by Swade
January 28, 2011 in Saabology
It looks like Saab Germany are jumping in and sharing the XWD Days first advertised by Saab Austria.
German customers are invited to fill up the 11-13 February slot, and have another bunch of dates open from the 16th to the 18th.
The program is the same, with skidoo, cottage accommodation and lots of XWD driving. The price is the same, too, at 249Euro per person.
by Swade
January 13, 2011 in Saabology
UPDATE: Extra dates and online registration now available.
Saab Austria have added another weekend to this event, such is its popularity. The original dates were (and remain) Feb 18-20. I’ve been advised that another event has now been added for the weekend before – February 11-13.
Also, the XWD Days website now has a separate page for online registration.
Enjoy!
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This sounds like a rather special Saab event.
Interested parties in Austria are able to book themselves in to “XWD Days”, which will be run between the 18th and 20th February 2011 at Mayrhofen – Tyrol.
SaabAndee tells me that people interested in going along can book through their local Saab dealer. The XWD Days program will see a number of side activities such as skidoo and sledding, as well as a night in a mountain cottage (other accomm is in a 4-star hotel).
The focus of the event, of course, is the opportunity to test vehicles equipped with Saab’s XWD system in some of the conditions they were built to handle.
The best part is the price, at just 249Euro per person.
The information page is here.
by Swade
December 10, 2010 in Saabology
UPDATE – Pictures added
When XWD was first released, one of the most desired vehicle combinations was TTiD with XWD. The drive system gives you the traction and the diesel gives you the low-end grunt.
That combination is now available in the new Saab 9-5, and a guy who signs in here with the name TTAero recently picked one up. He’s sent in the following for your consideration.
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Today, this afternoon, we have had our TTiD XWD for 8 days. And this is my third new SAAB.
The dealer gave us an hour to walk us through the most important features in the car and check all the chosen options.
This happened just before closing time so we took the first trip in on cold, dark and icy roads. We took her for 190 km straight away. The car felt comfortably and stable. This night wasn’t the real testing night, but the impression was very good.
The lighting is phenomenal, and it’s a feature I need where I live because moose, reindeers and deers comes running up the roads. Probably the best safety feature there is and a feature many car makers just don’t care about. All the electronic assistants in the world can’t help you if you don’t see the road or the surrounding areas.
We now have 1100 km on the meter and have done some more testing. The car feels even better now than the first 600-700 km. The fuel consumptions is down and the car makes “less resistance” when changing gears and accelerations. It’s getting smoother. I knew this was going to happen because the same thing happened in my former 9-3 TTiD SC. I guess the car will be broken in after 6-7000 km.
Some thing I did notice and frankly got a bit worried about was the engine sound. At first, it sounded like a pimped bimmer M3 with an exhaust pipe the size of a waste bin when doing 80-110 km/h uphill or accelerating. But after some driving during cold climate I realized that the sound was only apparent until the engine got up to working temperature. And if the outside temp is under 30 degrees C then it takes a bit longer. The temperature inside the car is not a problem since it is equipped with an electric extra heater. I didn’t realize at first that my car was “actually freezing” one bit when I had a warm and comfortably ride. The first 7 days we had no higher temperatures than -20 C. And the record was 32 degrees below zero.
This morning, when driving to work I tried hard to hear that sound. It’s gone! No matter how hard I accelerated, the smoothness, comfort and stability was great.
Now, lets go to the road handling… it is so good. It’s feels surreal and it’s difficult to find the words. I have stopped a couple of times just to “manually” check if the road is slippery. The grip just don’t let go if I’m not provoking it. And if you put your foot down in corners, there is nothing dramatic about it, just a nice flow thru and a constant acceleration.
WARNING: This is addictive.
We have now tried the entire configuration range (Drivesense) and my choice of chassis settings during the cold, dark and icy part of the year is “comfort”. It smoothens out the small but hard ice vibration we have gotten used to and the direct contact with the roads are seldom possible since there is a layer of packed snow or ice in the roads.
