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2008 Saab 9-3 Aero
2008 Saab 9-3 Aero


MSRP: $34,620

As Tested: $37,815

2.8L V-6 255 horsepower turbo

15 city/24 highway (automatic)

More info:
www.saab.com



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Saab boasts that their cars are born from jets, but past designs have felt more like an uninspired Cessna than an F-15. The 9-3 Aero changes that in spades. We were practically humming the theme from Top Gun before we even slipped into the driver's seat of our black tester. Redesigned for 2008, the Aero has a sleek, sporty design that drew envious glances when we pulled into the Rose Bowl parking lot on a gorgeous football Saturday. The aggressive ground-hugging silhouette, Xenon headlamps, 17-inch alloy wheels and dual bright-finish tailpipes made an impression whether the car was pulling up, passing or leaving traffic in its wake.

Two-tone leather seats and metallic trim lend a modern, luxurious feel to the Aero's comfortable cockpit. Metal-trimmed gauges, a sport steering wheel and leather-trimmed stick shift add an adrenaline-inducing vibe. The six-CD Bose sound system and power moon roof assured us we'd have plenty of fun even in L.A. traffic. And while our tester didn't come with a nav system, this is one car we don't mind getting a little lost in.

No complaints here. The Aero ups the ante on the base 2.0T Sport Sedan with a 2.8 liter six-cylinder turbo engine that cranks 255 horses. On our optional six-speed Sentronic automatic with manual mode, turbo lag was negligible and passing acceleration at highway speeds nearly neck-snapping. We're not fans of the manual mode controls on the gearshift, and Saab solves that problem by putting them both on the gearshift and on the steering wheel. The sport-tuned chassis -- standard on the Aero -- is 10mm lower than the base model, meaning improved stability and handling.

-- by Sam Jemielity

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