SCOOP: Saab 9-3 facelift
Pär Brandt - 2007-04-21 06:56 , senast uppdaterad 2007-04-23 19:08För första gången kan vi nu se hur Saab 9-3 Cabriolet ser ut efter sitt facelift. Bilen på bilderna är helt omaskerad och som vi kan ser blir det en kraftigt modifierad front och många nya detaljer när 9-3:an får sitt facelift i höst.
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Första gången omaskerad: Saab 9-3 Convertible, efter faceliftet i höst. KLICKA FÖR STÖRRE |
En av våra uppmärksamma läsare var snabb med mobilkameran för någon dag sedan. Prydligt parkerad vid en bensinmack stod nämligen en helt omaskerad Saab 9-3 Cabriolet så som den ska se efter sitt facelift!
Det var egentligen bara en fråga om vem som skulle bli först. Senaste veckan har vi fått flera mail från våra uppmärksamma läsare som rapporterat om helt omaskerad Saab 9-3, i sitt faceliftade utseende. Allmänt har det sagts att Saab ska släppa officiella bilder på den faceliftade bilen i mitten av maj, men redan en månad innan releasedatum verkar Saabs tekniker tröttnat helt på att maskera bilarna.
Den här Cabrioletmodellen stod parkerad vid en övergiven bensinmack längs västkusten och föraren verkade vara upptagen med någon anteckning. En förbipasserande läsare svängde förbi, tog tre snabba bilder med mobiltelefonen (men nästa gång får du gärna dra ner rutorna!) och drog iväg inom några sekunder. Att fotografera fabriksbilar i trakten av Bohuslän är inte populärt och det kan leda till mycket bekymmer.
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Mera krom och lite mera offensiv design på nya 9-3. KLICKA FÖR STÖRRE |
Bilderna är alltså inte av någon högre teknisk kvalité, men de är de första som verkligen visar hur en omaskerad, faceliftad Saab 9-3 ser ut.
Tidigare bilder har haft mycket tejp och svartlackerade detaljer, bara för att lura ögat. Om man jämför med de tekniskt mycket bättre spionbilderna som vi publicerade för några dagar sedan, men där bilen var maskerad, blir det lätt att lägga pussel och se förändringarna efter höstens facelift.
Som synes är det en djupt neddragen grill i fronten med en tydlig kromsarg. De snedställda "njurarna" fyller hela utrymmet mellan grillen och huvudstrålkastarna, som även de har en tydlig kromsarg i ovankant. Sargen runt dimstrålkastarna är relativt stor, även den med en kromsarg, och hela fronten skapar ett intryck av ett stort "X". Inte helt olikt Subaru-versionen 9-2X, faktiskt. Ett visst släktskap med konceptbilen Aero X syns förstås, men flera personer som sett bilen rulla i Göteborgstrakten säger att alla detaljer får bilen att se "framtung" ut.
Bildkvalitén gör det lite svårt att avgöra om även motorhuven är ändrad, men det kan vara så att man bytt ut även den.
Sidolisterna längs karossen finns kvar, men de är nu mindre och lackerade i bilens färg. Detta gäller dock bara Cabriolet, SportSedan och SportCombi mister sina sidolister helt. En annan skillnad mellan modellerna är att Cabriolet behåller nuvarande dörrhandtag, med de två andra får samma handtag som på Cadillac BLS.
Bakljusen är helt vita, innan de tänds, precis som på SportCombi. Mellan bakljusen löper en numera silverlackerad list, ovanför regplåten, och ett svartlackerat parti mellan avgaspiporna får "häcken" att se lite slankare ut.
I övrigt verkar det mesta vara sig likt och det återstår att se om man även gjort några extra förändringar på insidan, inför modellens facelift. De mest intressanta förändringarna kommer inte på utsidan utan det blir ett välkommet tillval i form av fyrhjulsdrift från Haldex.
Med hjälp av fyrhjulsdriften går det också att bättra på effekten i den turbomatade V6-motorn, som tidigare varit nästan pinsamt låg. Räkna med att Aero-modellen med Haldex-drift ger i närheten av 300 hk och betydligt mer vridmoment än förut. Som vi kan se i kommentarerna här nedan finns det uppgifter på att fyrhjulsdriften inte kommer i höst, tillsammans med faceliftet, utan dröjer ytterligare något halvår. Liknande uppgifter har förekommit på en del diskussionsforum.
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Helvita bakljus och flera små förändringar. Den lilla bakvingen ser ut att vara densamma. KLICKA FÖR STÖRRE |
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Tidigare i veckan kunde vi visa bilder på den här SportCombi, nödtorftigt maskerad med tejp och svartmålade detaljer. KLICKA FÖR STÖRRE |
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SportCombi får samma front som SportSedan och Cabriolet. Även akterut hittar vi de mindre förändringar som finns på Cabriolet. Den här bilen har svarta tejpremsor som ska lura ögat att det är sidolister. KLICKA FÖR STÖRRE |
English translation:
For the first time we can now see how the 9-3 Convertible will look after its facelift. The car in these pictures is entirely unmasked and as we can see, a significantly modified front fascia and a multitude of new details will be present at the official unveiling of the car this fall.
One of our alert readers quickly grabbed these pictures only a few days ago, upon seeing a 9-3 convertible unassumingly parked at a gas station; except for it being the post-facelift model!
