I drove my friend's new 9-3, 2.0T the other day. Let me say what a pleasure it was to go from a Contour to a luxury sport sedan. The clutch was a bit softer then what I was expecting, but engaged nicely and had a firm bite to it. Suspension had necessary handling without sacrificing ride quality (it's not a track car though, that's for sure. I didn't get to open it up or anything, since it's her brand-new baby, but it seems like the power is enough for the car.
The only problem with Saab is they're so damn expensive to repair!
If I were to spend that money on a car, i'd probably go for an A4 sport wagon, or a used S4.