This is by far the best winter vehicle I’ve ever driven. Overtaking with 15 cm of snow between the lanes is not a problem. Just turn, accelerate, turn back and you are done!
I do many rentals in my work and compared to those the XWD 9-5 is nothing but wonderful. The A6 (the old), VW Passat, Volvo V70, Skoda Octavia, Toyotas, Ford Mondeos and so on just don’t measure up to this. I’ve tried the Volvo, Audi and Passat as a 4×4, but still there isn’t the same stability, grip and comfort as in my new 9-5. Astonishing is the only word that I can find to describe what I feel.
by Swade
November 11, 2010 in Saabology
We’re moving offices today, hence computer access is scant.
I’ve checked in to see J-Fan and Eggs have left tips about this series of videos where a new buyer reviews his Saab 9-3 Aero XWD Sport Sedan.
Handles great, very quick, and he’s finding excuses to get out and drive it. Sounds good to me….
On the down side – interior issues.
These are good for those who might be considering a purchase. This guy does his homework pretty well and lays out his reasons for choosing the 9-3 against competitors from Volvo, Audi and Infiniti. He has a few gripes, too, but that’s OK. We all do.
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY4UdJBg-0M
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httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gH3SpWt42A
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by Swade
June 10, 2010 in Uncategorized
Last time I attended an event like this, I did a video in the first Saab 9-3 with XWD, with Kenneth Backlund from the Saab Performance Team. Kenneth was there again today, but frankly, after this drive with Stefan Rundquist from Saab, I was too queasy/shaky/stunned to even think about a lap with Kenneth.
Don’t take that in a bad way. What Stefan did in this car was demonstrate something approaching the extraordinary capabilities of the Saab XWD system.
You’ll hear the rain and see the wipers. This track was incredibly wet today. We were in a 2.8T V6 Saab 9-5 and on some of these long sweeping corners were doing up to 150km/h and the car was totally rock solid – totally.
You’ll see in some sections that Stefan is actually steering quite sharply and trying to induce some forced oversteer (at over 100 km/h on a bend) and the tyres just dig in, shift the power around and keep the car stable.
It really was an incredible eye-opener as to what this car can do. I’ve mentioned already that to me, the V6 version of the 9-5 seems more like a smooth cruiser, that it doesn’t invite you to really test its limits. I think this video shows that despite its long touring credentials, this car is capable of handling whatever tests you might throw its way.
The video is from a handheld camera so it does move around a little with the frequent changes in momentum and motion, but hopefully you’ll still get a good sense of what’s going on.
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiBb4DFmvWQ
My sincere thanks to Stefan for the ride – now I know how Saab felt back in 2009!
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by Swade
March 28, 2010 in News
Some of you may (or may not) have seen a little teaser of a comment a few days ago, by a guy know on site as TTAero.
He’d been to a customer presentation of the new Saab 9-5 in Sweden during the week and dropped a hint in comments about the fact that they mentioned TTiD/XWD pricing there.
The TTiD and XWD combination is one that many have been asking for since the TTiD first became available in the 2008 model year for the Saab 9-3. It wasn’t possible to get that combination in the 9-3 however, a fact that left many people disappointed.
So when the 9-5 came along, we all hoped that the holy grail of grip and frugality would be available and the good news seems to be that whilst it won’t be available overnight – it will happen. Call it the Pantene model.
So what of pricing, then?
TTAero has provided the following information, as gathered at the customer viewing in Sweden through the week….
Now all we need is an official date for the release of this model. Hopefully that will come soon.
by Swade
March 23, 2010 in Uncategorized
There’s a reasonable chance that these shouldn’t be posted online. Yet. I guess there’s also a reasonable chance that they’re from the cutting room floor and won’t ever be used, but time will tell.
Watch them now whilst we have the opportunity and enjoy. They were originally posted at Vimeo and I’ve reproduced some stills from them below (just in case they’re removed from Vimeo).
Saab/McCann/RTT – “Snow” from Madsound on Vimeo.