It was only really a question of whom the honour of capturing these pictures would befall. Over the previous week we have received numerous reader reports about the unmasked cars. The consensus seems to be that Saab will be releasing official pictures of the cars in mid-May, but at this point, a month before that date, Saab's technicians seem to have bored of concealing the car's appearance.
The car was stationed at an abandoned refuelling pump in the county of Bohuslän [near Saab's factory in Trollhättan] and the driver seemed occupied with making notes. A passing reader swung by, took three quick pictures on his mobile phone (though one wishes the windows had been down) and drove off again, all in the space of a few seconds. Taking pictures of factory cars in this region is not a popular pastime and can cause untold trouble.
Thus, the pictures are not technically proficient, but nevertheless they're the first batch to show what the unmasked facelifted car looks like.
Previous pictures have been blighted by the presence of masking tape and black detailing, simply to obscure these features. By combining these pictures with the higher-quality ones we published of a masked car only a few days ago, it becomes easier to imagine the showroom appearance of the car after the upcoming facelift.
Most obviously, a deeper grille on the front fascia, combined with the oblique "kidneys" flanking it, which together with the new headlights also have a chrome strip running across the top, are new. The borders of the large headlights, also in chrome, together with the other details, combine to give the appearnce of an 'X' at the front, not unlike the Saab-branded 9-2x version of the Subaru Impreza, though the abundance of detailing has led some observers to note the front-heavy appearance of the car.
Give the quality of the pictures, it is difficult to judge whether the car's bonnet has been modified, but this is a possibilty. The previously black plastic bands along the flanks are now body-coloured, though this is true only for the convertibel, the sedan and estate lose this detail. Another difference is the convertible retaining the current door-handles, while the other two body styles adopt the ones seen on the cadillac BLS.
The rear light clusters are now entirely white before being lit, resembling the appearance of those on teh current SportWagon, while a chrome strip runs the length between them, above the registration plate. Black details at the bottom of the rear bumper lend this area some visual substance.
Otherwise, the car appears mostly unchanged, and it remains to be seen whether any major interior changes accompany these new exterior details. The most interesting addition is not styling-related at all, but comes in the form of the new Haldex four-wheel-drive system which will now be an option.
With the new all-wheel-drive system, it should also be possible to improve the performance of the turbocharged V6 engine, which until now has been almost embarrasingly poor. Count on the Aero-version with 4WD to produce nearer 300 hp and substantially more torque. As we can see from the comments below, it is being reported that the 4WD system will no be introduced together with the facelift, but may instead appear up to 6 months later; this would be consistent with reports on various internet forums.
For the first time we can now see how the 9-3 Convertible will look after its facelift. The car in these pictures is entirely unmasked and as we can see, a significantly modified front fascia and a multitude of new details will be present at the official unveiling of the car this fall.
One of our alert readers quickly grabbed these pictures only a few days ago, upon seeing a 9-3 convertible unassumingly parked at a gas station; except for it being the post-facelift model!
It was only really a question of whom the honour of capturing these pictures would befall. Over the previous week we have received numerous reader reports about the unmasked cars. The consensus seems to be that Saab will be releasing official pictures of the cars in mid-May, but at this point, a month before that date, Saab's technicians seem to have bored of concealing the car's appearance.
The car was stationed at an abandoned refuelling pump in the county of Bohuslän [near Saab's factory in Trollhättan] and the driver seemed occupied with making notes. A passing reader swung by, took three quick pictures on his mobile phone (though one wishes the windows had been down) and drove off again, all in the space of a few seconds. Taking pictures of factory cars in this region is not a popular pastime and can cause untold trouble.
Thus, the pictures are not technically proficient, but nevertheless they're the first batch to show what the unmasked facelifted car looks like.
Previous pictures have been blighted by the presence of masking tape and black detailing, simply to obscure these features. By combining these pictures with the higher-quality ones we published of a masked car only a few days ago, it becomes easier to imagine the showroom appearance of the car after the upcoming facelift.
Most obviously, a deeper grille on the front fascia, combined with the oblique "kidneys" flanking it, which together with the new headlights also have a chrome strip running across the top, are new. The borders of the large headlights, also in chrome, together with the other details, combine to give the appearnce of an 'X' at the front, not unlike the Saab-branded 9-2x version of the Subaru Impreza, though the abundance of detailing has led some observers to note the front-heavy appearance of the car.
Give the quality of the pictures, it is difficult to judge whether the car's bonnet has been modified, but this is a possibilty. The previously black plastic bands along the flanks are now body-coloured, though this is true only for the convertibel, the sedan and estate lose this detail. Another difference is the convertible retaining the current door-handles, while the other two body styles adopt the ones seen on the cadillac BLS.
The rear light clusters are now entirely white before being lit, resembling the appearance of those on teh current SportWagon, while a chrome strip runs the length between them, above the registration plate. Black details at the bottom of the rear bumper lend this area some visual substance.
Otherwise, the car appears mostly unchanged, and it remains to be seen whether any major interior changes accompany these new exterior details. The most interesting addition is not styling-related at all, but comes in the form of the new Haldex four-wheel-drive system which will now be an option.
With the new all-wheel-drive system, it should also be possible to improve the performance of the turbocharged V6 engine, which until now has been almost embarrasingly poor. Count on the Aero-version with 4WD to produce nearer 300 hp and substantially more torque. As we can see from the comments below, it is being reported that the 4WD system will no be introduced together with the facelift, but may instead appear up to 6 months later; this would be consistent with reports on various internet forums.
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