AS a big fan of the hit TV series Friends I watch with interest the character Chandler Bing as he waxes and wanes from series to series.

Depending on which series you are viewing, he is fat, normal or painfully thin. His hair swings from gelled bouffant to short cropped and spikey. And his teeth range from ivory and natural to all white and denture-like. You know it is Chandler because of his mannerisms and razor wit and while one Bing looks like the next, he looks different too.

Well it's exactly the same with Saabs. The Swedish manufacturer brings out a new model but to the man on a flying horse it looks very much like the last.

Well, gallop pass the latest 9-3 and it is the same, although it isn't, it has changed - albeit subtly. It's more about proportion than anything else. It looks similar, there's no radical change to the bodyshell, yet it looks slightly altered, thankfully for the better.

It appears lower to the ground, aggressive, sporty, squat, with a coupe silhouette. The alloy wheels are large and fill the flared arches. The rear lights are bigger and flow into the bodywork. The nose is typically Saab but the projector lights are slimmer and the front airdam deep. All told it looks like a Saab but somehow better, eye-catching yet the observer will wonder why he has looked.

Inside is the same, except it's not, once again it's different. It looks like a Saab, the aircraft cockpit, the cheese grater airducts, the solid, quality feel. But again the changes, though subtle are many. The most apparent is the blister in the dashboard near the windscreen, which houses the display screen for the "profiler system", which shows a variety of functions.

The dash itself looks familiar but is tilted upwards to a higher degree, the edges seem to have been rounded off and there is a plethora of buttons to have a go at, from the climate control to the hi-fi.

Otherwise the cabin feels very high quality and comfortable. There is plenty of space and it smells of leather.

What is new is the 2.0 litre turbo charged petrol engine. It is wonderfully refined thanks to plenty of sound proofing and counter balance shafts. It is also superbly strong offering 175bhp and 265Nm of torque, which pushes you back in the seat when the throttle is floored. The 60mph mark comes up in just eight seconds and top speed is 140mph. Yet this is not achieved at the expense of fuel - expect 34mpg on the combined cycle.

Handling is nicely entertaining. So often engineers dial out all the fun making cars safe but dull to drive. Not so the Saab. Drivers can feel what is going on through the steering wheel, through the seats of their pants. The gearbox is excellent too.

There is grip aplenty and excellent body control but it remains immense fun to drive down a country lane. On the straight and narrow it is peerless, being smooth, quiet, comfortable and relaxing.

The 9-3 is a great car to drive and it's a pleasant car to ride in. It may have only changed shape marginally but to many it will remain a faithful friend.

Well, that is the saloon dealt with. Soon there will be a convertible to enjoy, too. The arrival of the summer sun should also see the appearance of a 175bhp or 210bhp turbo-powered four-seater soft-top.

It has been designed to ride on the chassis dynamics of the 9-3 sport saloon, and Saab reckons it is the biggest advance Saab has made in 20 years of designing four-seater, all-season, soft-tops.

The car also features special rollover protection with pop-up roll bars, together with integrated front seat-belts with head and thorax side airbags. Other features include a special automatic boot expansion, and a unique rear spoiler.

Updated: 15:37 Thursday, March 20, 2003