Jeremy Clarkson reviews Saab 9-5 HOT Aero and races it against a British Aerospace Sea Harrier FA2 jet fighter. Jeremy claims the 9-5 Aero will outrun a Porsche 911 turbo in 2nd gear 40-70 mph (from 8.10).
One of the only times Saab was ever featured on Top Gear and a pretty good summary of what its like to own a Saab. You can't understand why they're so good until you've driven one.
100% true. ZERO TO 60 MPH is only marketing for awd cars. Mid range acceleration 50-70 mph punch tell us many things. Saab 9000 Aero smoked 5 cars 50-70 mph : Lamborghini Diablo Lotus Esprit BMW M3 Aston Martin DB7 Porsche 928 GTS. Source : Autocar Magazine UK. Volvo 850R smoked 5 cars 50-70 mph : Ferrari Testarossa Ferrari F355 Porsche 911 Turbo Toyota Supra Turbo Nissan Skyline R33 Source : Automovil Magazine Spain. Link : Volvo 850R faster than 2 Ferraris. Link 2 : Saab 9000 Aero as seen from a Diablo. 100% Real 2nd gear test. No matter the opponents. Saab and Volvo had explosive mid range acceleration. Those machines were ready to jump. I am a Mechanic since 1992
Was into Subarus for 25 years (am 52 now, still got 4 of them haha) - and 2 years ago I purchased a '94 855T5 (226HP) and a '02 9-5 aero (250HP). These are machines that were designed and built by engineers, not accountants...
Just checked the MOT on that 95 driven by Jeremy, It’s still alive and well! A 17 year old motor with over a 100k miles and a current MOT! Wonder how many modern cars would survive almost 20 years!
@@terminal-velocity111 shame Gumtree don't archive adverts or I'd send a link. It's running about 440bhp now. Was for sale for around £3500 and yeah they knew it was the top gear car, had some screenshots of it in action on the ad. There's a Facebook group called 'Saab nuts', it's been put on there by the new owner :)
@@terminal-velocity111 I'm saabless at the mo, but probably not for long. Had 8 so far I think, mostly 9-5's. Can't beat them! It looked in pretty good shape for the age, couldn't see any rust etc. Been looked after well by the looks.
I was saving for a BMW 335i with a target of around £8000, but grew tired of my savings being eaten away by general life expenses. So I bought one of these "for now" for £1300 with the aim to trickle save for the BMW. Now I have the Saab I have no interest in saving for another car. I'd rather put my money into the Saab, absolutely love it😍😍
@@medler2110 Great aren't they? I'm not saying if someone offered me a BMW 335i I wouldn't consider it..but apart from the performance it would feel like a downgrade. much less space etc. Plus from what I've seen I could reach some serious power with forged internals and a bigger turbo etc, so then I'll have the performance I desire but with the practicality and comfort. Plus I've always liked cars which aren't too common or "in fashion"
Take care of your Saab, those cars are soon gone because people treat them as any other car. Saabs have a different soul and feel which doesn't really is possible to describe. As an owner to a 2008 9-3, I really do love it and will always do
Wonderful cars, very comfortable, ergonomic, practical (especially in wagon form), and easily tunable to over 300 hp. Plus all those quirky thoughtful details like double sunvisors, cooled glove box, central ignition, eggcrate air vents, vented seats, ticket holder, etc etc etc. It's always difficult to understand the point of Saabs on a short test drive; these are cars that you love after spending some time with them. Nothing better than a Saab for slogging through a narrow 2-lane road at night in poor visibility for a couple hundred miles.
@BigBlockRed must suck being such a diehard fan of other brand you go to comment sections full of people who like them, just to say they're shit. I'll keep enjoying my comfortable ride and great seats thanks.
Who said Saabs were better than Ferraris? I mentioned thoughtful, innovative features, ergonomics, and attention to details more than outright sportiness. FYI, I also own an E46 coupe and a Porsche 996 (both terrific cars to drive) and the 9-5 has plenty of advantages over the two. Can it outhandle them? Of course not. But honestly, if I had to only keep 1 car out of those three, I'd probably choose the Saab. And if you don't "get" Saabs or like them, that's totally fine, everyone's entitled to their opinion and I respect that. But calling it a "crap company" only demonstrates you have a lot to learn about the complexity and intricacies of car engineering, design, and manufacturing. It's not just about how fast you can go around a corner...
