Saabaru 9-2X

[JST]

This month's Car has a pic of the Saab 9-2X, the Impreza clone that GM is bringing to the NA market next year. Looks very nice--imagine a 9-3 crossed with a WRX wagon, and you've got it.

I'm very interested in this car--the stumbling block for me with the WRX has always been the cheap, cheap interior and the Bizarro-world styling. The 9-2X solves both problems.

The magazine suggests that there will be two versions--a base model, equivalent to the base Impreza, and an Aero, with the same engine as the WRX.

No word on pricing.

This month's Car is worth picking up, too, for their favorable review of the Holden Monaro (aka Pontiac GTO), their nice comments on the Mazda RX-8, their fawning review of the 645, and their news blurb on the MG ZT, RWD, Mustang-engined weird performance derivative.

[lemming]

i am following this story closely myself.

[bren]

The pictures I've seen of the 9-2 and the new 9-3 have both impressed me. If only they would build an STi based variant...

[lemming]

The pictures I've seen of the 9-2 and the new 9-3 have both impressed me. If only they would build an STi based variant...

wouldn't surprise me, if the 9-2X sells well enough, to have some "aero" variant.

not quite an STi, but likely upping the boost to something like 250hp. not guaranteed, but just a guess; it's cheap for saab to "make" but they premium that they can charge will be large.

[JST]

The pictures I've seen of the 9-2 and the new 9-3 have both impressed me. If only they would build an STi based variant...

wouldn't surprise me, if the 9-2X sells well enough, to have some "aero" variant.

not quite an STi, but likely upping the boost to something like 250hp. not guaranteed, but just a guess; it's cheap for saab to "make" but they premium that they can charge will be large.

Well, OK. So it was a nice idea. But they haven't really touched the interior. And I bet it'll be more expensive. So I don't really see the point.

(Link courtesy of Teej at the 'fest).

http://carspyshots.proboards2.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=new&num=1066408887&start=60

[lemming]

whoa.

decidedly underwhelming.

thanks for the heads up, JST.

that is a bunch of crap, that's what that is. while they may sell some of those, i dunno how many of those they can move; i wonder how much crossover there already is between the subaru and saab buyers --i would bet a fair amount.

so, to pull that off would require a truly nicer interior, IMO.

and of course, GM being GM, didn't do that.

'guess i'll have to wait until they ship in numbers to see how the interior stacks up; i had a silver WRX wagon so it'd be immediately obvious...

[bren]

:nono: Well that didn't turn out like I expected. Way too much like the WRX, what's the point?

Reminds me of what GM is doing with the Trailblazer....I mean seriously, how many variations of one body style can you really expect to sell?