14/07/08

• Price25,080
• We like...Comfy chairs
• We don't...Loses value quickly

With BMW, Audi and Mercedes as rivals, the 9-3 has its work cut out to competeYou could have one of these. Or, for similar money, a BMW 3-series Touring, or an Audi A4 Avant. You could even have a Mercedes C-class estate. Which is it to be? If a posh image matters most, the Saab’s lost the race, because its three key rivals edge it.

Otherwise, you’d buy the Audi because it has the best-built, most handsome cabin for the money; the BMW because it’ll be the best to drive. And the Mercedes because no other car feels as solidly planted on the road. Which leaves us chewing at where the Saab fits in.

Well, the 9-3 has character...loads of it. If you’ve owned a Saab before, you’ll be delighted that it includes many of the quirks from previous models: an ignition lock that sits between the seats, a button that at night darkens everything on the dash other than the speedo, and the best-engineered cupholder ever. Its dash has a shape that’ll make owners of older 9-3s and even 900s feel instantly at home, while the air vents on the dash have clever little paddles to direct the air flow just-so.

Then there are the seats, which comfort and support as you won’t find anywhere else this side of a Volvo. For some, these alone are enough to settle the deal.

Saab pioneered turbocharging and so it’s fitting that this car has a blower to help its 1.9 diesel up to 150bhp.But it’s disappointing that this motor can’t give its power as smoothly as it should, hesitating then racing ahead as the turbo spins up its power while the auto gearbox struggles to keep pace. It is, at least, economical on fuel and low in CO2 emissions.

This 9-3 rides firmly, as you’d expect of a car that uses ‘sport’ twice in its model name:’ 9-3 Sportwagon Vector Sport’. But the suspension keeps the body under control well and has enough cushion in it to keep occupants comfy.

The interior is sombre and not that smart for the price (the leather seats shown are a £1600 option), while the plastics throughout would look OK in a £15k small hatchback but they’re down-market here. What’s more, our 9000-mile car had developed a noticeable creak from behind the dash.

The cabin has space enough but the load area is smaller than any of its key rivals. Saab has built in a hinged floor that lifts to divide the boot, but it’s not especially useful.

Finally, our 9-3 will, trade experts predict lose two-thirds of its value if you sell it after three years. A Mercedes C-class will lose less than half, as will an Audi A4. A BMW 3-series will lose a little more but still comfortably outperforms the 9-3.

So it’s expensive all-told, will carry less than its rivals, and hasn’t their high-tone image. Despite all, the 9-3’s a likeable car. But it fails on too many fronts, we reckon.

• Engines1.9 TD
• Power149bhp
• 0-60 mph10.7sec
• Economy42.2mpg
• CO2g/km179
• Insurance groups14E
• EuroNCAP
• Airbags6
• Seats5

Motors.co.uk value verdict: