If you’re in the mood to upgrade you can get leather on the instrument panel, three memory adjustments for the driver’s seat and a high pressure headlight washer.

When it comes to safety, Saab takes a back seat to no one and the 9-3 is no exception. Airbags everywhere, side guard door beams, automatic locking retractors, inside release trunk, child safety looks on rear doors, keyless entry, remote trunk opener - again, all standard. If you like, you can add a rear electronic parking aid.

To keep all this safe, Saab offers OnStar stolen vehicle tracking, Theftlock radio anti-theft, an engine immobilizer, an alarm and a five year, 100,000 mile warranty. Yes, again, they are all standard.

The 9-3 comes in five trim levels. These include the base model, which is the 2.0T, the Sentronic, which additionally comes in four-wheel drive, and all wheel drive models and the upscale Aero.

Saab prides itself on engineering, and their engineers have given this car a look, inside and out, that is uniquely its own. You can get it in a sports sedan, convertible or SUV (called the SportCombi). It may be a compact, but it delivers in a big way.

The motor for the 9-3 is an I4 dual overhead cam 2.0 liter cranking out 210 horsepower at 5500 rpms. The base transmission is a six speed manual with overdrive, but you can also get a five speed automatic. This much power naturally pulls down fuel efficiency, but not as much as you might expect. The 9-3 is rated 19 miles per gallon in the city and 29 miles per gallon on the highway.

Inside the 9-3 is a host of gadgets you expect on a modern luxury car, even if it is a small one. Eight way power adjustable driver seat with lumbar support, 60/40 split folding rear bench seat with pass through, leather covered steering wheel and leather front and back seats are all standard. So are a temperature controlled glovebox, cargo area tie-down hooks, steering wheel mounted audio controls, trip computer and voice activated Bluetooth.

The SAAB 9-3 has a new V6 engine and remains firmly ensconced in its aircraft engineering paradigm. You only need a quick fly-through the cockpit to recognize numerous aircraft-inspired touches that are more functional that for appearances.

In an effort to capture a segment of the cay-buying public previously untapped, SAAB has introduced the SAAB 9-2X, a low-cost sport model that SAAB believes will entice people to make the move to their neighborhood. Although smaller and more compact than other models, settling into the 9-2X one immediately gets in sync with all they expect from a SAAB. There are plenty of standard safety features, such as front airbags and seat tensioners, to make anyone feel safe and at home.

it operates as if it were designing them today. Consider the degree of precision and attention to detail one needs to create the jet fighter aircraft the “SAAB Gryphon.” SAAB maintains the same level of precision and durability in their automobiles as they do in their jets.

SAAB’s first V8 is introduced in the 9-7X, a new addition to its lineup. Dropped onto an American truck platform, the 9-7X is solid and good-looking, with plenty of luxury and safety innovations. A comfortable, well-configured SUV, the SAAB 9-7X has plenty of what the SUV-prone buying public is looking for.

General Motors officially announced today that it reached a preliminary agreement to sell its Saab division to a consortium led by Swedish sports car maker Koenigsegg. The deal that is expected to close by the end of the third quarter of this year includes an expected $600 million funding commitment from the European Investment Bank (EIB) guaranteed by the Swedish government, while GM said that it plans to support Saab’s new owner. General Motors did not provide any specific finance details on the sale.

In view of the fact that the floodgates surrounding the all-new 2010 Saab 9-5 Sedan fully collapsed last week, the automaker decided to give permission to magazines such as the Swedish edition of AMS to publish high-resolution photos of their Mercedes-Benz E-Class challenger. However, for reasons that we fail to understand, the Swedes have yet to release anything official on their behalf.