@BigBlockRed While I won't disagree with you about the superb handling of BMWs, nor their build quality, I do think you're selling Saabs short. I own a 2005 9-3 Sport Saloon and it puts out 220HP and 360Nm of torque. Despite being FWD, it's an absolute blast to drive and I love it. I think the biggest problem is that people don't push them. I've pushed my car so hard on occasions, I've been able to smell the tyres from inside the car when I park up. On the right tyres, it's incredibly grippy, and can take corners surprisingly quickly; and its power and torque allows it to leave corners pretty fast too. I've no experience with the 9-5, but from what I gather although they're more powerful than a 9-3, the 9-3 has the edge on handling and overall sporty driving. What also needs to be mentioned is their reliability. My car is on 163,000 miles and is still going strong with no major issues whatsoever; I bought it three years ago at 91,000 miles. Now I could go on about how a BMW 3-Series I saw was in for a replacement timing chain after just 60,000 miles; owned by an old man who doesn't take it above 2,500 RPM, but that's a non-issue because BMWs are also reliable, and every car manufacturer has made lemons; Saab is no different.
Having owned saabs for over a decade.....the night panel is such an underrated extra touch of unnecessary class and practical gratification, relaxation, and enjoyment. Once you use it you always want it on every other car you drive.
My dad drove me home from the hospital I was born at in his Saab. As I grew up, his car was a part of my life. I couldn’t stop pushing the button on that cool cup holder and watching it fold in and out. I didn’t know much about cars back then, and I still don’t, but at 27, I sure as hell know they were incredibly unique and were damn well engineered cars.
There's this weird thing about Saabs. If you don't like/understand them, a quick test drive isn't going to change your mind. However, live with a Saab for a few months and you start to get it. They are extremely well engineered and everything is propely designed. You can tell someone actually put their mind to it.
@@lukiux8406 Not really. It's from Isuzu and has problems with cylinder liners sinking. Although I guess any still running have either been fixed or never had that problem to start with.
I drive a saab 9-3 2.0t from 2002, and it's the best car ever made. If you've never driven a saab, it's very hard to imagine the pleasure you get when you drive it.
Clarkson always loved SAAB deep down but was too British to admit it. Especially on camera. Can't wait to head out tomorrow morning in my 300hp '03 9-3 SS. Lol
Good old early days of Top Gear, Clarkson looks really happy here. Like it was the sweet spot, before it went nuts in popularity and the show became a parody of itself
Hey ! As you're swedish and you didn't post your message too long ago, are classic 900s (turbo 16 and turbo 16s), especially convertibles, cheap too ? 'Cause in the rest of europe (personally I'm french), they raised sooo much in value.
@@pierrecolombo4654 Hi, i'd say that theyre cheaper in sweden but i would'nt call them cheap. I bought my Saab 9-5 2005 Vector for 5000sek (ca 480 euros). I'd say that The Saab 900 convertible starts at ca 50 000sek with T8/T16 being more expensive.
@@trolllololololo Hey, thanks for the answer ! Unbeatable price for your 9-5 haha ! So that's less than 5k €, well if you want to laugh a bit then : www.leparking.fr/voiture-occasion/#!/voiture-occasion/Saab-900.html%3Fid_modele%3D3433%26id_energie%3D3%26id_motorisation%3D16%26id_boite%3D2%26slider_millesime%3D1920%7C1993 The worst thing is, that most of them are just 900 S', and a T16 S in good condition is simply unfindable
Beyond doubt the best value used car and a luxo at that. Beautifully and thoughtfully built. Saab is dearly missed and as a Benz owner I really wish they'd make a comeback not as some zombie Chinese electro box. Saab deserved better. Get in a 9-5, 9-3, 9000, OG900 and see for yourself...
As someone who owns not just one but two Saabs I can say that Saab is the nicest all around daily driver you can have. It's comfortable, economical, and luxurious without being flashy enough to draw attention of thieves, vandals, and law enforcement.
Saab was given an Opel Vectra B chassis, but they changed so much stuff that the 9-5 ended up completely different and better than the Vectra B on which was based. Case in point the Vectra B got three stars from the EuroNCAP and the 9-5 got five stars. The 9-5 was longer, wider and much more stiffer than the Vectra B and sure enough this annoyed the heck out of GM executives.
I remember reading about the GM engineers wondering where saab got their sat nav system and the saab engineers said they didn't like the GM one so they built their own
@@Jonjs99 The Saab 900 NG, 1998-2002 9-3 and first gen 9-5 were all based on the GM 2900 platform of the Opel Vectra A (Vauxhall Cavalier Mk3), which served as a base for the Opel Vectra B (1995-2002 Vauxhall Vectra).
