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" Despite all the drama has been through the past couple of years\u2014being abandoned by G.M. and purchased by Dutch entrepreneur Victor Muller of fame\u2014the company is still managing to produce good cars. The 9-5 is a testament to that dedication, as is the new 9-4X, a new crossover SUV that we recently sampled around the streets of Washington, D.C.   Think of the 9-4X as an SUV version of the because it shares many of the same components with the stylish sports sedan, although a lot of its underskin architecture is based on GM&amp;#039;s Theta platform (, ). The 9-4X has head-turning good looks, highlighted by a handsome face that&amp;#039;s immediately recognizable as a Saab. Step inside and the dashboard is almost identical to its sedan sister, which is a good thing. The roofline flows from front to rear, and despite the overall compact nature of the vehicle, there&amp;#039;s a surprising amount of space inside.   The 9-4X will come available with a choice of two V-6 engines. A 265-bhp 3.0-liter V-6 will be offered with front-wheel drive and a turbocharged 2.8-liter V-6 with 300 bhp\u2014the same engine that powers the 9-5\u2014will power the Aero models. Both units are transversely-mounted and mated to six-speed automatic transmissions.            The engines feature electronic management, electronic throttle control, direct ignition and four valves per cylinder operated by overhead, maintenance-free, chain-driven camshafts. Variable valve timing on both intake and exhaust sides helps the engine possess a broader spread of torque, higher maximum power and improved fuel consumption, as well as better emissions control.   For our evaluation, we opted for the more powerful engine. The aluminium-block powerplant produces 300 bhp at 5500 rpm and 295 lb.-ft. from 2000 and 5000. What&amp;#039;s impressive about this engine is how smoothly it revs to redline. There&amp;#039;s a bit of turbo lag when flooring the throttle pedal at low rpm, but when the tach needle sweeps past the 4000-rpm mark, the 9-4X accelerates like a sports sedan. Saab claims that the 9-4X will run from zero to 60 mph in 7.7 seconds while getting about 18 mpg combined.   The shifts from the 6-speed automatic transmission are smooth and relatively quick. It features an adaptive shifting logic similar to that of the 3.0V6i transmission, while adding manual gear selection via steering wheel controls.   The brakes are effective, but the pedal effort was a bit high, as sitting in a long traffic jam wore out my left leg.            Rigid Chassis That Results in Excellent Agility   Saab engineers said that the top priority when developing the 9-4X was to make the SUV as agile as possible; therefore, lots of attention was paid to the vehicle&amp;#039;s suspension and body structure, the latter among the stiffest in class. The 9-4X features XWD, the company&amp;#039;s all-wheel-drive system that continuously varies torque between the front and rear axles. This system offers good grip in dry or wet road conditions, varying torque split from 90/10 front/rear to 10/90. Also, an electronically-controlled limited-slip differential (eLSD) transfers up to 50 percent of torque between the left and right rear wheels, helping the car corner efficiently through tight turns.   In Aero trim, DriveSense, an adaptive chassis function which uses real time damping control, is offered. A switch on the center console allows you to switch between &amp;quot;Comfort&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;Sport.&amp;quot; An `Eco&amp;#039; mode also re-maps the throttle pedal and shift patterns for optimal fuel economy.   On the winding roads of Virginia, the 9-4X indeed behaved like a sports sedan, with crisp turn-in character and minimal body roll. The &amp;quot;Sport&amp;quot; setting proved effective here, although ride quality was on the stiff side. The steering felt precise, albeit a bit heavy at parking-lot speeds.   In all, the new 9-4X looks and feels like a Saab should, and will go head-to-head with the likes of the and . While Saab purists will say that the company had lost its allure under GM ownership, those in Trollh\u00E4ttan, Sweden, insist that Saab&amp;#039;s identity is returning. The new 9-4X, which goes on sale this month for $34,205 for the base model and $48,835 for the Aero, is certainly an indication that there may be brighter days ahead for this iconic company.           "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/first-drives/reviews/a16996/2012-saab-9-4x/>