Still A Premium Saloon/Estate
by Ross Finlay (01 Oct 01)

On the surface, the new Saab 9-5 on sale from today looks very much like the previous model with altered front and rear styling, revised headlights, a different range of wheel designs and a slightly increased overall length, but there's a lot more to it than that. If you count all the new or revised nuts, bolts, bodywork and trim features, Saab reckons there are as many as 1265 improvements.

Mechanically, the most significant thing is that Saab has finally put a turbo diesel into the 9-5 range. Two, in fact. The three-litre TiD V6 engine built by Isuzu, with extra technical input from Saab, is available now. It will be joined early next year by the recently perked-up 2.2-litre TiD from the 9-3.

Saab has been very slow in taking the diesel route with its premium saloon and estate, but, considering the way even the UK market is moving, it would lose hundreds of sales if it stuck with its previous petrol-or-nothing policy.

It hasn't given up on petrol engines, of course, with four turbo designs in the launch catalogue. There's a 150bhp two-litre, a 185bhp 2.3-litre, a 250bhp version of the 2.3 reserved for the Aero, and a 200bhp three-litre V6.

Even the entry-level petrol two-litre with the saloon body and manual transmission is pretty brisk, with a 0-60mph time of nine seconds and a top speed of 134mph.

The latest suspension tweaks, designed to make the 9-5 more sporty, increase its poise and precision on winding roads. It's sometimes thought that the 9-5 is at its best as a long-distance cruiser, but it has always been surprisingly agile on dodge-about cross-country routes, if you really let it rip.

Most Powerful Saab, Ever

Letting it rip is certainly the theme of the latest Aero, with its full-pressure turbo and a 20-second overboost facility. Normally, the 250bhp power output comes with maximum torque of 258lb/ft from 1900rpm. But when you floor the throttle, the Aero has a short-term overtaking surge to 272lb/ft.

It's a good job Saab at last offers an electronic stability programme as an extra-cost option. Even so, and whatever the engineers may say, at times the Aero feels, quite simply, that the front wheels are having to cope with too much power pouring through to the road surface - and that's in the dry.

You get the same 258lb/ft of torque, although from a slightly lower 1800rpm, in the new 176bhp V6 turbo diesel. Since this is essentially an Isuzu design (although if you don't want to get into an argument with the Swedes, better call it an Isuzu-Saab engine, or the other way round), there may be a suspicion that we're talking Trooper here.

Initial start-up of the V6 does little to allay that feeling, but once the engine is up and running, it's shows that it's brand-new. This is a honey of a turbo diesel for low-down and mid-range performance, and it just bullets the 9-5 along on a motorway trip.

There's certainly no feeling, as there is with some of the car's direct rivals, that it could do with a bit more engine capacity. Despite the typically very robust Saab body and chassis structure, the power and torque available take a manual saloon to 60mph in 8.9 seconds, and on to a top speed of 131mph, via the best time for 50-70mph in fifth of any 9-5 except the Aero.

Yet the same car will do 47mpg on the extra-urban fuel cycle, and 38mpg on the combined. Its CO2 emission figure is just under 200g/km.

Not Just Out Of The Box

Saab has used its long-term expertise in engine management systems to fine-tune the V6 to its own finicky requirements, and it doesn't just take the engines out of Isuzu containers and bolt them into place. They're "dressed" at a Saab factory before being installed.

As far as the interiors are concerned, Saab has been making rather a fuss about the new Linear, Arc and Vector model designations. Essentially, though, they're just the 2002 model-year replacements for the Entry, SE and Airflow versions. Inside the cars, the differences are not in cabin layout but in the trim materials used, while each sub-range also has its own road wheel designs.

We'll describe the 9-5 in more detail as cars for extended tests turn up. The basic impression is of solid build quality and the familiar Swedish preoccupation with safety features, linked with fine performance, roomy cabins and top-class purpose-designed estates.

Prices start at £21,395 for the two-litre Linear saloon. The 2.3-litre comes in from £22,595, the splendid V6 TiD from £24,495, the three-litre petrol V6 from £28,495 and the Aero from £27,695. Estate prices run from £22,595 to £29,695.

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