Looks like Saab has decided to officially pull off the sheets from its new sport-utility vehicle, the 9-4X.
And continuing with its Swedish "look," it appears that Saab has designed the 9-4X to inherit a lot of cues from the new 9-5. From the interior to the exterior there are a bunch of little details that are clearly from its sibling. Well played, Saab.
With that said, however, will the 9-4X be enough to rally up buyers from other rivals? As The Truth About Cars points out, this car is closely aligned with the Cadillac SRX and with the new BMW X3 coming to market shortly, competition will be as hot as ever.
Does the 9-4X have what it takes to battle with the best of them?
The Swedish automaker says the 9-4X "is aligned in looks and size between the 9-3X all-rounder and new 9-5 sedan."
At launch, the 9-4X will offer buyers on both sides of the Atlantic two V6 engine choices, a naturally-aspirated 3.0-liter with direct-injection tech producing 265HP and 223 lb-ft (302Nm), or a 2.8-liter unit with a twin-scroll turbocharger delivering 300HP and 295 lb-ft (400Nm). Both V6 powerplants are mated to six-speed automatic transmissions under adaptive, electronic control.
The base 265HP V6 is available with front-wheel drive or Saab's XWD all-wheel drive system. With front-wheel drive, it propels the 9-4X from zero to 60 mph in just 7.9 seconds or 8.4 seconds with XWD and is expected to enable estimated city/highway combined fuel consumption of 20 mpg or 19 mpg with XWD...
[Source: Carscoop]
In top-spec “Aero” trim, the 9-4X weighs up to 4,706 lbs, or as much as 400 lbs more than an SRX with the same AWD and 2.8 liter turbocharged engine. But despite all that extra weight, Saab is shooting for SRX-equaling fuel economy (20 combined for FWD 3.0, 18 combined with AWD 2.8T), and similar acceleration (7.9-7.7 seconds to 60 mph). As long as performance and efficiency produce Cadillac-rivaling numbers in the real world, most Americans won’t care much about the extra weight. With comparable cargo numbers though (61 cubic feet with the rear row folded), the Saab is going to have to beat the Cadillac on price to overcome its brand momentum deficit. Otherwise, it’s going to have to spend a lot of time talking up the Swedish Quirk ® value of its new Mexican-made crossover....
[Source: The Truth About Cars]
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