Alternative: Drivers who want an executive car that's a bit different but good to drive are likely to find the Saab a temptation

SAAB needed this car to be good. Its predecessor was a boring, stodgy mess and an insult to the cult car that once carried the Swedish manufacturer's hopes in the compact sports-executive class.

In fact, with industry pundits claiming the company couldn't sustain itself with just two major models, it wasn't going too far to say the fate of Saab itself rested on the success, or otherwise, of the 9-3.

Well Saab fans can relax.

The latest 9-3 is a big improvement.

But then it should be. The all-new platform has ditched the quirky hatchback configuration that left the older car out-of-step with BMW, Audi and Mercedes. It also has a fresh family of engines, heavily-revised suspension and a far more up-market feel about the interior.

The styling has been toned down but there's still no mistaking this for anything other than a Saab.

The three-grille nose, the angled taillights and the subtle boot lip are all familiar Saab styling traits.

The interior is a world away from the flat, formless cliff face of Saabs like the old 9000 series.

The instruments gently curve around the driver, with the most important being closest to hand.

Saab makes a lot of noise about the company's fighter plane heritage and reckons the 9-3 has been modelled on a cockpit. That's stretching things a bit far but there's no doubting the ergonomics are spot on.

I drove the 9-3 more than 450 miles in one sitting and emerged at the other end as fresh as a daisy.

On the motorway it's a cinch to switch to cruise control and admire the way the 9-3 tracks arrow straight, barely requiring any input. The settled suspension soaks up bumps that would otherwise knock the wheel asunder and the car always feels firmly planted to the road.

Dubbed ReAxs, the rear suspension steers the back wheels an almost imperceptible amount in the opposite direction to the front, sharpening response to steering inputs and making the 9-3 a keen handler.

Our 2.0T came with a full load of Saab goodies to play with. The satellite navigation is handy but ours had a nervous breakdown on the A1 and insisted we left the road at every exit, before re-directing the car back on to the motorway. Strangely this didn't happen on the way back.

The RDS radio can interrupt both FM and MW stations with traffic up-dates and can be instructed to do so at a pre-set volume.

The fuel computer was handy (showing an impressive 38mpg overall) and the climate control did a fine job.

Saab is one of the few companies to keep the faith with turbocharging. All that experience has created an engine that doesn't feel 'blown' at all. The two-litre light pressure blower spools up with no massive torque surge - it just deploys 175 bhp in impressively linear fashion.

Overtaking is child's play - just gently depress the accelerator for a bit of get up and go - and cruising returns excellent fuel economy.

Interestingly, the new engines borrow liberally from Vauxhall's 2.2 aluminium motor that can be found in the VX220 and the latest Vectra.

They feel very different.

Where the Vauxhall engine always feels like a four with its noise and vibration, the Saab powerplant is smooth for three-quarters of the rev band.

It runs out of steam as the red line approaches but, for the majority of drivers, this will never be an issue.

What's more surprising is that beneath the skin of the Saab lies General Motor's hi-tech Epsilon platform - the chassis used in the latest Vauxhall Vectra.

But this Saab is far from a more expensive Vectra in a pretty disguise. The 9-3 has a shorter wheelbase, Saab inspired rear suspension, and a much modified chassis.

No wonder it feels so much more confidenceinspiring than the old 9-3. That used the ancient Vauxhall Cavalier chassis and no amount of fettling could turn a sow's ear into a silk purse.

No such worries this time around. The latest 9-3 is a genuine challenger to the likes of BMW and Audi. Drivers who want an executive car that's a bit different but just as good to drive are likely to find this Saab a Swede temptation!