This giant retailer is all about bringing Swedish style to the masses like a postmodern, minimalist Wal-Mart. When you go inside, you'll walk through giant showrooms filled with funky pieces of furniture while techno music echoes around the building with strange beeps and whirrs, making you feel like you've stepped onto some weird Swedish planet where everyone wears black turtlenecks and eats lingonberry mousse. It's quite an experience.

Shoppers don't only like IKEA because it's weird, though. And let's face it, pretty much everything from Sweden is weird.

They like IKEA because it sells cool furniture at a very low price. Where else can you get a couch called the Lund Hogen for $439, or a trendy-looking armchair called the Klappsta for $100? You could make your downtown loft look sleek and modern without having to spend a fortune importing coffee tables from Stockholm.

And there's no better car to take shopping for weird Swedish stuff than a Saab, which is basically an IKEA with wheels.

I decided to have some fun by driving the Saab 9-3 convertible to the nearest IKEA store in Frisco, Texas, and take along my wife, who has Swedish roots and the maiden name of Lundgren. She was a perfect fit.

So was the car.

Saab's new SUV brings seats for five, two powertrain choices and standard AWD traction. Foundation is the GM truck-based platform that underpins Chevrolet's TrailBlazer and GMC's Envoy wagons, although Saab applies signature design traits and premium appointments in the cabin.

A smooth aerodynamic package projects Saab's familiar three-port grille up front on a shapely hood followed by a big cabin that ends with windows wrapping around rear roof pillars. Inside, the plush compartment carries bucket seats in front of a bench for three that splits and folds, and a generous cargo bay in back.

Standard powertrain is a 4.2-liter V6 which delivers 290 hp with a four-speed automatic transmission. 9-7x V8 brings a 5.3-liter V8 spiked to 300 hp. The V8 employs GM's Displacement on Demand (DOD) technology to conserve fuel. An electronic stability control (ESC) device is standard, and options include a moonroof and DVD entertainment system.

Cars in Saab's flagship series include a luxurious four-door sedan and the five-door SportWagon with elegant appointments aboard and performance gear on top editions. Both the sedan and wagon score a modest face-lift for 2006 with mid-life restyling of the front grille and headlamps and a fresh arrangement of the five-seat cockpit and instrument cluster.

Two different four-cylinder engines continue to motivate 9-5 cars -- a 2.3-liter light-pressure turbo four with 185 hp is the standard unit, but sport-tuned Aero issues pack a high-output turbo-charged 2.3-liter plant that climbs to 250 hp. Transmission for Aero is either a manual five-speed or Saab's automatic Sentronic five-speed with control tabs on the steering wheel for thumb and finger shifting.

Standard mechanical assets for all 9-5 cars in 2006 include an anti-lock brake system (ABS), electronic traction control (TCS) and Saab's electronic stability program (ESP).

Saab's entry-level car, conformed as a five-door hatchback, stocks all-wheel-drive (AWD) traction and optional turbo action. The AWD slant explains the name, as that 'x' tag on the model numbers denotes AWD mode.

There are two versions. Entry issue 9-2x uses a 2.5-liter horizontally-opposed four-cylinder engine scored to 165 hp, while 9-2x Aero fires up a 2.0-liter horizontal-four turbo to make 227 hp. Aero 9-2x also has a viscous limited-slip differential plus ABS brakes.

Both models carry a rear cargo bay and foldable back seat for expansion. The back bay is designed to house equipment of an active lifestyle such as surfboards, skis, bikes or camping gear.

Standard base equipment on 9-2x lists aluminum alloy wheels, air conditioning, power controls for windows and door locks, plus an audio kit with CD player. Aero adds paraphernalia like foglamps, aluminum pedals, sport buckets and a six-disc in-dash CD changer.