On my second Saab now. Although technically third, as i had access to another one. Jezza is right. People don't know what is special about them, until they actually get in a Saab. I wouldn't have anything else now if I am honest. And it will be a real shame when there are no more of them about.
@@tredfxman My old 04' 9-5 does 40HP less than yours, but have 80Nm more. Gotta love sleepers. Btw, nice name. Also look up Boba Golf, I laugh at how insane that car is, truly a monster.
Proud owner of a 2004 Espresso Black Aero, just like the one on the video. It laughs in the face of danger. Phenomenal overtaking acceleration, and hell, beyond that! What a wicked machine. A strong recommendation, an awesome daily. Sophisticated and calm at first glance but a terrifying, sensational experience when you wake the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries turbocharger up. What a masterpiece, by a manufacturer strugglung to survive. SAAB
I drive a 9-3. Love it. It's my second one. I got rear-ended in my last one... able to drive away to a safe place. Nothing other than dented boot under the rear bumper and a "crease" in both rear pillars. All lights perfect. The VW Golf that hit me was literally one giant mess of bits and parts. Morale of the story.... Buy a used SAAB. Nothing safer, nothing more enjoyable to drive, nothing with seats like SAAB. The auto is just divine. Probably the best cars ever. (Dying to try a 900, just to see?) I've had quite a few cars. Never changing from SAAB now
Bought a 2004 Saab 9-5 Aero (manual transmission) as my first car and I'm absolutely in love! She's pretty well taken care of, but some little things need to be fixed (O2 sensor is out, missing the center grill piece, a lot of the panel lighting is out, the shift boot has nothing to keep it in place, wiring to one of the rear lights is out) just little things like that, easy fixes once i have the time and money, But everything about it, all the little quirks, the way she drives. I know it's my first car, but honestly I don't think I'll want anything other than a Saab for my next car, hope to keep this one going for another 100k miles at least.
Before 2010 I was a Citroen driver, hooked on Xantia's, but gave mine to my son, who needed a good motor and bought a Saab 9.5 2.0 T 2004. First impression when driving in the city; unpleasant and bumpy GM (Opel Omega/Vauxhall Vectra) product. Instantly felt sorry for not buying a Citroen C5 instead. Untill I got her on the motorway. A revelation... The last time I felt like that when driving was in 1979 when I had an Alfa Guilia 2000 Berlina, but this was even faster, much more comfortable, quieter and better planted on the road. Drove her ''The Grey Goddess'' for eight years and 70.000 km before swopping her in for a 2009 2.3 T Aero; ''The Beast''.
The SAAB-9000 Aero (1993-1996) was a fullminant cars. The engine-managment was 10-15 forwards to the rest the another cars-manufactorys. The trionic-engine-proxys of the saab was own on the world. A many technic-facts: 2,3l-4 Zyl. , 16 Valve, 350 Newtometer by 1.900 turns, liga, came chain, Mitschubischi -Turbo-ceramic water intercooler, front-loader = 1,1 - 1,6 pressure/Bar, 225 PS/HP, Sprint-Speed, 0-100 hk: 5,9 sec, highest speed in hk: 250 sealed off. Sprit wastage: 8,5-9,5 Liter on 100 kilometer. The security pagets is high-optimal. For a new prise from 46.500 Euro in the year 1993 was the Saab a really cheap care.
They absolutely were great cars in that era. On top of you what you've mentioned, the interior was also great and looked awesome! Practically with the lift back boot and plenty of room for passengers. 9000 was the beginning of the 9-5 Aero 🙂
I bought my first Saab in 1989..driven them ever since..I've had two c900, three 9000cse and currently own 9-5 Areo, which I've had for 13 yrs and will never part with, and a 9-3 estate as my daily drive...
After owning half a dozen NG9-3's, an 89 SPG and an 01 Viggen, there is definitely something very cool about them. Hilariously quick in all instances, with the st1 SPG and st3 Viggen downright brutal. SAAB was awesome
the absolute best value ever in a used car. I have 3, and have had 4 others in the last 10 years. For around $3000 you can drive the daylights out of a 9-5 aero for years with only minimal maintenance. I typical spend about $165 a year in CPSenors, the odd hose, and oil changes (get a new DIcassette with lifetime warranty because every 2 or 3rd time you exceed 130mph you will fry it). A stage1 9-5 aero will beat 75%+ of the vehicles on the highway.
