9-3 diesel on Saab's menu

SAAB Australia has confirmed that it will offer a Euro 4-compliant 100kW/320Nm 1.9-litre DOHC common-rail turbo-diesel engine in its 9-3 sedan and SportCombi wagon models from January.

Each will be available with either a six-speed manual or automatic transmission and the Holden-controlled brand has also flagged that the engine could eventually be available in the 9-3 convertible.

Saab says the 9-3 diesel, dubbed "1.9 TiD", offers sparkling in-gear flexibility and "performance comparable to Saab’s 154kW petrol powered Vector model".

It saays full specifications, features and pricing will be available in January and that all 9-3 diesel variants will be "extremely competitively priced and well equipped".