1999-2009 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup
So other day I went to have my winter tires mounted...
And as I had some time I had a quick test drive in a 2002
9-5 Aero Wagon with the 5spd Automatic trany.
Interior:
The silver dash looks very sporty but I think that many
will prefer to get optional wood or carbon dashes which
look more premium. The new sport seats are excellent and
offer the same type of support and comfort as the Hirsch
sport seats in my 2000 Aero. But the SAAB seats are a much
better value. The rest of the interior is very much like
in the 200+ models, with a vew little changes here and there
that you will only notice if you look twice. The belt system
has been improved and will enable women and small people to fit
the safety belt in a more comfy way.
Exterior:
The changes are mainly cosmetic, but they do give the 2002
Aero a look which is more SAAB then ever.
New 2002 Aero suspension / noise:
Quite an improvement, tighter but less harsh then the old
Aero layout. New Michelin tires are quiet, overall the car
is less noisy then the older Aero's.
New 2002 Steering:
Better middle feel, better feedback, still too many turns
from lock to lock. Hardly any torque steer due to stiffer
subframe to which the front wishbones are attached. Big
improvement overall. Feels more like driving a 100Hp FWD
car that has near 0 torque steer. Still a little overassisted...
but fine for a powerfull FWD car.
New 2002 Aero engine:
Power was fine accross the power range. Engine a little more
agile above 5000 rpm... otherwise unchanged.
New 2002 5spd Auto trany:
Very big improvement, the 5spd Auto box shifts smooth and quickly
and avoids the huge jump from 3rd to top gear the older models have.
This alone makes for a much more sporty Auto Aero. In my opinion
the 5spd manual is only an option for hard core manual trans freaks.
In most cases people will be better off with this Auto gearbox even
so there is a performance drawback compared to a manual.
New 2002 ESP 'Electronic Stability Control'
Yeah... takes away lots of fun, you can't swing the tail of
the car around tight corners, car is more neutral with a tendency
to turn wide as to avoid oversteer. Unloading the rear does little
but to anoy one... ESP kicks in resolutely to avoid these 90 degrees
swings... Great for housewifes and elderly folks... awfull if you
like to drive beyond G pad figures. Makes countersteer a non occurance.
A safety feature for the less gifted among us. Can't be switched off
fully, only at lower speeds. Sporty drivers will need to modify the
software of the ESP to get around it. Making it std on the Aero is
a further anoyance. But hey... all the Audis, BMWs and Mercedes also
have it so... well now SAAB has the fun killer as well.
Overall a very nice car that will be appreciated more by its buyers
then the older 9-5 Aero models. However sporty drivers will have to spend
extra to kill the nasty ESP feature as to be able to kick that tail around.
I can only recommend the new 2002 Aero, unless you have a previous
model where I could say... keep if you like to dive fast and chip it!
Regards,
Coolknight
posted by 212.77.4...
, Tue, 13 Nov 2001 10:52:49, Mon, 12 Nov 2001 10:04:22, Mon, 12 Nov 2001 16:19:02, Mon, 12 Nov 2001 16:16:08, Mon, 12 Nov 2001 10:03:31
No Site Registration is Required to Post - Site Membership is optional (Member Features List), but helps to keep the site online
for all Saabers. If the site helps you, please consider helping the site by becoming a member.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
