1999-2009 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
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People thought I was crazy. Especially the seasoned auto lovers at work who grew up in a time when the Corvette was King. I enjoyed the car but saw other needs besides my ego not being met the 6 months of ownership and 15,000 miles. It rode like a truck and sounded like one too. Sure it performed really well(12.9 @ 112 MPH in the 1/4 mile) and got upper 20's in fuel economy but my 1988 Chevrolet Beretta(now a winter car) with an aftermarket suspension and new engine was more of a pleasure to drive. At times I would get into the Beretta after driving the Corvette and just enjoy the ease and quick handling of the front driver. I just realized this past summer that the feeling is not the same when getting to the 12 year old Beretta after getting out the 9-5 Aero. The Corvette would like to be man-handled and with the Goodyear Runflats the lateral accleration was poor for a sports car. I did miss it this summer as cruising in a 4-door is nothing like patrolling the streets in a Corvette. I have a Ducati ST4 for that now but I might be interested in a 2-seater Saab. ;)
The 9-5 Aero is no slouch. I never thought I would own another 4-cylinder after V6's and a V8 but the turbine-like smoothness and the quietness and efficency of the inline four in a fine sport sedan is something to experience. I like the subtlety that Saabs present. But pack class leading quality in materials and road manners. I own both a 9-5 Aero sedan and a 9-5 Aero wagon. I was considering a SUV of some sort but could not stomach the lack of braking, power, and effiency of a glorified truck. I recently road in a '99 Jeep Cherokee and just astonished that people are accepting the top of the vehicle to shudder when closing a door with the body-on-frame design. Not for me.
As my sedan racks up the miles(11,000) it is really starting to break-in nicely. At 4500 miles I sent my computer off to Nordic <saabtuning.com> to have it reprogrammed and to install a new exhaust system. This package is most impressive in city and highway driving. Though first and second gears are still torque limited the rest of the gears will set you back into your seat and at highway speeds will leave most cars in your wake. My wagon has about 8000 miles of are all in stock configuration. Though I plan on upgrading it by spring. I have autocrossed both(Saab Owners Convention 9000/9-3/9-5 class champion) and find the stock set up a bit to aggressive when exiting a corner as the stock exhaust system gets boost up too quickly and the front inside tires just lights up. The Nordic III package has more of a linear progress in power and is easier to get the power down. With the mileage on the sedan I am having a difficult time staying below 30 MPG. The wagon is in the 28's. I have not had either car in for defects but the sedan has a bad rear defogger wire that does not work and causes static on the radio. I also have, which has been mentioned on the other 9000/9-5 board, a short whinning sound that seems to come from the A/C on both cars. Unfortunately I cannot repeat them as they only happen peridocially.
I hope we can share our experiences and learn more about this great car!
Just my thoughts...how about yours?
Norm
9-5 Aero
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