Bless its heart, Saab Automobile AB is a brand whose greatness and distinction have dwindled nearly into irrelevance in recent years, the brand’s once immutable charisma drip-drip-dripping away as a result of badge engineering, budget-driven development decisions, and, alas, some financial problems at its Mother Ship, General Motors. A recent face lift to its slow-selling 9-5 flagship is a case in point: Saab added some pizazz to the exterior, but that was it, and that proved hardly enough to turn the aging sedan and wagon into serious players within their market segments.

Now Saab has given a similarly extensive nip and tuck to the sportier 9-3 lineup, including new lights, bright-framed grillwork, a freshened rear end, and best of all, a real, Saab-like clamshell hood. The look is edgy and mean and very nicely detailed. And yes, very Saab. The fetching mug is a good start for this history-rich sports sedan trying to get its groove back.

However, what didn’t work for the 9-5 probably won’t have a different result for the 9-3, Saab’s bread-and-butter sedan, wagon, and convertible that together comprise two-thirds of Saab’s global sales. After all, little has been done to enhance the 9-3 lineup mechanically, remaining as it has more or less the same since Saab stuck a turbocharged 2.8-liter V-6 under the hood of the 9-3 Aero in 2005. That’s a fine engine, but we’re afraid that since it wasn’t enough to make believers out of us then, it likely won’t be enough to win us over now, despite the sexy new schnoz.

Not that we don’t like the 9-3. We do. But we want to love it. Like we used to love Saabs. And so we’re happy to report some welcome news that Saab will offer an all-wheel-drive system called XWD, or “cross-wheel drive” on the 2008 9-3. Available on sedan and wagon models, the added grip of all-wheel drive should be the final nail in the coffin of Saab’s trademark “steering-wheel shimmy” (a.k.a. torque steer) and thus might help bring Saab back into relevance, especially in the Snowbelt. (Hey, it worked for Volvo.)

Now, whether or not it will bring the 9-3 closer to our hearts at Car and Driver remains to be seen. After all, just after getting the new V-6, the 2005 9-3 Aero sedan scored dead last in a comparison of eight $35,000 sports sedans, suffering from sharing too much of its character with its other GM Epsilon platform mates, including the Chevy Malibu and Pontiac G6, and not enough with the sprightly 900 Turbos of yore. Then again, a 9-3 convertible finished ahead of a Volvo C70 and VW Eos in a recent comparo.Stay tuned for a drive report of a 2008 9-3 in a few months. We’ll see if we change our tune.