These have been interesting times for Saab, to say the least. In the last couple of years, the marque seemingly teetered on the brink of oblivion.

Unloved by General Motors, the famous brand, admired equally for the quality of its cars and its quirky offbeat style, was touted for sale.

A deal seemed unlikely and the prospect of Saab being wound-up was a very real one.

A saviour was found in the unlikely form of Spyker. Who, you may ask? Well, Spyker is a successful but little-known Dutch company which specialises in expensive but low-volume models.

So, after years of near-hibernation, Saab is back in action. It has revived its ageing line-up of models and has a queue of exciting new cars in the pipeline.

The 9-5, a mainstay of the Saab brand, is making inroads into the executive express market and a revamped 9-3 is coming soon.

But it’s a whole new kind of Saab which we test here, an SUV. That’s right, one of the most traditional marques is now making the trendiest of cars, a sport utility vehicle.

This is the 9-3X, which looks, feels and drives more like an estate than an SUV. It is proving successful, and after my experiences of driving a brilliant white model it is something of a head-turner.

There’s no doubt its function is to capture some of the market enjoyed by Audi with its Allroad models, which have proven that go-anywhere estates can enjoy success.

Saab is continuing the theme with a similar but bigger model, the 9-4X, which has notched 1,600 sales even before it’s launched. Not bad at all for a marque which was on its uppers a little while ago.

So, how exactly does the 9-3X shape up?

Overall, it’s good, but I’m not sure that it really lives up to its SUV billing because for me it’s more of a chunky estate.

The ride is very good. In fact, it looks like an estate and rides like a saloon, which is a pretty good achievement.

If you wanted an SUV, I doubt really that the 9-3X would be your choice of wheels. But for a chunky executive estate, it’s very good.

In fact, Saab bill it as an antidote to people tired of heavy 4x4s.

I love the look. Saabs are one of the few instantly-recognisable marques left, and this model has a classy air about it.

The cabin is impressive. It’s not as luxurious as some of the premium rivals, but it is very solid and a pleasure to use.

The ‘infotainment’ systems include DVD/GPS satellite navigation with a large colour monitor and Bluetooth phone integration system for automatic connection to an audio system with operation by voice control or steering wheel buttons.

The additional load-carrying potential is good. Both the Saloon and SportWagon have 60/40 split-fold rear seats with a ski hatch. The SportWagon features a wide-opening tailgate with a low floor giving access to a spacious, well-proportioned cargo deck, free from intrusions.

An optional folding front passenger seat-back offers further interior space.

The ‘TwinFloor’ stowage system is impressive, too. After pulling the aircraft-shaped handle, the middle section of cargo floor hinges upwards. This gives convenient stowage of shopping bags or other items in the recessed area under the floor, easily secured by a cargo net.

My only real criticism is that the load cover was a little flimsy. A proper, sturdy, secure cover would have been welcome.

Saab has a long tradition of successful work with car safety. In EuroNCAP crash tests, the 9-3 range has achieved a maximum five-star safety rating.

The firm has a database covering more than 6,100 real-life accidents involving Saab cars in Sweden. The company uses computer simulations and crash testing to replicate what happens in real accidents on real roads.

Altogether, the 9-3X is an impressive model and it should prove an interesting taster of some exciting models ahead.

Saab 9-3X 2.0 litre turbo XWD:- PRICE: £27,366.

ENGINE: A 2.0 litre engine generating 210ps via six gears and all four wheels.

PERFORMANCE: Top speed 143mph, 0-60mph in 8.2 seconds.

COSTS: urban (town) 23.9 mpg; extra-urban (country) 44.1 mpg; combined 33.6 mpg.

EMISSIONS: 186g/km.

INSURANCE: Group 27E.

WARRANTY: Three years, 60,000 miles.

Steve's ratings: Performance: 4/5 Economy: 2/5 Ride/Handling: 4/5 Space/Practicality: 3/5 Equipment: 4/5 Security/Safety: 4/5 Value For Money: 3/5 OVERALL: 4/5