Saab’s 9-5 range aims to show it still has something to offer the discerning executive with these Turbo Edition models. Jonathan Crouch checks them out
Here’s a car for the thoughtful executive. He or she wants a smart badge on something BMW 5 Series-sized but it doesn’t have to be prestigiously German. They want a car that handles well but it doesn’t have to be trackday-ready. They need a model with low depreciation but they’re smart enough to know that a low upfront purchase price can make up for a lot in this regard. And they want a car able to reflect their growingly green credentials. What do they choose? Well how about a Saab 9-5?
The 9-5 slots into a role that can best be described as sub-premium. Positioned above most mainstream marques but below the likes of BMW, Audi and Mercedes, the 9-5’s best hopes are to pick off bit players like the Volvo’s S80 and attempt to take a few chunks out of Jaguar and Lexus’ sales figures. Though this 9-5 has been with us some time now, that still appears to be a realistic target. To aid things in this regard, Saab is using tight pricing, class-leading Bio Power engine alternatives and the option of a spacious estate. It’s also bringing us a range of added value Turbo Edition models.
As with most special editions, the idea is to add in some well chosen extras along with a more attractive price tag. In this case, there are two specifications available – the 9-5 Turbo Edition and the top-of-the range 9-5 Aero Turbo Edition. The 9-5 Turbo Edition is offered with a choice of three engines – the entry-level 150bhp 2.0t, the high power 185bhp 2.3t (which makes rest from sixty in just 7.9s) and the economical 150bhp 1.9 TiD diesel. New standard features include 17 inch, five spoke alloy wheels, leather sport seats heated both front and rear, an electric driver’s seat, and headlight washers. Available in both Saloon and Estate bodystyles and with manual or automatic transmission, prices for the 9-5 Turbo Edition start at around £20,000.
For those in search of really high performance, Saab hope that the 9-5 Aero Turbo Edition is the answer. Offered with the 2.3T (260PS) petrol engine – which goes from 0-60mph in just 6.5 seconds in the Saloon variant with a top speed of 155mph – the Aero model wants for nothing. Extra features include DVD satellite navigation and dual electric seats, to add to normal Aero model features that include performance brakes, Bi-xenon headlights, metallic paint and a ‘sport’ chassis. Also available in both Saloon and Estate bodystyles, and with manual or automatic transmission, prices start from around £25,000.
"It’s distinctive, quietly well engineered and pitched at an honest level to discerning buyers…"
Otherwise, it’s the usual 9-5 recipe. Saab’s persistence with a front-wheel drive layout for an increasingly powerful line of executive cars has in the past limited the 9-5s ultimate power delivery as well as having a mildly corrupting influence on steering feel. This current car, improved back in early 2006, sets out to improve ride quality and agility, although the 9-5 still isn’t a car that you’d fling down a back lane just for the fun of it. Where it has improved significantly is in terms of high speed ride and refinement with many suspension components being subtly finessed to offer the sort of silky ride comfort that some manufacturers seem to view as a throwback but which is hugely relevant for most buyers.
Though the 9-5’s chassis is based on that of a Vauxhall Vectra Estate, Saab have, over the years, fettled this pig’s ear into something that may not feel like a silk purse but comes laudably close. Whereas the original 9-5 model felt quite skittery when you applied the power to the front wheels mid-corner, the current generation car deploys its power a little more cleanly, although the 256bhp generated by the 2.3T Aero model can still have the steering wheel tugging and the traction control working overtime.
Corner it hard and Saab’s reputation for safety intervenes with the improved ABS and ESP skid control combining to quickly put a lid on any slip sliding away. Many would argue that it cuts in somewhat prematurely and they’d have a fair point, although the more lenient system employed by BMW highlights the difference in driver appeal between the two marques. Still, with weight taken out of the subframe and more rigidity built into the current version, this Saab feels lighter on its feet than of old.
In terms of design, you really have to start with that front end, a chromed look that has inevitably divided opinion. This styling is based on Saab’s 9-X concept car and it’s a template upon which the company’s future design direction looks set to follow. It’s certainly not lacking in impact. With the changes a couple of years back, the Swedes did quite a bit of tinkering with the design, with the result that every piece of panelling ahead of the windscreen pillars is new. The rear end has been tidied and modernised with a more streamlined-looking rear valance and bumper assembly.
Drop inside and you’ll be able to tell it’s a Saab even if you’re wearing a blindfold. The cliff-like fascia, the odd combination of super-soft thermoplastics and harder materials more akin to a mainstream car and the key slot on the transmission tunnel mark the 9-5 down as a product that could only have come from Trollhattan. The rather unusual steering wheel design debuted in the 9-3 (not in the Flash Gordon movies as some may suspect) and is actually rather more pleasant to use than its looks would suggest. There are also a number of small detail changes to the instruments and cabin. Overall though, Swedish functionality wins out over total design flair.
Go for the Estate version and you’ll get a decent 416-litre boot that grows to 890 litres with the rear seats folded. Thanks to the sloping rear tailgate, included to avoid the rival Volvo V70's boxy look, that's not quite as much as its Swedish competitor. However, a range of clever design ideas more than compensate. Take the issue of strapping things down – a doddle in this case thanks to a couple of aircraft style aluminium cargo tracks concealed beneath plastic strips in the estate compartment. You simply clip a securing metal eye to one of these and, using spring-loaded straps, secure your load as necessary.
When it comes to cost of ownership, depreciation is this Saab’s only real problem: it’s always going to struggle in this regard when compared to premium German models. However, get the right upfront price and you can factor this out as an issue – or, if you get a particularly good deal, maybe even move ahead of BMW, Mercedes and Audi alternatives in terms of whole life running costs.
Fuel economy can be pretty ruinous if you opt for one of the bigger-engined petrol models and really get the turbo spinning but that apart, most buyers should find their 9-5s pretty controlled in this regard. Opt for the TiD diesel (as most probably will) and you can expect a reasonable 44.1mpg showing on the combined cycle and a CO2 emissions showing of as little as 174g/km. Insurance groups across the 9-5 line-up range between 13 and 15.
Saab know that the 9-5 isn’t going to be a huge seller, but even so, this model is still capable of turning over respectable numbers for the Swedes. It’s distinctive, quietly well engineered and pitched at an honest level to discerning buyers, especially in these Turbo Edition guises. Private customers looking for speed, safety and serenity would do well to check out the 9-5 before buying something tardier and Teutonic.
Facts At A Glance
CAR: Saab 9-5 Turbo Edition range
PRICES: £19,995-£26,450 – on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 14-18
CO2 EMISSIONS: 191-212g/km
PERFORMANCE: [2.3t 4dr] 0-60mph 7.9s / Max Speed 140mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [2.3t 4dr] (urban) 22.1mpg / (extra urban) 42.8mpg / (combined) 31.7mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin airbags, front side airbags, ABS
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height 4810/2040/1450mm