I owned a 03' 95 Aero Turbo, which was probably the most powerful and comfortable car I have ever had - much better than today's Audis and BMW's etc. The interior feels like a spaceship - wide, quiet, and futuristic; leather was real and extremely comfortable; the acoustics was great and the sound system was supreme; acceleration on the motorway was breathtaking - 40-70mph was unbeatable. You feel like driving a fast Tank. Sadly the repair costs were too high from 6-7th tear onwards - rear light fault? £350 bespoke Saab chip; boot can't open? another £400 for a tiny computer chip; frequent engine faults warnings ...... I probably spent £2-3k a year on repairs over the last few years and the engineer blamed the limited numbers and said it really cost more than a Porche. Had to sell it in 2012 because we had only one garage. I might have kept it if we had more parking spaces. You can't find that leather quality these days unless in a RR!
I really miss the Saab brand ,but the Top gear team from that period must bee the best that have ever been made...Thank you for sharing these fantastic clips of the real Top Gear...Great people and great show...please come back
Why saab? Because it's a everlasting funmachine! My 9-5 aero is 20 years old with 265 000km or 165 000 miles and still running perfect and is a lot of fun to drive, and it's a real country-road-machine made for long-driving. I still love it. Sure, it's comes with issues, but 20 year? Which car, that old, with that mileage, doesn't? 😄😄👍👍👍saab will live forever..
The answer to "why do these people buy Saab" is very easy : it was because it was a Saab ! There were cars, and there were Saab... The first car I ever bought was a 900 turbo 16 S-line, it was more than 20 years ago, I never found anything like that car since then.
Saab tech for 10 years now general tech. These cars are very underappreicated. Many records, the 9-5 was also the safest car in the world by 5 different agencies. 9-5 production of 04 so from 04-14ish was highest safety rating streak. It had a perfect score. Cars beat it out as the saftey requirements increased, still a very safe car regardless. The really old saabs a guy known as mr. Saab use to race 99s and roll them on purpose to show the strength of the roof. Then push it over keep driving maybe roll it again. Great marketing back then imo. Or the fact the stig of top gear was another racing legend that use to race saabs. Every saab cost more to produce than it was sold for. The first saab owner to take his car to 1 million miles got a new saab for free from saab and they kept the tradition going.
Throwing a Saab around a racetrack is like going shopping in a tractor. It's trying to do something that it's not designed for. That mid-range punch is what it was designed for and - as the gorilla stated - it does it better than anything else.
Saab 9-5 Turbo or even better the Aero 2.3L 4Cyl. B235R engines are HOT high performance and you can redline each gear for about 7.4 seconds to really push the engine as none of these driving tests we see don't even attempt to do them and see what the true time is from 0 - 60 or the quarter mile? The B235R has so much potential for tuning and performance in various stages to maximize horsepower turbo and having the fun and exhilarating driving experience! Even its older models being the 900 Turbo and Aero/SPG and 9000 series have the potential to its newer cousins!
Under steer like a 70’s - 80’s Audi Saloon , after visiting the Dentist in 2010 I bought a 93 , superb car, the far far better than its humble Vectra underpinnings , RIP SAAB
Im a Sea Captain, and Had my first Saab 2003, I love the car, I had Audi, Oldsmobiles Volvos, and just 3 months ago, I found a 9-3 Sport Combi 1.8t linear, got it from an old lady who passed away. Its like new in and outside, its a 2011. I have done a sandblaster underneath, and its painted with 2 comp Zink paint, plus wax and oil, and its tuned up from 150hk, to 200hk gasoline. Today its also treated by cheramic pro, to conserve the paint. Today 2023, I have a laugh at Audis, Mercedes, and wolkswagen, my car are faster then the most of the others, and its still looks more modern than most of the other cars. So dont talk shit about the best car ever made!!!
