Green with greater grunt

Posted by T3 Online on Thu 26 Jul 2007

The new Saab convertible benefits your wallet, the environment and the speed demon inside you.

It's a sad fact of life: absolutely everything is a trade-off. If your girlfriend is hot, she's probably about as sharp as a sausage. If you don't pay a lot of rent, your roof probably leaks. If you want a properly sorted motor, you'd best lube up and bend over, because it's gonna hurt. There is an exception, however.

The new Saab 9-3 convertible breaks the mould. Not only is it a damn fine looking automobile: it's got so much more than the fine, sleek curves of a Swedish sports car. Most notably: Underneath the muscular bonnet breathes an omnivorous monster called the 2.0t BioPower engine. Feed it petrol, and it happily chugs away, offering 185 horsepower to play with - not too shabby, but pour E85 bio ethanol down its gullet, and it transforms into a nearly unrecognisable beast. Suddenly, you'll find yourself in effortless control 200 rampant ponies.

Good job, then, that the new 9-3 convertible is one of the most stable convertibles you can drive. It is so well poised and easily controlled that it feels as if the power doesn't come through - until you glance down at your speedometer, have a minor coronary episode, and realise that that annoying buzzing sound that appeared in the background a while ago is the police helicopters trying to convince you to take it a little easier.

In short, it's got the looks and the power, so by now you'll be fighting off wanton womenfolk with sticks - what more could you possibly want? Well, if you've got a green streak, you'll be glad to know that the BioPower is much better for the environment than a similarly-specced petrol car. And if that doesn't win the ladies over, then nothing will.

Finally, a car without trade-offs or compromise. Time to head to the nearest Saab dealership...