9-5 Aero HOT, what to look for?

[spaceship]

I've been having a look at the forums but was wondering if there was anything specific to watch out for on these.

I've read up about the sump drop and stuff. I'm thinking about an auto as fancy some lazy driving but I noticed it appears to be quite a bit slower to 60 than the manual. Is it as big a gap as the figures suggest?

Cheers

[spaceship]

Been doing a bit of reading and am I correct in saying that a pre-02 model is 230bhp?

Also were these not as well spec'd as the later ones?

[y2blade]

I looked into these (and a few other makes/models) a few years ago, I went for the better option

[spaceship]

y2blade said:

I looked into these (and a few other makes/models) a few years ago, I went for the better option

Which was?

Also is the 4-speed auto in the pre-02 models really as bad as some make it out to be, i.e compared to the 5-speed auto?

[WildCards]

The 02 onwards 9-5 Aero got alot of kit as standard that the 98-01 didn't, although you may be lucky and find one with an extensively ticked options list, like mine.

The 98-01 was 230bhp 258lb/ft and the 02>'s had 250bhp, but the general consensus is that the 230's produced about 240bhp and the 250's produced about 255bhp Both cars had the same torque.

Saab 9-5 turning circle is far better than a Volvo 850 or V70 and they tend to have lower mileage than the equivalent Volvo.

Mine is a 2000 manual 9-5 Aero Estate. 0-60 is fairly irrelevant as it'll wheel spin in first easily enough and second aswell if the conditions aren't prime. The 9-5 gearbox is very long and very notchy, if you do alot of driving in traffic, i'd recommend the auto. Personally, I don't see the need for more power, what's it's got seems to be more than enough to overtake safely and make decent, fun progress. I would however look at possibly uprating the suspension and brakes to step thing up a little.

Elkparts, Neo Brothers and Parts for Saabs are three of the main suppliers of standard and performance upgrades

[spaceship]

Cheers for that. Now that i've thought about it, in-gear torque and acceleration is more important to me that 0-60. I'd read somewhere that the 4-speed had a large gap in the ratios compared to the 5-speed.

[WildCards]

Also, a sump drop on an aero is need because of the PCV hoses degrading from the inside out, this leaves tiny beads of rubber underneath the oil pickup in the sump and it eventually gets clogged, resulting in oil starvation. A sump drop is a DIY job or £200ish at a garage apparently, i've recently done mine myself and a new PCV kit will cost you £90, it's very easy to fit despite looking quite daunting.

Plugs, air, fuel & oil filter changing along with oil changing is all very easy to do aswell.

[exgtt]

If you go for the auto make sure it's the 5 speeder, its a lovely unit and really suits the 2.3 turbos punch. When pressing on through the gears the turbo barely comes off boost during gear changes. The 0-60 figure quoted on parkers really is misleading. The auto's are fantastic.

The auto really can compete with the germans. The manual less so. IMO of course!!!

[aeropilot]

exgtt said:

If you go for the auto make sure it's the 5 speeder, its a lovely unit and really suits the 2.3 turbos punch. When pressing on through the gears the turbo barely comes off boost during gear changes. The 0-60 figure quoted on parkers really is misleading. The auto's are fantastic.

The auto really can compete with the germans. The manual less so. IMO of course!!!

+1

When I was looking to get my 9-5 Aero, I was able to test drive a manual and auto back to back....dealer gave me a couple of hours in each. Took the auto out for the 2 hrs and came back for the manual to take out.....and took that back after 15 mins

[BadgerBill]

The 9-5 Aero is not about 0-60, they are quick enough but nothing to write home about. In-gear overtaking and on the m-way is where they shine. If you get the 5-speed auto and put it in manual mode, it will still spin it's wheels in second on the move when you make an aggressive overtake if the road isn't perfect, and that is with nearly new GY F1's on the front. The ultimate corner grip is not fantastic, but then again it is not an Evo and there is always going to be a compromise with 250+ bhp going through the front wheels. But what else is out there that you can buy for the money that can move so much, so safely, so fast and in such comfort?

The current Mrs BB is in love with ours and I must admit it is a great bit of kit to transport the family about in safely whilst being able to make safe fast progress on a-roads, etc when required

BB

PS Avg mpg 27 with mixed mainly urban driving, tyres are ~£120 a corner as they need load rating of 94 or more and reinforced sidewalls.

[supersix]

aeropilot said:

When I was looking to get my 9-5 Aero, I was able to test drive a manual and auto back to back....dealer gave me a couple of hours in each. Took the auto out for the 2 hrs and came back for the manual to take out.....and took that back after 15 mins

Funny, my experience was entirely the opposite

Cheers,
Andy.

