2005 SAAB 9-2X review from North America

Front disks warped at 10k miles.

Basically a Subaru impreza WRX tuned by Saab, with improved sound deadening, STI steering, different suspension tuning, etc.

Being Subaru built, it's high quality, but it doesn't feel as well put together as my 10 year older BMW 3-series.

Comfort is basic. Seat heaters and 6CD stereo (amplifier too weak), and very little more. No left/right temperature control for instance. Road and wind noises make it pretty loud.

The engine produces over 220bhp high up in the rpm band, with a fair amount of turbo lag. The boxer flat-4 layout gives it a special character.

Gearchange is a bit slow, and I don't like the bounce in the transmission when I liftoff or reapply power.

Original tyres squeal a lot when driven hard.

The car is very quick if the engine is kept above 4000prm, and the handling is extremely efficient, especially on bad pavement.

I don't find it very fun to drive hard, I feel too remote from the road. I have a lot more fun with a miata/MX5 with 100hp less.

All in all, it's a practical hatchback with high performance capabilities. It's not a sports car despite the performance, and not a luxury car despite the Saab stickers.