its exclusive availability in only a saloon bodystyle and an engine line-up where there was not a single ‘H’ block to be found (a unit that had been the staple of the brand since the early 1980’s and could trace its roots back some twenty years previous). The petrol engines were exclusively from the General Motors ‘Family II’ range and initially came in three outputs, all featuring turbocharged technology and controlled by Saab’s own Trionic engine management system. There was the confusingly badged 1.8t (which in fact wasn’t a 1.8 at all) that featured low pressure turbocharging and 148bhp, the mid range 2.0t with medium pressure turbocharging and173bhp and the fully blown 2.0T Aero (higher case ‘T’ signifying full pressure) that produced 210bhp. Diesel power came from an agricultural Isuzu unit delivering 125bhp and 210 lb ft of torque, which was definitely from another era compared to the engines that were on offer in rivals at the time.
In 2004 the 1.8i arrived, which was a normally aspirated unit that was seen in the standard Vectra. It was boring and slow and many of the cars fitted with it were not usually well specified either. In this same year however the well regarded FIAT diesel engines arrived from the Italian company’s ill-fated alliance with General Motors. Produced by the original inventor of common-rail diesel technology, they were very competitive and gave power and economy in equal measure. Aside from some tales of water pump failure and other issues that have cropped up during warranty periods, they are generally reliable too. Initially available in 120 and 150bhp outputs respectively (both with six speed gearboxes), a more powerful version with two-stage turbocharging would later arrive in 2007 with 178bhp and 295 lb ft of torque. 
In 2005, a V6 powered Aero was launched to be sold alongside the regular four cylinder version. It featured an engine developed by sister company Holden and was produced with a variety of outputs until 2010, featuring both low and high pressure turbo technology, most notably in the 276bhp Aero X that arrived in late 2008 featuring Haldex’s brand new at the time cross-wheel drive technology with torque vectoring, which individually controlled the amount of power that was sent to all four wheels.
Trim levels of the 9-3 initially consisted of Linear (entry level), Arc (luxury), Vector (sport) and Aero, which was both a trim level as well as a model in its own right. Where Linear traditionally had basic interior trim and did without the likes of body coloured exterior parts, and Vector had two tone leather/cloth interior and 17” alloys, this became muddled in later years with the addition of ‘Linear Sport’ and ‘Vector Sport’, as well as the discontinuation of Arc. 
In late 2003, the convertible model arrived and featured a range of trim and engines that largely mirrored the saloon. The Sportwagon would eventually arrive in late 2005 for the 2006 Model Year, featuring an emphasis on lifestyle versatility over outright luggage capacity typical of bigger estates. In the following six months an update was introduced for the interior which partially addressed the criticism that had been levelled at it up until that period. This predated an exterior facelift in late 2007 that featured all new panels at the front and new projector style headlamps that curved around into the wings, as well as frosted rear tail lamps that were similar in theme to those that were seen on the Sportwagon. Saab also increased their offering of Biopower E85 compatible engines (which proved immensely popular until the VRT changes of mid 2008). Changes after this were minimal, with the company battling for survival under GM ownership. In late 2010 however, a further update was shown that was to carry the 9-3 on until the new ‘Phoenix’ model was ready in a couple of years. It featured minor changes to the headlamps and bumpers, two new trim levels known as ‘Vector Griffin’ and ‘Griffin Aero’ as well as revisions to the range of diesels that lead to the range topping 178bhp version getting under the 120 g/km barrier, which was an amazing achievement and beat anything available in that class producing that level of power.
With Saab Automobile having gone to the wall in the days leading up to last Christmas, the 9-3 range is proving more of a bargain than ever. Parts supply should also not be an issue for the foreseeable future, with many companies and organisations having been set up in recent weeks to deal with this. Looking at MG Rover as a case in point, there still can be many models seen running on the road today nearly seven years after the company’s demise, so if anything that is reason enough not to worry, in addition to the fact that many identical parts can be sourced through the Opel and FIAT network channels.
