May 21, 2006 - If you’re considering the Saab 9-7X, you’ll need to take a few minutes to get in the mood. First, try dimming the lights. Then, take the phone off the hook. Now take long, deep breaths. That’s it, now relax...

You’ll probably need try some kind of mind altering technique to clear your head of any thoughts your subconscious holds of Saabs from the pasts. Forget those early two-strokers, or the Saab 96 rally cars from the 1960s driven by Erik “On the Roof” Carlsson, or the pioneering ’99 Saab 99 Turbo and subsequent 900s and 9000s which carried on the turbocharge-the-hell-out-of-a-wee-four-banger philosophy that this oh-so-Swedish company has steadfastly stuck to for decades.

“Saab who?” you’re thinking, good.



Now that those preconceived notions of what a Saab should be have been exorcised from your cranium, allow the new 9-7X to fill the space in your brain you had for all things considered Saab. The challenge is, can you objectively judge this built in Ohio, over two ton, body-on-frame, pushrod V8 sports-utility-vehicle for what it is and not for what it isn’t?

Tough, eh? Because everything that Saab represents for most car zealots—distinctive, efficient, intelligently designed cars—is pretty much everything the Saab 9-7X isn’t.

As you may know, Saab’s longtime sugar daddy, General Motors, decided that after years of putting up with the brand’s dwindling sales and perennial red ink, that, at least for the North American market, more products were needed to compliment the recent two-model Saab lineup. Hence the introduction of the Subaru Impreza-based Saab 9-2X compact wagon, the stillborn Subaru Tribeca sibling 9-6X crossover, and this 9-7X, which is The General’s sixth iteration of its five-passenger GMT360 midsize SUV platform that currently underpins the Buick Rainier, Chevrolet TrailBlazer and GMC Envoy and has been on the market now for five years.



Saab wants (OK, needs) you to clear your mind that the 9-7X is basically the nicest Chevrolet TrailBlazer you can buy. It’s an important point, because Saab has targeted the respected Volvo XC90 and Jeep Grand Cherokee as key 9-7X competitors, and both being unibody designs compared to the Saab’s body-on-frame.

Externally, the 9-7X has Saab’s three-port grille, exclusive 18-inch alloys, a blacked-out rear pillar for that floating roof look, plus clear taillights, and oval exhausts. Inside, you may recognize the air-vents, articulating cupholder and console-mounted ignition that you’ll find in current Saab cars (except the 9-2X). The centre stack has been angled toward the driver, just like in a Saab 9-5, and overall build quality is Saab-like as well. Way better than what you’ll find in the dowmarket TrailBlazer. But the 9-7X’s controls don’t feel as integrated from what you’ll find in a Volvo XC90. Nonetheless, combined with additional wood and chrome accents, heated leather seats, Bose premium audio with six-CD changer, and OnStar, the Saab really has the nicest cabin of its various GM stable mates.

The basic engine, a 291-horsepower, 4.2-litre straight-six, is the same you’ll find in any of GM’s other midsize SUVs,. My test car was the 9-7X V8 that comes with a 300-h.p., 5.3-litre vee-eight. Both engines have a four-speed automatic as the sole transmission choice, and has one gear less than most competitors. The torque lover in you may consider that the 4.2 mill produces 53 less pound-feet of torque than the 5.3.



After an afternoon spent driving the biggest Saab on back roads between Ottawa and Kingston, Ontario, the 9-7X V8 felt more composed than any non-SS TrailBlazer could hope for. As expected, response from the torque-rich eight is prompt. No news there. But like the approach Saab took in their makeover of the Impreza, attention has been paid to the 9-7X V8’s suspension setup. Saab engineers stiffened the shocks and shortened the springs, had Dunlop design specific 255/55R-18 rubber, tweaked the double-A-arm front and multilink/solid-axle rear setup, requested full-time all-wheel drive, a limited-slip differential and made standard GM’s StabiliTrak traction control.

The buttoned down suspension removes a lot of the excess body movements and minimizes the roll in corners normally found one of these GMT360s. The steering has been tightened as well to provide better on-centre feel, especially at speeds no SUV—Saab or otherwise—more than likely will encounter on the daily school run. The only reminder of the Saab’s body-on-frame structure is excessive body flex over bad pavement. During some turns, my test car’s passenger side door would flex enough to allow wind to enter the cabin. Because of this, unibody competitors such as Acura’s MDX, Cadillac’s SRX, or the aforementioned XC90 and Jeep Grand Cherokee, deliver superior overall driving dynamics.

Forgetting the 9-7X V8 is a Saab, and judged by its own merits, does it warrant consideration if you’re in the market for a premium midsize SUV under $60,000?

Based on my 9-7X V8 test car’s $53,400 base price, it’s considerably cheaper than a $64,995 Volvo XC90 V8, but the Saab is nowhere near as refined. And Jeep’s Grand Cherokee, whether in $52,980 Overland 375-h.p. Hemi guise, or the $48,495 SRT-8 420-h.p. über-SUV, would still be the driver’s choice over the Saab. Even within the large GMT360 family, one could argue the hotrod merits of the TrailBlazer SS with its 395-h.p. 6.0-litre (borrowed from no less than the Corvette) with many of the same suspension upgrades the Saab has AND its nearly ten grand cheaper. Hmm...

So clear your mind once again, and ask yourself, “How badly do I want a Saab SUV?”

- John LeBlanc, Publisher, www.straight-six.com



Just the facts…

Build quality
Features
Performance 
Fun-to-drive 
Overall value

Vehicle Type: Front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 5-door sports-utility-vehicle
Engine: OHV, 5.3-litre V-8
Transmission: 4-speed automatic
Horsepower: 300 @ 5,200 rpm
Torque: 330 lb.-ft.@ 4,000 rpm
Curb Weight: 2,169 kilograms
0 to 96 kms/hr: 7.3 seconds
Wheels & Tires: 18-inch alloys with 255/55 all-season
Base price: $53,400
Optional Equipment: Rear DVD entertainment system $1,750, 6-CD changer $1,075 
Price As Tested: $56,225