It was available as a three or five-door hatchback, and as a two-door convertible. It was the last small Saab to use the company’s H engine. Notable improvements over the Saab 900 were improved ride and handling and substantially improved crashworthiness with standard side impact airbags with head protection and active headrests. The Saab 9-3 along with the Saab 9-5 and the Volvo S70 were the first cars in the world to earn the maximum score in a side impact augmented by a pole test[citation needed] based on Euro NCAP testing. The 9-3 continued the Saab safety tradition of performing a Moose test.

The convertible (cabriolet) version is manufactured in Austria by Magna Steyr. The 9-3 shares platform with the Opel Vectra, and with the Cadillac BLS made on the same assembly line in Sweden. It is Saab’s entry-level model, except in North America between 2005 and 2006, where the Subaru Impreza-based Saab 9-2X was its entry-level model.

L 4-cylinder engine, double wishbone front suspension and beam-axle rear suspension. In its heyday, the 900 was popular with drivers who enjoyed its comfort, safety, practicality (especially hatchbacks), and highway driving manners.

Like its predecessor the 99, the 900 contained a number of unusual design features that distinguish it from most other cars. Firstly, the engine was installed ‘backwards’, with power delivered from the crank at the front of the car.

The first generation from 1978 to 1993 is known as the “classic”; the generation from 1994 to 1998 is known as the “new generation” (see below).

The “classic” Saab 900 is based on the Saab 99 chassis, though with a longer front end to meet U.S. frontal crash regulations. The 900 was produced in 2- and 4-door sedan, and 3- and 5-door hatchback configurations; additionally, from 1986, a cabriolet (convertible) model was produced. There were single- and twin-carburetor, fuel-injection and turbocharged engines, including both Full Pressure Turbo (FPT), and in European models during the early 90s, Low Pressure Turbos (LPT).

Fewer still used a double wishbone suspension design. Refined over several decades of two-digit Saab models, the 900’s double wishbone design provided excellent handling and road feel. The rear suspension comprised a typical beam axle design, stabilized with a Panhard rod. However, the attachment points between the axle and chassis made up an unusual configuration that essentially consists of two Watt’s linkages at either end of the axle: a lower control arm attaches the axle to the bottom of the vehicle, while an upper link attaches at the top but faces towards the rear, unlike a typical 4-link design with both lower and upper links facing forward.

The “classic” Saab 900 is based on the Saab 99 chassis, though with a longer front end to meet U.S. frontal crash regulations. The 900 was produced in 2- and 4-door sedan, and 3- and 5-door hatchback configurations; additionally, from 1986, a cabriolet (convertible) model was produced. There were single- and twin-carburetor, fuel-injection and turbocharged engines, including both Full Pressure Turbo (FPT), and in European models during the early 90s, Low Pressure Turbos (LPT).

The GL had the single-carb 99 hp/73.5 kW engine, the GLS had twin carburetors for 106 hp/79.5 kW, the EMS and GLE had fuel injection for 116 hp/87 kW, and the 900 Turbo produced 143 hp/107 kW. A five-speed transmission was introduced in the EMS and Turbo for 1980.

The 900 sedan was introduced in 1981 along with the phase-out of the old Saab B engine in favor of the lighter Saab H engine. In the early 1980s, most 900s were produced in Trollhättan. However, coinciding with the production of the 9000, more 900’s were produced elsewhere. The Valmet plant in Finland, referenced below under the 900C, also produced the non-convertible as evidenced by one previously owned by this author and imported by the SAAB US distributor. The plant in Arlöv (now closed), near Malmö, also produced some 900s.

A big change for 1982 was the introduction of Saab’s Automatic Performance Control (APC), a.k.a. boost controller. The APC employed a knock sensor, allowing the engine to use different grades of gasoline without engine damage. Another new feature that year was the introduction of central locking doors (on the GLE and Turbo). Asbestos-free brakes were introduced in 1983, an industry first. A new model also appeared that year in Sweden — the GLi, which used the fuel injected engine.

One highly sought-after option was called the Aero or Sports Package, or, as it was known in the U.S. “Special Performance Group” (SPG). The Aero/SPG incorporated (depending on the market and model year) a body skirt; a sport-suspension (1987+) that included shorter, stiffer springs, stiffer shocks, and swaybars; leather seats; premium stereo, and air conditioning. Each of these features could, of course, be ordered independently from Saab’s Accessories Catalog for fitment to standard models. Power output varied by model year and market but 900S and 900 Turbo models produced after 1985 were fitted with a 16-valve engine (Turbo of course receiving a turbocharger), while the basic 900 kept the earlier 8-valve engine.

A 1989 Saab 900 SPG owned by Peter Gilbert of Wisconsin, was driven over a million miles, before being donated to The Wisconsin Automotive Museum. Peter Gilbert claimed a million miles out of the turbocharging unit in addition to the engine itself. He was awarded by Saab with a Saab 9-5 Aero.

Fewer still used a double wishbone suspension design. Refined over several decades of two-digit Saab models, the 900’s double wishbone design provided excellent handling and road feel. The rear suspension comprised a typical beam axle design, stabilized with a Panhard rod. However, the attachment points between the axle and chassis made up an unusual configuration that essentially consists of two Watt’s linkages at either end of the axle: a lower control arm attaches the axle to the bottom of the vehicle, while an upper link attaches at the top but faces towards the rear, unlike a typical 4-link design with both lower and upper links facing forward.

Early models did not have sway bars; they began appearing on certain models in 1985 and in U.S. and possibly other markets, became standard on all trim levels by the late 1980s. The sway bars decreased body roll, but at the expense of some ride comfort and when driven aggressively, increased inside wheelspin. The front and rear bars’ diameters were unchanged throughout the model’s run.

Stylistically, the 900 utilized a deeply curved front windshield for the best driver visibility, calling attention to the marque’s aircraft legacy. The hatchback, or Combi Coupé cars were exceptionally spacious, if not universally loved for their aesthetics. Also underscoring their aircraft lineage, the 900’s dashboard was curved to enable easy reach of all controls and featured gauges lit up from the front. Saab engineers placed all controls and gauges in the dashboard according to their frequency of use and/or importance so that the driver need divert his gaze from the road for the shortest possible time and by the smallest angle. This is why, for example, the oft-used radio is placed so high in the dashboard.

The Saab 900 was a front-engined, front-wheel-drive compact car with a longitudinally-mounted, 45-degree slanted, L 4-cylinder engine, double wishbone front suspension and beam-axle rear suspension. In its heyday, the 900 was popular with drivers who enjoyed its comfort, safety, practicality (especially hatchbacks), and highway driving manners.

Like its predecessor the 99, the 900 contained a number of unusual design features that distinguish it from most other cars. Firstly, the engine was installed ‘backwards’, with power delivered from the crank at the front of the car. Secondly, the transmission, technically a transaxle, bolted directly to the bottom of the engine to form the oil pan (albeit with separate oil lubrication). Power from the crank would thus be delivered out of the engine at the front, then transferred down and back to the transmission below, via a set of chain-driven primary gears. Similarly, Minis also had their gearbox mounted directly below the engine; however, the Mini gearbox and engine shared the same oil, whereas the Saab 900 (and 99) gearboxes contained a separate sump for engine oil.

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