Topless Swede in 20 seconds

I couldn't have asked for a better day to get behind the wheel of the Fusion blue metallic Saab 9-3 convertible. And my five-year-old son's expression was as radiant as the sun, when this 'Transformer' (his description) metamorphosed from a sporty, elegant sedan to a topless Swedish beauty at the flick of a switch in just under 20 seconds.

A similar smile was stamped on the faces of both my daughter and my wife, and also on the face of a friend of mine whom I had picked up earlier. And behold, I realised I had that same silly expression cruising along the Sliema coast, perked on the premium natural leather sport seat complete with award-winning active head restraints.

I was given strict instructions at the United Automobile showroom not to mistreat the car, to go easy on the gas pedal, and to minimise mileage, but I was in no mood to rush things anyway, even though the 1.8-litre engine, which can generate up to 150 bhp in turbo mode, enough to take the car to 100 km per hour in just over 10 seconds, would have allowed things to be rushed. Actually the 1.8t engine lets out the torque you would expect from a 2.5-litre normally aspired engine, but at much lower revs. The Saab 9-3 is not at all about speed or performance: the Scandinavian tradition of building safe and sturdy ships has been applied to building great cars, even though they may not have quite 'colonised' Europe yet.

However the 9-3 has managed to marry the sumo qualities (they too come topless) with the elegance of a ballerina, pleasing all my senses. Sitting behind the leather steering wheel, I got this sudden urge to feast my eyes, to feel the quality of the interior, and the robustness of the body, to caress its sleek lines and to listen to the wind rushing around the cockpit. Above all, I enjoyed a sense of tranquillity and of complete control with its world class safety features keeping the car firmly on the ground and its passengers always safe.

How? One way is through Saab's unique chassis system that allows the car to steer with all four wheels and with the bi-xenon cornering headlights that defy physics and that turn as you do, making every bend as safe as possible.

Other safety features include ESP (electronic stability programme); CBC (cornering brake control); TCS (traction control system); EBD (electronic brake force distribution) and EBA (emergency brake assist). Enough anagrams!

This new Saab 9-3 convertible has actually been developed around the driver, making life behind the wheel as easy as possible. There's lots of technology. ComSense is a system designed to reduce distraction by briefly delaying warning messages when braking or when the indicators are activated. The night panel button will fade out all instruments except for the speedometer. The 'Profiler' allows you to customise systems like climate control, rain sensor, parking assistance and anti-theft. The electrically heated seats come in handy when the top is open. The SCC (Saab car computer) shows outdoor temperatures, fuel consumption and estimated distance on remaining fuel. Voice control lets you control a range of audio and navigational functions with your voice. ACC is an automatic climate control system and obviously there's the fully automated soft-top.

Now, why a soft top when most CCs feature hard tops? The answer probably lies in the fact that it's actually more silent, and as steady. It operates as swiftly and as smoothly. Its triple insulation provides excellent sound-proofing and keeps the heat and cold out, while the heated glass rear window improves visibility in all weather conditions.

The softtop has the added advantage of folding away neatly in the boot, yet still leaving space for ample stowage. The car also has a self-expanding trunk which automatically increases the luggage capacity to 352 litres as the top is raised. The soft top also comes in a choice of colours. Ultimately, I believe it looks more classy and classical.

The 9-3 cabrio comes with a choice of eight engines, although some might not come to Malta: 1.8t; 2.0t (175 bhp); 2.0 turbo (210 bhp); 2.8 V6 turbo (255 bhp); 1.9 TiD (150 bhp); 1.9 Ttid (180 bhp); 1.8t Bio Power (175 bhp) and the 2.0t Bio Power (200 bhp).

Would I buy it? Yes, if I had €50,000 to spare, which, considering, is a bit of a bargain. I'd give the 9-3 sedan some serious consideration. Starting price for that is just over €31,000.