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Saab/McCann/RTT – “XWD” from Madsound on Vimeo.
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Saab/McCann/RTT – “Intro” from Madsound on Vimeo.
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Saab/McCann/RTT – “Moose” from Madsound on Vimeo.
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Still shots from the series:
First, from the intro video…..
Next, the XWD video…..
Next, the Snow video…..
And finally, the moose video….
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by Swade
July 10, 2009 in Archive
Northern Tasmania was absolutely stunning, but geez it’s good to be home.
I drive through one stretch of around 30km this morning that was totally covered in fog. You couldn’t see more than about 80 meters ahead.
This poor weather might explain yesterday events. In 2008, there were 40 Tasmanians who died on the state’s roads.
Yesterday, Thursday July 9, there were nine people killed in one day in car accidents.
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You can rest easy, your Saab is safe.
These sort of things, like celebrity deaths, tend to happen in threes. First there was Kaylan’s 9000 on fire, then the Saab 900 convertible fire, and for those who haven’t seen it yet, there’s now been a 9-3 SportCombi lost to a fire.
The prime suspect in the cause of the fire is an iPod Nano, possibly planted by a recovering Steve Jobs to stop all this “Saab being the Apple of the car industry” talk.
As pointed out in comments to the article, and by Dave R in an email, it’s a little surprising that the materials inside the car weren’t a little more fire resistant to what may have been a slow starting fire.
Saab have a long history of accident investigation in order to make benefit glorious state of Saab safety, so here’s hoping they take some material samples out of this car for the future.
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The Washington Times has a good review of the 2009 Saab 9-3 with XWD.
I want to be in a car that is capable of avoiding a crash, and that gives the edge to the 2009 9-3 sedan with the Cross-Wheel Drive, which also features ABS and ESP. Based on that system alone, the $41,885 is a worthwhile investment, as the 9-3 is offering today what’s likely to be the wave of the future.
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I know the Jaguar XF has been lauded since it’s release, but except for the rear view, I’ve got to say I’m not a big fan.
But today, images of the new Jaguar XJ have come out and finally, after years and years, we seem to have a Jaguar sedan that doesn’t look like a Ford.
Is this proof positive that what used to be considered unconventional ownership of a car company, can work?
I’m an old Jag fan, ever since my Dad gave me a book on the back in the early 1980s. I used to sit in class and draw the classic XJ front. I even agreed to purchase an old XJ bac in late 1994, though I backed out of the deal (which was a good move).
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Tomorrow I’ll be photographing car parts.
At last, I get a real chance to get enthused abou the Monte. Depending on my mechanic’s schedule, I should hopefully have a very different Monte this time next week!
by Swade
April 29, 2009 in Archive
It’s almost 1am as I start writing this. I’ve got an early morning tomorrow but I couldn’t let this pass.
A few years ago I read a review of the Saab 9-3 where the reviewer gave the car either 3, 3.5 or 4 stars out of 5 for safety. That’s despite the fact that the Saab 9-3 is a 5-star rated car with EuroNCAP.
That probably still remains the benchmark for stupid automotive journalism, but this review from Channel4 is a strong contender.
Firstly, how is it that you can rate car in six different categories, give it an average of 3 stars in mathematical terms (17 of 30 possible stars) and yet rate it as only a 2-star car over all? Ever heard of rounding up?
Even if they’re weighting the categories, surely safety (which they do give 5 stars for) outweighs some of the other categories – it does in all those fancy consumer surveys.
And then there’s stuff like this, which speaks for itself:
Space in the rear is decent for headroom, but there’s limited kneeroom and tall drivers will struggle to sit behind a tall driver.
I imagine they will. It’s hard enough to share a driver’s seat with a small driver, let alone another tall one!! Especially if that driver’s seat is in the rear!
Look, I know that the Saab 9-3 is a flawed vehicle in some areas. I’ve gone on enough about the interior and don’t need to do so again. And maybe the Haldex XWD is too good, too precise, to provide the active hang-your-arse-out driving style that some of these journos prefer.
