Are you an active individualist looking for something to take you to the start of your adventure? Yes? The Saab 9-3X is the car for you, apparently.

Due to add some butch plasticky ruggedness to Geneva's show stands, the 9-3X features Saab's Cross Wheel Drive system (XWD), which monitors grip at all four wheels and sends more or less torque between the front and rear axles to ensure maximum traction. It's powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine of unspecified output - most probably the 207bhp engine found in the Saab 9-3 SportWagon Aero XWD.

On the outside, as you can see, there's a load of plastic cladding to stop the bottom of the bodywork getting dirty when you're driving off the beaten track, and there are aluminium skid panels, some utilitarian-looking roof rails and a set of 17-inch rims. Inside there's a massive boot, obviously, and the rear seat backs incorporate a ski hatch so you can push a set of skis or any other similarly proportioned item through it easily - a sausage dog, perhaps.

Simon Padian, Saab Brand Design Chief, sums up the 9-3X better than we ever could: "simply put, we are offering a trekking shoe that will do what's required in more comfort and style than a heavier mountaineering boot." Touché.

Mark Nichol - 11 Feb 2009