Saab Upgrades 9-3 Diesels, Company's Future Still in Doubt

Even though the company's future is still in doubt, Saab today announced that its 9-3 diesel models have been upgraded to provide lower CO2 emissions and enhanced fuel economy. In essence, Saab said emissions of the Linear and Vector specification Sport Sedans powered by the 150 hp/110 kW, single turbo or the 180 hp/132 kW, two-stage turbo 1.9-liter engine, are now achieving a 139 grams per kilometers rating combined with a fuel consumption of 5.3 liters per 100 km (44.3 mpg) in combined cycle.

The Swedish automaker explained the 7 percent fuel economy improvement has been mostly achieved through a series of new measures, as it follows: "the use of wider gear ratios, a longer final drive, idle and low engine speed remapping, and an optimized tire and wheel choice. Zero to 100 km/h acceleration is unchanged, while fifth gear 80-120 km/h times are increased by less than one second," as the company mentioned in a statement for the press.

"In terms of CO2 grams per horsepower, the two-stage turbo models (badged 1.9TTiD) are now among the top performers in their class," Saab added.

And the best of all is that the new emission ratings make the Saab 9-3 models eligible for a series of incentives and tax reductions in many European countries, following the programmes started by governments across the continent. "In many European markets, the CO2 reductions also provide valuable tax-related benefits for customers," Saab explained.

Since the automaker didn't say a thing about a potential price increase, pricing for the 9-3 range is expected to remain the same. All new variants come with a single manual transmission option.