But to me, this review just doesn’t make sense.
I’m off to bed. I think I’ll dream of doing slalom runs in an XWD Saab with motoring writers as witches hats.
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On the positive side, they do have some excellent photos…..
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by Swade
April 13, 2009 in Archive
Road tests from the motoring media have been few and far between lately. It’s all been Bondholders this and Debt ratings that. You’d think none of these car companies are in the car industry (and for some of them, you’d almost be right).
It would come as no surprise, then, that this story from The Times Online was a welcome relief. They recently joined in the Arctic Circle Saab 9-3x test drive program and recorded their sentiments online.
How’s this for a useful summary:
Verdict Might just save the firm
From all the reports we’ve read about the Saab 9-3x, we know that it’s pretty good…..but that good??!
They certainly seem to give it a pretty good wrap in their full report. I guess we’ll have to wait until we can drive it to find out for ourselves. Until then, click through to Times Online and read their short review.
Here’s a fuller snippet:
In his day, thirtysomething years ago, Per Eklund was one of the greats. Now in his sixties, he’s been showing me things I didn’t know any road car could do, least of all a worthy, sensible Saab. A vast circular track has been carved in the ice, and he’s just done a lap of it at 60mph with the car’s nose pointed straight at its centre.
Out of sight of Saab’s staff, I also have a go, and find I can do it too, albeit it rather less elegantly. So good is this car’s four-wheel drive that, even with all electronic safety systems turned off, and even when you’re sliding and pointing in a strange direction while going around a corner at considerable speed, the car is still under full control.
Thanks to all who sent through links to this one…
by Swade
April 12, 2009 in Saabology
I got this one through via email and initially I was a bit concerned about publishing it as it’s not all positive (though mostly).
But this place is supposed to be one that shows neither fear nor favour, so here we are. I’m willing and hoping to believe the suggestion that the problems Stingray encountered were particular to the test vehicle he was given. If you’ve got a 2.0T with XWD then perhaps your thoughts as an owner would be worth committing to ‘paper’ and sending in for a fuller perspective.
Personally, I’d love to give one of these a try. The 2.0T is one of my favourite engines and the XWD system is, even by Stingray’s evaluation, a cracker.
So here were go. My thanks to Stingray for sending in the following…..
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Driving thoughts, 2009 Saab Sport Combi 2.0 XWD.
A week ago I was in contact with the salesman who recently sold me my first Saab, a CPO 2006 SportCombi Aero… A car I enjoy “flying” very much. I was eager to try out another Saab they had on the lot, a 2008 TurboX! This could be my only chance to drive a TurboX so I was making arrangements to take it for a drive when he mentioned they had just got in a 2009 XWD Combi… I was shocked as I didn’t think they had hit the states just yet… so off to the Saab dealer I went. Keep in mind, I am a aircraft mechanic and a car enthusiast, in no way a professional driver or writer!
My first impression was mild as it was a creamy white color that seemed like it needed something… maybe more metallic, maybe more pearl effect… there was just a lot of white. It looked like any other Combi, except for the little XWD badge on the deck lid.
Sitting inside I felt at home in that Comfy Saab Seat that I just recently learned to appreciate… the dash arrangement was a little different from my 06, but still familiar. The brushed stainless look from my Aero was replaced with wood grain and the steering wheel had some perforated leather like material that I did not like.
I turned the car on and right away noticed the “buzzy” little 4 cylinder…. vibrations to the steering wheel…. Terrible. As I pulled out of the parking lot, right away I noticed “this is no V6″. The engine was peppy…. but not earth shattering. Still, it took my commands and responded with zest!
Driving the XWD was a dream, it took the 90 degree and “S” turns effortlessly….. it rode every bit as nice as my Aero… but I felt like I was riding higher….. I think the XWD is 30mm higher than the standard combi. Let me just say, this thing grips! The XWD grabbed hold of the road and would not let go.
