WITH its strong stance and neatly contoured lines the new 9-3 delivers exactly what Saab hoped for - a unique fun-to-drive experience.

And the real beauty is that Saab seems to achieve its success in a quiet, unassuming way.

For example, the 9-3 is packed to bursting with quality technology and class-leading features, but they are discreetly tucked away into what appears an almost simplistic dashboard and central console area.

There may not be any bells and whistles, but the quality is there nonetheless and with special attention given to driver comfort, the cabin ergonomics, instrumentation and controls are all perfectly positioned for ease of use.

Striking characteristics when you first lay eyes on the 9-3 include bullet-like streamlining, tinted widows with heat-absorbent glass and follow-me-home headlights.

But it's once you take your seat behind the multi-function steering wheel that the car really begins to impress. Creature comforts are plentiful and include Saab's Information Display system with a Profiler function to personalise and pre-set features such as climate control, clock/alarm, parking assistance and much more - basically you can set you car up as you want it rather than constantly adjusting controls.

Other specifications on the 9-3 include cruise control, dual-zone climate control, a great audio system, one-touch electric windows and plenty more besides.

Comfort levels are very good and rear seat passengers benefit from plenty of leg and head room too.

The boot is very generously-sized and capacity can be increased further thanks to 60/40 split-folding rear seats. Elsewhere, there are a number of handy storage compartments scattered throughout.

So it seems the Saab 9-3 has the looks and styling to appeal to buyers, but what about the performance?

Thankfully, after such a big build-up, the car handles excellently too. The 1.9-litre diesel-powered engine delivers plenty of punch and road-holding is exceptionally good - even on wetter surfaces. One factor that really impressed was just how quiet the cabin was. Even at higher speeds, there was simply no road-surface noise at all.

Acceleration and handling was generally very good and the six-speed manual transmission was also responsive.

Saab has fitted a plethora of safety features to the 9-3 including anti-lock brakes, electronic brake force distribution, cornering brake control, standard and dual stage airbags and lots more.