9-3 gets bio fuel engine too

Saab 9-3 Bio-Power

The inevitable has happened. Saab has transfered the bio-fuel technology from the 9-5 to the smaller 9-3, and Irish buyers will doubly benefit with the 1.8t Bio Power 9-3 likely to be the cheapest 9-3 you can buy.

Designed to run on any combination of E85 bio-ethanol and regular unleaded, and when running on only E85 (available from 13 Maxol service stations nationwide) it pumps out 175bhp, 25bhp more than the unleaded-only 1.8t engine (which, confusingly is actually a 2.0-litre engine).

Thanks to the carbon-cycle of bio-ethanol, the 9-3 Bio Power theoretically emits 70% less CO2 than an equivalent car running on unleaded, and this means its gets a 50% VRT Import Duty rebate. So although Irish prices have yet to be announced, it's likely that, as with the 9-5 Bio Power, the 9-3 Bio Power will undercut the current cheapest 9-3, the €34,990 9.3 1.8. The Bio Power engine will be available in saloon, sports estate and, as above, convertible versions.