2012 Saab 9-4X: Up Close
Yesterday, Saab unveiled its small luxury crossover, the long-awaited 9-4X. Roughly the same size as its platform sibling, the Cadillac SRX — and a mite smaller than Saab’s last SUV, the Chevy Trailblazer-based 9-7X — the 9-4X goes on sale next spring. At the L.A. auto show, we checked out a top-of-the-line 9-4X Aero.
I’m not sold on the styling. Saab differentiated the 9-4X well enough from the SRX, but both cars share an abundance of gray plastic cladding around their base. It’s functionally rugged, but cheap-looking for a premium vehicle.
Higher up, the 9-4X’s nose feels like an arbitrary sprawl of openings. The chin-level air dam is too narrow, and the fog-light apertures sit incongruously high. The grille, flanked by the usual Saab openings to each side, makes the most sense. I’m undecided on the headlights, whose aqua-blue tint follows the “ice-block theme” that dominates all Saabs, said program manager Mikael Jacobsson. The Aero’s 20-inch, nine-spoke wheels are a high point. They’re a sharp bunch with aircraft-turbine styling that fit Saab’s aeronautical heritage.
Shared cues with the new 9-5 sedan include black-painted A- and B-pillars, which give the windshield a clever wraparound sensation. In back, a lighted strip also joins the taillights. Inside, the dashboard should look familiar to anyone who’s been in the 9-5. A single hood spans the instruments and center controls, but the controls seem needlessly crowded, given the empty space around them. Drivers shouldn’t be wanting for storage space. The center console and glove compartment are both ample, and the doors have separate upper and lower storage pockets.
Large C- and D-pillars take a chunk out of blind-spot visibility, and the rear-quarter windows are even smaller than those on the SRX. Fortunately, the side mirrors are fairly large. Backseat legroom is decent, but the seat sits too low to the ground for adults to get thigh support. I’m not sure it could go much higher: In the Aero example we checked out, the panoramic moonroof lopped off so much headroom that I had none to spare if I sat upright. (I’m 5-foot-11.) Elevating the seat would mean robbing Peter to pay Paul, and Peter would incur back problems after slouching all the time.
With 265 horsepower but just 223 pounds-feet of torque, GM’s direct-injection 3.0-liter V-6 doesn’t move the SRX with much authority. The 9-4X is heavier – from 26 pounds to more than 100 pounds, depending on configuration — so expect modest passing power, especially with passengers and cargo. Thanks to 35 more hp and a much-needed 72 pounds-feet of extra torque, the optional turbo V-6 imbues the SRX with the sort of oomph a proper luxury crossover ought to have. The 9-4X should do just as well, but only its highest Aero trim comes with the turbo.
Either way, the SRX isn’t the greatest pedigree to start from. Even independent of the so-so V-6, it’s dogged by sloppy handling, mushy brakes and a firm ride on uplevel models. Jacobsson promised Saab has done a lot of work on suspension and steering tuning to separate the 9-4X from its sibling. It’s been “pushed to be unique,” he said. I hope he’s right.
