#flat-4

Vehicle Overview

In 2005 Saab wanted a compact vehicle to sell in North America against products like the Audi A3 and Volvo V50. At the time GM owned Saab completely and had an influential ownership share in Subaru. To fill the gap in Saab’s lineup, the company began to sell a version of the Subaru Impreza wagon with Saab family styling front and back as well as a more premium interior. Other than that, the vehicle was mechanically similar to the Subaru and features the Impreza’s basic body shell.

Like the Impreza, the Saab 9-2x was offered with the regular 2.5-liter horizontally opposed engine as well as the WRX’s 2.0-liter turbocharged four. In 2006, a few 2.5-liter turbocharged vehicles were produced and to this day are the rarest of the model line.

Although highway fatalities have been on the decline for years, the first quarter of 2012 saw a rise in accidents that many are blaming on the unusually warm winter weather.

“The flat-4 is just a rumor,” confirms Porsche Canada CEO Joe Lawrence, speaking over the weekend at gathering of P-car owners at the ALMS race at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park. Lawrence does, however, admit that if it was up to him, it might not be, and even went on to comment further about the iconic sports car brand and the real world realities of fuel economy and emissions.