Saab's New 9-2X Wears a Japanese Kimona

According to Saab the new 9-2X is a real Saab but we know differently, don't we? Because underneath that svelte Swedish skin lies a Subaru Impreza WRX, perhaps the ultimate proof of what happens when a multinational like GM asserts its might and insists that if one of its family, Saab, wishes to produce an entry-level product, it must draw on the resources of another family member whose brand name also ends in "X." Well, I won't say that the 9-2X isn't a terrific car but to me the 4-cylinder boxer engine and all-wheel-drive platform is as Swedish as a plate of sushi. Come to think of it, the first Saabs featured 3-cylinder, 2-stroke engines from Germany's DKW. But the rest was as unique and delightfully eccentric as a winter's night in Stockholm.