On the open highway, the XWD got up to speed and cruised as if we were at 30,000 feet with no turbulence. I would imagine that this car would be great in the winter driving season here in the North Eastern United States. Overall a very nice car, but the engine at idle had a terrible vibration that transferred to the steering wheel, which shook like a bunch of drunk girls in a disco. I mentioned that the tech should take a look and see if something was amiss.
I wish I could see it with a V6 and some more aggressive looks for the XWD……like all the press photos from Geneva. If it had been a V6, and in Red, it would be in my driveway….. no.. it would be parked in my “hangar”, after all they are “Born from Jets”
74 Stingray
by Swade
March 24, 2009 in Archive
I’m not sure how the Saab Widget is working out. I hadn’t checked it for a few weeks and I’ve had no emails from anyone alerting me to new things on it, but they keep updating it so someone must be watching.
I just checked in with the Widget tonight and noted they’ve got a video loaded up there looking at XWD from underneath the Saab 9-3x.
It’s a simple and pretty quick piece that identifies the various component parts of the Haldex XWD system. We’ve shown these in photos of the Turbo X in previous articles, but it’s good to get the right name on the right bit.
If you haven’t got the widget loaded up then you can do so at the previous link and catch up with various bits of Saab film from time to time.
by Swade
March 17, 2009 in Saabology
This may be old news by now, but the guys and gals at SaabUSA struck me off their Christmas card list some time ago, so I’ve only just discovered it. I guess you can rag on about a crap car configurator too much!
Anyway, whilst checking my RSS feed tonight, I noted a video they posted about how XWD works. Curious, I clicked through to see their new Saabcasts page.
The SaabUSA Saabcasts page has a number of movies on it that you can either watch on site or download for your portable media player.
The XWD film is after the jump for those using a video-friendly browser. Visit Saabcasts for more.
by Swade
March 3, 2009 in Archive
Swedish tuning house, BSR, have just launched a new PPC tune for the Saab 2.0T XWD range of vehicles.
An interesting side note: The standard output of the 2.0T is rated by Saab at 210hp of power and 300Nm of torque. BSR do their own testing prior to tuning, however, and they rated their XWD Saab at 217hp and 310Nm. You’re getting more than you bargained for!
Anyway, back to the point of this whole post….
The BSR Stage 1 tune for the 2.0T with XWD delivers maximum power of 247hp and boosts torque to a massive 388Nm.
This gives you pretty close to 2007 V6 Aero performance for 2.0T money, with XWD grip as a bonus.
Power and control.
As with the vast majority of BSR’s tuning kits, this comes in the form of a plug-and-play PPC unit, which you plug into your Saab’s OBD connector, just under the steering column. It’s brilliant value for money.
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NOTE: Prospective buyers must consider their Saab’s warranty as tuning it by this method will render your engine warranty void. Tuning by Hirsch is the only way to boost performance and still maintain your warranty.
by Swade
February 25, 2009 in Archive
Further to my news about the Melbourne International Motor Show and Saab’s improved diesel and BioPower offering here in Australia, there’s another release about the availability of XWD for 2009.
In summary:
* XWD is coming, though it’s only mentioned in terms of the V6 (i.e. no 2.0T availability)
* The eLSD is not standard, but part of an upgrade pack
* V6 engine is the higher-rated 206kW version, with 400Nm
* Pricing starts at around $79K
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Saab Introduces Upgraded V6 Engines and New Cross Wheel Drive Models
Saab’s widely-acclaimed all-wheel-drive system – Saab XWD (cross wheel drive) – is given broader appeal and is now available in the latest 9-3 Aero Sport Sedan and SportCombi models.
Premiering at the Melbourne International Motor Show later this month, these new models feature the cutting-edge XWD system which has been specifically tuned for the Saab 9-3 chassis and fully exploits the power of an upgraded 2.8-litre V6 turbo engine delivering 206kW* (increased from 188kW*) and an impressive 400Nm* (increased from 350Nm*) of torque (convertible torque figure increased to 370Nm*).
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