The Saab 9-3X will be a soft-roading version of the Swedish brand's bread-and-butter sedan and wagon, a.k.a. SportCombi, and word has it that the all-wheel-drive wonders will be making their debut at the Paris Motor Show in October. Unlike the performance-oriented Turbo X, the 9-3X will use its Haldex AWD system for tackling particularly deep potholes, traversing heavily packed snow and otherwise offering its owners the sure footedness that comes with all four wheels turning at once. Based on our previous spy photos, we expect the 9-3X to look the part with fender flares, a lifted suspension and faux skid plates. Seriously though, adding AWD to the 9-3 in a mini-SUV package is a smart move right now and one that's been paying Subaru dividends for some time.
Also on the docket for a Paris debut is a new 9-3 concept that should preview what the next iteration of the sedan and wagon will look like. Our flights are booked, hotel rooms reserved and appetite for pasta at a fever pitch, so we'll bring you live coverage of these two reveals as they happen from Italy in early October.
Saabs with the latest Haldex bits tucked underneath are a hoot to drive, as we found out the two times we sampled the Turbo X. That hardware will also be available on the 9-3 Aero, and Saab's got another trick up its sleeve in the form of the 9-3X. Rather than go the lowered, Vaderized route of the Turbo X, the 9-3X is angling for the table scraps left over by the Audi Allroad, Volvo XC70, and even the luxed-up versions of the Subaru Outback. Raised suspension and skid-platey accents butch it up, along with extra cladding and exhaust tips big enough to flank some bumper nutz. The official unveiling will most likely be in Paris in October. With the pending 9-4 and tweaks to the 9-5, it's going to be a busy few months for Saab.
