A FROZEN lake may not be everyone's idea of automotive fun. But for some Saab owners, it certainly is. Each March for the past eight years, they have come from all over the world to Kiruna, a little town in northern Sweden, to slip, slide and experience icy nirvana on four wheels. And this year, they had a new toy to play with.
The Saab 9-3 Aero XWD is the Swedish car maker's first all-wheel-drive production model. This so-called 'cross-wheel-drive' is a fourth-generation Haldex AWD system. An intelligent system, the XWD continuously varies the amount of torque to the front and rear axles to suit driving conditions. While other all-wheel-drive systems may also do this, the Saab XWD system has an innovative, pre-emptive engagement of the rear wheels to optimise traction at take-off.
Saab 9-3 Aero XWD
Engine: 2,792cc V6 turbocharged Gearbox: 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic transmission Max power: 280 hp @ 5,500 rpm Max torque: 400 Nm @ 2,150-4,500 rpm 0-100 kmh: 6.2 secs Top speed: 250 kmh Distributor: Trans Eurokars, tel 6251-6888
Unlike conventional all-wheel-drive systems, this eliminates the need to detect front-wheel slip before rear drive is activated. Saab says this is all part of a system that sets a new benchmark in all-wheel-drive performance.
When on the move and exiting a bend under hard acceleration, up to 80 per cent of torque can be transferred to the rear wheels to keep the car balanced, as the system acts to counteract over-steer or under-steer.
The cross-wheel-drive system is also efficient. When cruising on a dry surface, 90 per cent of power is distributed to the front axle and 10 per cent to rear axle for greater economy.
Saab customers got to try it themselves at Kiruna, 200km north of the Arctic Circle. A fleet of Aero XWD models - part of the Saab Ice Experience - were driven on a special race track carved out of a frozen lake. Instructors from the Saab Performance Team - all former rally champions - demonstrated the special techniques required to drive on ice.
Though the sun was shining, the day-time temperature was -5???? Celsius. But more important than warm outer clothing were studded tyres. Shod with them, the Aero XWD was ready for its freezing debut.
First up was the moose test. The aim was to drive the Aero XWD at 60kmh towards a set of cones. There, an instructor farther ahead would signal you to swerve left or right. With cross-wheel-drive and ESP (electronic stability program) it was a breeze, as the Saab manoeuvred around the cones neatly before coming to a stop swiftly and surely.
But there are limits, of course. Because the surface was as slippery as, well, ice, any speed higher than 60kmh would have had vastly different consequences.
Another exercise involved weaving around a set of cones on a slalom course. Called the ESP test, it demonstrated the wonders of electronic intervention, where cutting a bit of torque from this wheel and that wheel could produce a remarkably controlled drive and make you start to think you may be an undiscovered rally ace.
Turn off the ESP, however, and reality bit. Too high a speed and too slow a counter-steering effort would mean you not only strayed off course but slammed straight into a wall of snow.
It was all very safe though, because the snow was soft and did virtually no damage to the car or its occupants. Only some pride got hurt.
Finally, there was the drifting exercise. The aim was to go sideways around a 500m ring, which could only be achieved when power, accelerator pedal and steering wheel were all perfectly in sync. It was difficult, with or without ESP.
Get it right and the feeling was incomparable. Get it wrong and you were buried deep in snow where you had much time to reflect on what went wrong as you waited for a tractor to tow you out.
Apart from relatively safe, snowy fun, the aim of the Saab Ice Experience was to show off the Aero XWD's excellent chassis control in low-grip situations.
Saab has tuned the XWD for greater driver involvement by raising the thresholds for throttle and braking intervention, and the model has a quicker steering ratio than other 9-3s in the range. With its sure-footedness and fine balance, it is the first truly fun Saab to drive.
Unfortunately, it is only due in Singapore next year, though it is already on sale in Europe. There is, however, the Turbo X (see next story). Besides being a more extreme version, this limited-edition Saab is also more expensive. Until then, prospective buyers of the Aero XWD will have to keep their enthusiasm on ice.
This article was first published in The Business Times on Mar 29, 2008.