[fathomfive]

BadgerBill said:

The 9-5 Aero is not about 0-60, they are quick enough but nothing to write home about. In-gear overtaking and on the m-way is where they shine. If you get the 5-speed auto and put it in manual mode, it will still spin it's wheels in second on the move when you make an aggressive overtake if the road isn't perfect, and that is with nearly new GY F1's on the front. The ultimate corner grip is not fantastic, but then again it is not an Evo and there is always going to be a compromise with 250+ bhp going through the front wheels. But what else is out there that you can buy for the money that can move so much, so safely, so fast and in such comfort?

The current Mrs BB is in love with ours and I must admit it is a great bit of kit to transport the family about in safely whilst being able to make safe fast progress on a-roads, etc when required

BB

PS Avg mpg 27 with mixed mainly urban driving, tyres are ~£120 a corner as they need load rating of 94 or more and reinforced sidewalls.

the 0-60 is more than quick enough for most people. Midrange is where the 9-5 Aero excels. I've got a manual and on a dry, clean road 2nd & 3rd gears from 2500/3000rpm the acceleration is savage. Of course on anything other than a dry, clean road a little caution is needed as that big turbo will unstick the tyres very, very easily. However, only stupidity will result in a scare - I've yet to understeer uncontrollably into the hedgerows of the land as the RWD brigade would have you believe...you just have to be sensible!
What they are are big, heavy but very safe (one of the first with 5-stars weren't they?) cars, which can travel great distances quickly and comfortably. The suspension setup is vastly different to the non-Aero models and they don't suffer from the 'floaty' feeling I've noticed with the SE versions I've had as loan cars from my indy. I believe the Hirsch suspension is an even better setup.
Most of my time - 95% I would say - is spent on the motorway, with an 80-mile roundtrip commute and I'm averaging a smidge under 31mpg at the moment. They can be pretty economical if driven with a little restraint, though I defy anyone not to make use of the turbo at least once per trip
Tyres as mentioned aren't cheap (I figure my fronts are almost due replacement as it is starting to feel a little too lively under acceleration) but as they are 17"s they aren't excessively bad.
Mine seems to run much better on Shell V-Power 99, sounding more aggressive and running a lot amoother than when on 95 or 97 (though it runs happily on both of those, I just don't stretch the engine on 95).
It takes three kids across the back, has a big boot and the heated seats are an absolute boon on those cold mornings. Mine was an ex-demo and as such has all the toys - strangely barring a cd-changer though - it could have for the year including the heated rear seats.

The biggest plus though is the value for money - there is nothing to touch it in that price bracket of similar age / miles / spec / power.

[aeropilot]

fathomfive said:

I believe the Hirsch suspension is an even better setup.

Not cheap.....but worth every penny. The progressive springs and matched damper control means the ride comfort is hugely improved over the standard Aero (even with 40 series tyres on 18" rims) while still giving improved steering response, grip and body roll etc. I also saw a notable increase in tyre life as well

[fathomfive]

aeropilot said:

fathomfive said:

I believe the Hirsch suspension is an even better setup.

Not cheap.....but worth every penny. The progressive springs and matched damper control means the ride comfort is hugely improved over the standard Aero (even with 40 series tyres on 18" rims) while still giving improved steering response, grip and body roll etc. I also saw a notable increase in tyre life as well

Do you have to go for the 18" wheels aswell or would it work equally well on the standard 17"s?

I fancy the suspension changes but not the cost of 18" rubber...

[aeropilot]

fathomfive said:

aeropilot said:

fathomfive said:

I believe the Hirsch suspension is an even better setup.

Not cheap.....but worth every penny. The progressive springs and matched damper control means the ride comfort is hugely improved over the standard Aero (even with 40 series tyres on 18" rims) while still giving improved steering response, grip and body roll etc. I also saw a notable increase in tyre life as well

Do you have to go for the 18" wheels aswell or would it work equally well on the standard 17"s?

I fancy the suspension changes but not the cost of 18" rubber...

Nothing to stop you just fitting the suspension kit, although, the kit was designed to work with the 18" rim and tyres, so I don't know what if any difference it would make by sticking with the 17"...?

[fathomfive]

aeropilot said:

fathomfive said:

aeropilot said:

fathomfive said:

I believe the Hirsch suspension is an even better setup.

Not cheap.....but worth every penny. The progressive springs and matched damper control means the ride comfort is hugely improved over the standard Aero (even with 40 series tyres on 18" rims) while still giving improved steering response, grip and body roll etc. I also saw a notable increase in tyre life as well

Do you have to go for the 18" wheels aswell or would it work equally well on the standard 17"s?

I fancy the suspension changes but not the cost of 18" rubber...

Nothing to stop you just fitting the suspension kit, although, the kit was designed to work with the 18" rim and tyres, so I don't know what if any difference it would make by sticking with the 17"...?

I'll bend the ear of my indy when the car goes in at the end of the month.