Saab is offering a 1.8t BioPower engine on its 9-3 model line-up

The eco-friendly engine will be available on Sport Saloon, SportWagon, and Convertible 9-3 models.

The bigger 9-5 Saab range already has 2.0t and 2.3t BioPower options.

The BioPower cars are called flex-fuel. This is because they can run on either normal petrol or the more environmentally-friendly E85 bioethanol.

When running on E85 bioethanol the engine emits up to 70 per cent less carbon dioxide (CO2). Yet it produces more power: 175bhp compared to 150bhp for the normal car.

The cars are on sale now in both manual and automatic.

What are the benefits of bioethanol?

• Bioethanol is produced from agricultural crops
• Unlike petrol it does not raise atmospheric levels of CO2 – the global warming gas
• Why? Because driving emissions are balanced by CO2 reduction when crops are grown for production

What are the downsides to bioethanol?

• Highly restricted availability of E85 at the pumps
• Increased fuel consumption compared to petrol equivalent

Saab is first to offer flex-fuel ‘BioPower’ across its range