Saab introduced its first hybrid concept at the Stockholm Motor Show aimed at the growing numbers of environmentally conscious consumers. The latest Saab 9-3 2.0t ragtop comes with a technologically advanced engine that will have your local dealership scratching their heads for some time to come.
The new 9-3 is the first hybrid to run solely on 100% bio fuel. Bio-fuel is nothing new some might say but the standard bio-juice is mixed with 15% petrol and known as E85. E100 however, is for the purest eco-driver that would like to drive a car that is 100% free from fossil fuel emissions, as well as obtaining an increase in performance. This is what Saab would have us believe. Now, when GM says that the car emits zero fossil fuel emissions it is correct in the sense that the CO2 output is balanced. What this means in layman terms is that the CO2 that the fuel crop (normally sugar cane) consumes while growing is balanced with the CO2 that the car emits when the fuel is burnt.
So, with the science bit over with, what is so different about the new Saab 9-3? The engine is an all ally turbocharged 2.0-litre, 260bhp direct injection unit but, coupled to the back end of that is a 42-volt integrated starter generator (ISG). This basically has the ability to shut the engine down below 1500rpm and motor the engine over using the power from the 9-3's batteries, stored under the boot floor. The result is a super smooth engine at idle outputting no emissions at low speed, using power that was previously regenerated under braking. The Swedes haven't stopped there; at the rear there is an electronic rear drive unit (RDU) that acts as a differential, which also adds in instantaneous torque to the rear wheels when required.
Increased performance aside, a full 62-litre tank can now take the Saab 9-3 nearly 500 miles between fills and in this current climate what still really counts to the buyer is cost saving not just energy saving.
Paul Wilkinson - 12 Apr 2006