What's new

Saab joins Audi, BMW and Volvo in offering a diesel version of its drop-top, slotting the 150PS 1.9 TiD into the popular cabrio.

Excellent

Top down, the Saab convertible is still among the best-looking cabrios on the market and, even with the roof tucked away, there's very little of the expected diesel engine noise.

Good

At 34.9ppm it's only 2ppm more than the saloon to run, and it costs significantly less than the equivalent BMW 320Cd convertible to run. Saab's still comfortably beaten by Audi though.

Average

Though fabric roofs are much better than they used to be, modern competitors such as the Volvo C70 have folding metal hard-tops.

Poor

The driving dynamics can't match BMW's 3-series cabrio, while interior quality isn't anywhere near the Audi A4.

Verdict

Good diesel engine is a welcome addition to the 9-3 convertible range - but the car's styling is still its key attraction.

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