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With all-wheel drive, rugged looks and a focus on prestige and style, Saab’s V6-engined 9-4X aims to take sales from more conventional prestige midsized SUV rivals. Jonathan Crouch checks it out It seems inconceivable that a car company based in one of the world’s coldest countries should have taken so long to get around to bringing us an SUV. Even Volvo managed it just after the turn of the century with their XC90. Though doubtless diesels will be along in due course, but to start with, the 9-4X initially comes with only one engine option, a petrol-fuelled 24valve 2.8-litre twin-scroll turbocharged unit that delivers 300bhp at 5000rpm. It offers 400Nm of torque between 2000 and 5000rpm, for a 0-62mph sprint time of 8.3 seconds and a top speed of 143mph. Power goes to the road via all four wheels and a six-speed automatic gearbox. Saab’s hi-tech XWD all wheel drive system senses which wheels are gaining most grip, as well as which wheels are losing traction, then automatically and continuously adjusts torque accordingly between the front and rear axles.
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Whether in heavy rain, on gravel, or towing, the system constantly adjusts for maximum grip, stability and drive. The technology keeps coming with DriveSense, which is Saab’s adaptive chassis system. This continuously reacts to the road conditions as well as the driving style for optimum comfort and handling and can be adjusted by the driver with the setting options including ‘Intelligent’, ‘Comfort’ , ‘Sport’ and ‘Eco’ . View the 9-4X from the rear three-quarters and you could be forgiven for thinking that this car must have been produced by an entirely different manufacturer from the one responsible for the 9-5 saloon. The 9-4X looks powerful, tall and broad, packed with styling dynamism to the point almost of being showy, not a renowned Saab trait. There is little fuss or styling for the sake of it. Instead you get simple, clean lines. The front certainly is Saab-like with the marque’s distinctive face, three stage grille and big headlights. The windscreen gets a wrapround effect thanks to the hidden A pillars, while to the rear there are stand-out C pillars with the rear spoiler built into the tailgate. Purposeful rhomboid-shaped exhausts either side at the rear hint at the power on tap and the lower part of the car from mid-wheel down gets a protective
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