Superbly Saab

Controls, seating position, and instrumentation are all developed from the driver's perspective, backed by the rightly-held belief that a relaxed and comfortable motorist is also a very safe one.

Sit inside the latest Saab, the 9-3 sport saloon, and you'll soon get the picture.

The wrap-around cockpit is like nothing else on the market, and is incredibly easy to live with.

No craning of the neck to see dials, no stretching of the arms to reach vital controls, no bending forward to seek out secondary switches, and absolutely no tweaks or twinges in the back and leg muscles.

That attention to driver detail is phenomenal, and unmatched in the compact executive salon class.

Take the 9-3 out after dark, and it gets better.

A lot of drivers are unsettled by the confusing combination of in-car lights and the dazzling night-time neons on the outside.

Saab's strength here is the well-spaced instrumentaton and information read-outs, the high-position display softly lit to ensure the right button is hit first time, every time.

Even the headlights scream safety at you: the dipped beam has height, depth and breadth to give a reassuring night view without blinding oncoming traffic.

All this is backed by class-leading security and in-built safety, and Saab wrote off something like 70-odd 9-3s in crash tests to get it all right.

Car-to-car impacts, truck-to-car impacts, and even replica moose impacts were undertaken.

The coupe-like lines of the 9-3 set it apart from the rest on the outside, too, with the steeply-raked front and rear screens enhancing the long-and-low look.

Yet it is one of the few compact executives to offer full seating for five people, and it is longer and wider than the previous 9-3, which it replaced last September.

On the petrol front, the two-litre engine offers three power levels. The turbocharged 150bhp aluminium unit punches well, but you can go to Lennox Lewis levels by opting for 175bhp, or the big-hitting 210bhp version.

Diesel-wise, there's a 2.2 litre turbo, with a 125bhp output that should appeal strongly to company-funded drivers.

The 1.8t's ride ironed out the bumps, and handling came into its own on the twists and turns. Only the steering feedback needs to be improved on.

Trim levels are Linear, Arc and Vector, with the latest, Aero, out this month.

In the tested 1.8t Vector (the 1.8t badge can be misleading on a 2 litre car), the Saab power pack isn't quite up to BMW smoothness, even though it employs balancer shafts, but it does have more flexibility and fire.

You can reach the legal limit in almost every one of the five gears, such is the spread of torque. And there's no giving up in top gear - there's lots of kick left, avoiding the need to change down to produce extra push.

Top speed is an academic 129mph, and the country driving mpg is a rewarding 43.5.

The pricing is attractive, too - you'll find many 9-3s cheaper than the strongest German rivals, especially if you compare equipment levels.

The 1.8t Vector is £20,495, but you can get the base 9-3 at £2,000 cheaper, or go for the top 2.0T Aero, at a very, very competitive £22,895.

Vector equipment adds 17-inch alloy wheels, dual-zone climate control, front fog lamps, leather seating and a computer and cruise control to an already-healthy list of kit.

With all the more or less identical cars on the market, we can be grateful for the presence of Saab.

Details at a glance:

Saab 9-3 1.8t Vector £20,495. Saab 9-3 range from 1.8t Linear (£18,495) to 2.0T Aero (£22,895)

Bodyshell/drivetrain: 4.63m by 1.76m, 4-dr saloon; 1988cc, 150bhp four-cylinder engine, driving front wheels through 5-speed manual gearbox.

Company car tax liability: 199g per km CO2 emissions (21 per cent of cost of car when new, taxed).

Performance/economy: top speed 129mph, 0-62mph in 9.5 seconds.

Official fuel figures: city 24.6mpg, country 43.5mpg, combined 34mpg.

Fuel tank: 62 litres.

Insurance group: 12.

Warranty: three years/60,000 miles.

Updated: 10:23 Friday, January 24, 2003