#LAAS We got our first look at the 2011 Saab 9-4X this afternoon in the hazy daylight of Calabasas, California, one day before Saab's first-ever crossover debuts at the 2010 LA auto show. Saab staged a photo shoot at the Lima Residence, an upscale home in the Santa Monica Mountains that deftly blends glass, metal, wood and thousands of right angles in a way that's as warm and inviting as it is design-y and sophisticated.
That's pretty much what Saab is aiming for with the 9-4X's design. Oh, sure, the Dutch-influenced Swedish designers were constrained by the Cadillac SRX body and chassis, and a slim budget, but even so, the 9-4X manages to find its own way in the styling department.
This focus on details -- from design and materials to chassis tuning -- is basically how Saab plans to survive and reinvent itself in the early days of the post-General Motors era. The automaker still has to use much of the same GM hardware, but now there's room in the Spyker-provisioned budget to be meticulous about the little things (GM, you'll recall, didn't do meticulous back in the day).
Saab hopes that you'll notice this when the 2011 9-4X goes on sale in May 2011. The company plans to sell a modest 10,000 units per year.
Walking up to the 9-4X poolside at the Lima Residence, we note that it has that thick-around-the-middle look of the SRX, but that's the only big reminder that it will be built on the same assembly line as the Caddy. The "wraparound" front glass; blacked-out A-pillars and mirrors; and the "hockey stick" beltline/D-pillar motif are very, very Saab -- you'll find these elements on 9-3 and 9-5 wagons of the recent past. What's with the green headlight lenses? Ah, those are new.
We're looking at a high-line 9-4X Aero XWD model, so it has the turbocharged, 300-hp, 2.8-liter V6 under its hood, and an Aisin six-speed automatic driving all four of its wheels through a Haldex all-wheel-drive system with a torque-vectoring, limited-slip rear differential. We like this drivetrain a lot until it's time to talk about fuel economy -- in the heavy SRX, it returns a rating of 15/21. So Saab will also offer the more efficient 265-horse, normally-aspirated, direct-injected 3.0-liter V6 that struck us as significantly torque-deprived in the SRX. Notably, there will be no four-cylinder engines offered in this generation of the 9-4X -- not even in Europe where Saab hopes to sell 2,000/year.
Inside, this pre-production 9-4X looks a lot like the 2010 Saab 9-5 we've been driving lately. Yes, yes, there's a GM navigation unit, but the central touchscreen is huge and the graphics are in green, consistent with the rest of the illumination in latter-day Saabs. In back, a flip-up screen for the optional rear entertainment system is mounted on each front seat back. And in the cargo bay, there's a sturdy metal divider mounted on an adjustable rail system.
The leather upholstery feels good to the touch, and the materials throughout the cabin are acceptable for this class, though it's never that easy when the Audi Q5, BMW X3 and Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class compete in your class. And as it happens, those are the competitors Saab cares about most.
Saab will launch a 9-4X advertising campaign fairly soon, and you can expect it to take place on social media sites pretty much exclusively, because (1) it's cost effective, and (2) that's where we all are anyway.
93aero says:
10:39 PM, 11/16/10
finally!
drhorrible says:
04:43 AM, 11/17/10
What's that playing on the radio? Hey Soul Sister? Far out Saab.
1487 says:
05:42 AM, 11/17/10
I like it.
michael_s says:
05:53 AM, 11/17/10
I like it. I'm not a Saab purist and I don't have the budget to shop for one, but I think it's pretty good looking.
On the other hand, despite the high sales figures of the platform cousin Cadillac SRX, the 3.0 liter V6 seems to be criticized in every review. I hope GM and Saab can replace it or substantially upgrade it soon.
roar02ram says:
07:06 AM, 11/17/10
Looks good!
Hopefully Saab can cobble together some better engines for all its cars by the time they're due for mid-cycle refreshes.
ethanp71 says:
10:42 AM, 11/17/10
That interior is sweeeeet.