Saab Plans Turbo V-6

By Peter Robinson

WardsAuto.com, Aug 5 2004

At 280-hp, the new turbocharged 2.8L will be Saab’s most powerful engine.

MILFORD, MI – Saab Automobile plans to drop a 280-hp turbocharged version of General Motors Corp.’s all-new 2.8L quad-cam V-6 into its 9-3 model.

The new engine, expected to be launched simultaneously with the introduction of the 9-3 Sporthatch wagon next summer, also will be offered in the 9-3 sedan and cabriolet.

However, it won’t be fitted into next year’s facelifted 9-5, which remains based on the old Vauxhall Cavalier/Opel Calibra platform.

Currently, Saab’s most powerful engine is the 250-hp 2.3L 4-cyl., which can be found under the hood of the 9-5 Aero.

For the 9-3, the single turbocharged unit develops “280 hp-plus” and will be tied to either a 6-speed manual or 5-speed automatic gearbox.

In normally aspirated form, the Australian- or Canadian-made V-6, replaces GM’s Elsemere Port, U.K.-built V-6, and eventually will be made in 2.8L, 3.2L and 3.6L forms, though engineers claim the engine can go out to 4L by discarding the cylinder liners. Currently, the engine is offered as a 3.5L in models such as the Cadillac CTS.

The V-6, to be built at the rate of close to a half-million units per year, is planned for both multi-point fuel injection and direct (gasoline) injection, as well as various turbocharged applications. It will be capable of producing 200-370 hp and 190 to 350 lb.-ft. (258-475 Nm) of torque for a variety of global models, including cars from Vauxhall, Alfa Romeo SpA and Saab