Speak to Joe Smoke in the pub, and the chances are he’ll say BMWs are driven by estate agents, while Porsches are driven by stockbrokers. For him, German cars are status symbols.

But quiz the know-all on who drives Saabs, and he’ll mutter something about Sweden being dark for most of the year and walk off to play darts.

Truth is; it’s difficult to personify the typical Saab driver, says Stuart Milne.

Saab drivers aren’t interested in what other people think about their choice of car. They just want to be safe in the knowledge that it will get them to their destination with the minimum of fuss and in the most comfortable way possible.

This is a strange concept for us non Saab-owning Brits. We spend a fortune buying a car and put ourselves in hock to run it; so we’re going to make damn sure it makes a statement.

So for many motorists, Saabs are an enigma.

Which is why, when asked what I’m driving at the moment, people are desperately interested about the 9-3 SportWagon that’s parked on the drive.

Some smart Alec will try to bang on about it being a Vectra in drag, but it couldn’t be further from the truth.

Sure, it shares its platform with Luton’s repmobile, but it’s in another league. That’s not to say the Vectra is nasty, just that the 9-3 oozes something extra.

The sleek styling of the 9-3 has largely been carried over from the saloon, but whereas other manufacturers have made a bit of a hash of bolting on an estate car tailgate, the SportWagon looks every bit as handsome.

The striking rear lights really set it apart from its rivals in the ‘lifestyle estate’ segment. Indeed the car is awash with cracking styling cues, such as the aircraft-shaped handle to life the boot floor. Saab was originally an aeroplane manufacturer don’t you know.

Our test car, the well specced 1.9TiD Vector Sport came with a stunning set of six-spoke, 17 inch alloys. Despite the large wheel/low profile tyre combo, the ride is excellent.

Like the exterior, the interior is easy on the eye. The electric seats are covered in supple leather (£1,100 option) with breathable panels to keep your bum and back dry.

There’s plenty of room for those relegated to the back seats, which is more than can be said for the boot.

A planned trip to the dump with an old desk was thwarted by the shallow rake of the tailgate. This is a big problem that doesn’t affect traditional estates, where the tailgate is usually vertical.

Some front-seat passengers complained the dash was awash with buttons, particularly with the all-singing, all-dancing ‘Infotainment’ console.

But from the driving seat, the dash is a masterclass in ergonomics. All of the controls are sensibly laid out, well labelled and easy to use. Not even the sat-nav caused problems for this luddite hack.

Atop the dash is a small screen which displays a variety of information, including average fuel consumption, distance to empty, air temperature and directional arrows for the sat-nav. It’s clear and conveniently placed so you don’t avert your eyes from the road.

Another great touch is the ‘Night Panel’ function, which turns off all the dash lights, apart from the speedo. This means that you’re not distracted by the illuminations when driving in the dark. Fortunately – as I found on one lengthy journey – the fuel dial lights back up when you’re nearing empty.

The 9-3’s Infotainment centre is one of the simplest I’ve used. Despite featuring the radio, sat-nav, 6-disc CD changer and telephone integration on the spec sheet, it caused no problems whatsoever. Apart from the voice activation.

And to be fair, I was suffering with a serious bout of man flu at the time.

My cross-London commute is not something I relish at the best of times, but the 9-3 couldn’t have arrived at a better time, with my aching head, back and legs.

Its smooth ride, coupled with a slick automatic gearbox meant it was relaxing as an Indian head massage in the bath. Rather than arriving at Auto Trader Towers ready for bed, I felt ready for whatever Editor Higgins was going to throw my way.

The 1.9-litre diesel engine has been around for a while now, but the 150bhp version that we sampled felt eager, and pulled hard from 2,000rpm.

It’ll complete the 0-60mph dash in 9 seconds and pull from 50-70mph in 7.7 – quicker than the current diesel darling, BMW’s 330d. Top speed is a more than adequate 131mph.

Unfortunately, given the lag that turbo diesels suffer from, the automatic gearbox wasn’t the best choice. You can generally overcome the lack of poke from tickover to the point the turbo kicks in by slipping the clutch slightly.

No clutch means lots of hesitation pulling out of side roads. Not good in heavy London traffic, where you need to take your chances when they appear.

Better news was the semi-automatic gearshift. I’ve never really got these gearboxes – if I want a self-shifter, I’ll buy one. If I want to do it myself, I’ll go for the manual.

One evening, I was ‘making swift progress’, when I thought I’d give the steering wheel-mounted paddles an airing – and two corners later, everything made sense. You get the engine braking and the ability to select a gear that gets you into the sweet spot in the rev range to catapult you out of the corner – and into the next.

I was so impressed with this, that I completely forgot about how it was handling; but I arrived home with a smile on my face…

…a smile that got even bigger when I saw that my fuel consumption was still averaging on the right side of 30mpg.

So, would I buy one?

Its biggest trump car is price. Despite being a rival for the (admittedly more dynamic) 3-Series Touring, at £23,980 the 1.9 TiD Vector Sport undercuts all but the most basic Beemers.

That’s not to say a cheap price is all it has going for it. It’s better looking than the spectacularly bland 3-Series and the Jag X-Type estate, and great fun to drive.

But most of all, it’s because I’ve discovered that Saab drivers include dentists, doctors, architects – and at some point in the future, at least one journalist.

Key Facts

Model tested: Saab 9-3 Sport Wagon 1.9TiD Vector Sport
On the road price: £23,140
Price range: £17,995 – £24,165
Date tested: April 2006
Road tester: Stuart Milne