Crafted by a former Swedish WWII aircraft manufacturer called the Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget (SAAB), Saabs have long been different, pioneering aerodynamics, safety, turbocharged four-cylinder engines, front-wheel-drive, and hatchback utility in strangely designed packages with ignition slots located on the floor between the seats. Quirky is an apt description of Saabs past, but not necessarily present.

Subarus, reliable cars crafted by a former Japanese WWII aircraft manufacturer called the Nakajima Aircraft Company (NAC), are also quirky. Like Saab, Subaru concentrated on cutting edge design and engineering to distinguish itself, bringing highly-evolved all-wheel-drive systems; unconventional four- and six-cylinder engines with horizontally opposed cylinders; and stylistic oddities such as the Brat pickup, XT6 sport coupe and SVX sports car to a select group of anti-establishment types. In recent years, Subarus, like Saabs, have gotten more mainstream and sales have increased as a result.

Today, the decidedly mainstream leviathan known as General Motors owns Saab and controls Subaru through significant investment in the latter automaker’s parent company, Fuji Heavy Industries. Not surprisingly, GM wants to squeeze more profit from Saab and Subaru, and when profits surpass design and engineering in terms of importance, quirky character is one of the first things to die.

Detroit’s corporate influence on once proud Saab has not been positive. In 2004, 10 years after becoming a GM division, Saab no longer had a hatchback in the lineup, was planning to launch a restyled Chevy TrailBlazer as its luxury SUV offering, had crafted a bread-and-butter entry luxury car from a common platform that also served the Chevy Malibu, and fielded a six-year-old flagship luxury sedan that had no replacement in sight. In the 1980s, marketers could legitimately claim that Saabs were forward-thinking cars driven by intelligent people. Not so, today. Safety and discounted lease contracts are the main reasons to choose a Saab now.

Until this year, Subaru had managed to escape GM’s voracious desire to multi-purpose nearly every vehicle in its too-broad brand portfolio. When word came that GM planned to slap a Saab nose onto the Subaru Impreza and WRX wagons to create a new entry-level model for its Swedish luxury car division called the 9-2X, Subaru was displeased, in part because the company wants to move upscale, and sharing with Saab makes that harder than easier. Saab loyalists, many of whom still hope in vain that decision-making will be returned to Trollhattan from Detroit, also got a hitch in their britches over the plan.

As a business case, the marriage between Saab and Subaru makes sense, and could help to alleviate the brand dilution that has ravaged the Swedish automaker. Both companies emerged from aircraft manufacturers after WWII. Both companies have taken the road less traveled when it comes to vehicle design and engineering. Both companies are known for offbeat products. Taking the quirky Subaru Impreza Wagon and repurposing it to grow the stale Saab lineup while simultaneously re-establishing a hatchback in dealer showrooms made perfect sense on paper. But because both Saab and Subaru enjoy core contingents of fiercely loyal buyers, buying one is a more emotional decision than a run-of-the-mill Buick, Chevy, or Pontiac.

Emotionally invested buyers don’t care if the new 2005 Saab 9-2X promises all-weather handling capability, a proven record of durability, a handy hatchback design, a fun-to-drive nature, and a quirky personality. They want to know why the ignition isn’t on the floor between the seats. They want to know why the window sticker says that the Saab 9-2X is 100-percent Japanese, assembled with care in Ota Gunma, Japan. They want to know where the cushy ride quality and significant body roll has gone. They want to know why the whistle of a turbocharged inline four has been replaced by the grumble of a boxer engine.

Good thing GM cares less about Saab’s loyalists and more about attracting new buyers to the brand, because fanatical focus on company and product heritage misses the fundamental truth of the 2005 Saab 9-2X: This car is a terrific, but overpriced, alternative to the status quo.