The new Saab 9-3 handles well with a nicely balanced neutral feel. The steering is a little light for a sports sedan but it's not light enough to be offensive. The ride is smooth. All in all it's a car with no real quirks or foibles.One thing the Saab 9-3 does not have is torque steer. Torque steer, that tug on the steering wheel when accelerating through a corner, has long been a bugbear of Saab 9-3s and most other powerful front-drive cars. To some drivers it is not a concern and many would even describe it as a character trait that adds excitement. Saab engineers worked hard to eliminate it in the new 9-3 and they appear to have been successful. Even in the more powerful Vector model the only time we experienced some torque steer was when accelerating around a corner where the surface was slightly rutted by wear from studded tires, not a very common occurrence outside of Sweden.
With 175 horsepower, the Saab 9-3 Linear model is not going to set any speed records. If you don't mind doing your own shifting, opt for the five-speed manual transmission as it is much more fun and it gives the car a sporty edge. Although the five-speed automatic is very pleasant the Linear model needs more oomph to overcome the inevitable losses from an automatic transmission. (The Arc and Vector models should address this.)