Saabs. You just have to love them. Quirky, independent, iconoclasts that they are, these vehicles don’t do things like other cars. Normal cars. Cars without their ignition switch in the center console. Cars that don’t demand you put the (manual) transmission in reverse before you can remove the key. Yep, those Saabs sure are different.

Except for this one. The 9-3 is something of a red-headed step-child in the Saab line-up. It wraps an Opel platform in Saab-like bodywork. And for the Viggen, a 230-hp turbocharged four-cylinder engine is stuffed under the hood, handsome 17-in. performance wheels and tires are fitted, ditto larger radially-scored brake discs, the interior gets a very nice leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, and the rear hatch gets a wing. It makes for a very handsome package, but not one that works especially well in everyday use.

The large tires and modified suspension camber settings make the Viggen a lively car, one that follows every rut and hump in the road. Europeans call it “tramlining” for its resemblance to the effect you get when the vehicle you’re in drops a wheel into the track the street cars follow. It quickly lets you know that democracy isn’t the only thing that demands eternal vigilance.

This phenomenon is different than torque steer – the unequal application of torque through the driven wheels resulting in a pull to one side under acceleration and an equal and opposite reaction under deceleration – a trait which the Viggen didn’t manifest to any appreciable extent. Saab has been criticized for torque steer when, in fact, it was tramlining from excessive suspension camber that caused the directional problem.

One area where the criticism has been correct, and fair, is structural rigidity. The 9-3 is a mid-size four-door hatchback with an enormous rear opening. Unfortunately, that large port, coupled with the less than stellar Opel platform, mean the 9-3 doesn’t feel as stout as it should – as a Saab should. The rear wing rattles over bumps, which amplifies the occasional “thunk” from the hatch, and makes the otherwise reasonably quiet cabin an aurally unpleasant place. It also means the car doesn’t feel as planted as it should, which no doubt led to the overbearing camber settings as a way to help compensate.

Also, the interior door panels do not fit flush, and have a very visible part line on the plastic along its perimeter. For some reason, the rear panels were especially poor. This isn’t the attention to detail you expect in a nearly $39,000 car. Or on a car so handsome from the outside.

Does this mean the 9-3 Viggen is a total loss? No. To its credit, the 9-3 has incredibly comfortable and supportive seats, smooth leather, and that hatch. Which means the 9-3’s driver and passengers are comfortably seated, and the car can swallow large loads easily. (With the rear seats down, it rivals most station wagons for carrying capacity.) Plus, the gearbox and clutch are light, direct, and easily used. Other than that…