I have a stage 1 Saab 95 aero brilliant car fast, solid and comfortable and has 280 bhp all for 2k pounds, get me another car with the same spec and Performance for the money? You’ll Never find one
@@trancebass2741 nah man, you can get decent ones for £2.5k - £3k mark now. They are so cheap for what you get and the value of them are still going down! (Much to my dismay). LSD as standard too. The 6 mps's have AWD, and there's a very active group of enthusiasts/modified community. The worst thing is the tax though, unless you get a 2006 model 6 it's the highest tax bracket! £540 a bloody year. Very cheap insurance balances it out though
P T hmmm I may have to start looking again then lol I fancy another weekend toy the Saab is so comfy though, yeah I have an 06 Saab 95 tax is 550 it’s disgusting but I pay it, anything I should look out for on the mazdas? Any common issues ? Thanks
@@trancebass2741 They're great cars, very underrated like the Saab. Not many people know what they are. Common issues are: -Make sure timing chain and vvt has been changed, these are prone to fail on these because they have a poor OEM tensioner. You can check for a bad timing chain on cold start up if you hear a loud rattle. -K04 Turbo seals don't hold up too well if oil isn't changed regularly, if there is smoke when car is idling then it's likely the turbo seals. -Also make sure they don't have a generic remap from some random tuning company. You can't just "up the boost" on these, you need to upgrade the high pressure fuel pump internals first to prevent zoom zoom boom as the stock can't produce enough pressure. There are plenty of reputable tuners from the states that you send your logs to (using an access port or versa tuner) and they send back a customised tune. Other than that they're pretty solid cars, granted the oil is changed frequently. If you're interested to learn more, you should join the MPS OC on facebook or the forums. God I feel like a car salesman haha
I bought a 2001 2.3t with 185 horsepower and an automatic transmission - so it won't eat Porsches (not that I'd want to…). It's pretty thirsty in town and the suspension drily passes on short bumps to the driver at low speeds. It has some small niggles (computer display has pixel faults, the ABS control unit is on its way out and something seems to go wrong with the A/C Control - which may cost around 1,000 € to have fixed by my tame mechanic) but it's been reliable, it's well equipped, I got it cheaply a year after the company went bankrupt - and it doesn't rust or age badly. Look at the W210 chassis Mercedes built at that time rotting away now - and the Audi A6 and BMW 5-Series of that vintage are really showing their age - whereas the SAAB looks timeless. Looking at today's offers of low mileage 9-5s, mine has hardly depreciated which makes driving it a bargain despite the repairs and fuel needed - so I'm a happy camper.
@@Financmajster You're right. But in Germany, everyone knows pretty exactly how old these are now whereas a Saab is always a bit of a wild card - partly because the models were produced very long, partly because it's a bit of an exotic brand...
I had a 2006 SAAB. Fast but the electric system was terrible. It cascaded with electric system failures. Replacement parts were sparse and expensive. The ride was mediocre. In the end, I gladly gave it away. Current owner parked it after a week and hasn't touched it since.
@@vinb3032 mines 54 reg and obviously they're different cars as they're 2 different models. Jus be good to see how the mid range compares on the motorways or A roads ..
I've got a 9-5 2.3T wagon and a 9-3 2.0t NG convertible with a stage 1 Noobtune map (=2.0 Aero power). My feeling is that the 9-5 will simply eat the 9-3 around motorway speeds. It's the torque, I guess. But on the back roads it's a different story!
@@tonyfisk8081 i do love the 9-5 areos tbf just a bit big for what i need plus the tax is steeper too aint it .. dont know if would eat the 9-3 though mid range would be closer than you think i reckon
@@Has7DCT mine is a 2.2 liter turbo diesel I haven't got much time driving it cuz i don't have a licence yet but in my thought the seats are comfy as f and reliability I'm not pretty sure yet mine has a few problems but I'm fixing them
This is a joke, right? Audis are consistently towards the bottom of customer satisfaction surveys in most markets, and poor reliability is the major reason why. They are not well built at all.
@@themancuniancandidate2744 Do you have one? From my experience, the only thing to break has been the fuel door release, so definitely reliable. They are well built too. I'd be curious as to why you think they aren't.
@@tidierpenny I had an A4 turbodiesel, 2008 model. It was a company car, so it didn't cost me a bean every time it went wrong, but in the 2 years I had it (it was 6 months old when I acquired it), it needed an AC compressor, an airbag recall, a turbo, a driver's seat motor, and the less said about the fecking alarm system the better. Also, Audi are consistently low scoring in JD Power surveys, and here in Australia VW Audi products consistently score low in customer satisfaction ratings
Would not have bought anything else but my SAAB 9-3 if I had to choose again. It is my good reliable, strong and agile buddy. Just love the brand, even though it is defunct.
Even if he liked it, wasn't brave enough to say that directly. But if he thought it was bad, I'm sure he would've clearly point that out with his colourful vocabulary. That's a similar reasons why people pay more and get a Merc, BMW or an Audi instead of a Saab (pre 2007 parallel year models) imo
@Dan Tallsten really ? bilstien B12, 314mm front brake upgrade, noobtune, will outperform more expensive cars for very little extra outlay after purchasing the car, they (saab 9-5 B235) are ten years old, with a few modern upgrades they are far far better than the modern boxes on sale now
Well it's not a track car, it was built to be safe. I'm sure if The Stig would have taken a couple more laps it would have been higher up the charts. His run did NOT look smooth.