[ckolsen]

At the urging of a friend who likes Saabs I drove the new Viggen, a 4 door black one.
- Can be bought for probably $31,000
- Looks sharp inside & out, clutch and shifter were ok, not bad.
- Put your hand on the shifter, and you can feel the engine moving around or something. VERY WEIRD!!
- Very stiff, like an M3, only doesn't feel very solid, and doesn't handle that well. Sometimes there are quirks in cornering that are disturbing at high speed.
- Feels very rattley, not well built, felt like a 4 year old car, but was brand new.
- Turbo sounds great, like a fighter jet when cruising, but on-off power is hard to get used to, and when you shift, the sound goes away suddenly, very weird sounding.
- I didn't find it that much fun to drive, and feels cheap and uncomfortable, though seats are great. No wonder it's so unpopular.

 

[geoff]

in my area i see tons of saab 9.5s -- mostly aero. r those supposed to be fast or something? they still look like mechanical vomit.

 

[Daniel]

I guess now I am glad that I didn't consider buying the new Saab.
BTW, turbo always have that on-off power feel and if you are driving stick, the turbo sound does disappear when you shift because of the drop in boost. Takes a while to get used to a turbo car because of its power range.

 

[viggen]

The reason why you see so many saabs in Farmington Hills is because GM owns Saab and so a lot of GM employees drive them. As for your question as to whether the 9-5 Aero is fast, it does 0-60 in just under 7 with the manual. I personally don't like the styling of the 9-5 - it looks too much like a Saturn LS.

Originally posted by geoff:
in my area i see tons of saab 9.5s -- mostly aero. r those supposed to be fast or something? they still look like mechanical vomit.

 

[indy]

Thats funny that you dont hear the Turbo whistle anymoe...
Considering how most turbo's work, it takes time to build up pressure, and the pressure shouldnt drop "that" fast when you shift.
My friend has an Audi and when he shifts the Turbo Gauge stays enagaged because it hasnt had time to depressure yet.
I used to have a Saab Turbo 900 myself but I do not remember if the whistle disappeared on shifts...


Indy

 

[ckolsen]

I'm not sure it's the whistle that disappears, but it gets quiet. And what's with the engine rocking around - if that's what you feel through the shifter if you rest your hand on it. Push forward a little on the shifter while it's in gear, and it makes a nasty grinding sound! What a POS! Saab 9-5 feels much better built, it's just not much fun.

Originally posted by indy:
Thats funny that you dont hear the Turbo whistle anymoe...
Considering how most turbo's work, it takes time to build up pressure, and the pressure shouldnt drop "that" fast when you shift.
My friend has an Audi and when he shifts the Turbo Gauge stays enagaged because it hasnt had time to depressure yet.
I used to have a Saab Turbo 900 myself but I do not remember if the whistle disappeared on shifts...


Indy

 

[geoff]

Originally posted by indy:
Thats funny that you dont hear the Turbo whistle anymoe...
Considering how most turbo's work, it takes time to build up pressure, and the pressure shouldnt drop "that" fast when you shift.
My friend has an Audi and when he shifts the Turbo Gauge stays enagaged because it hasnt had time to depressure yet.
I used to have a Saab Turbo 900 myself but I do not remember if the whistle disappeared on shifts...


Indy

indy, those are small-bore turbos...they don't lag nearly as much, but they don't provide much ATMs in boost, either

my porsche 951 has a massive, aftermarket, RUF-built turbo on it, and it takes a long time to spool -- most cars will jump me off the light. but when she's wound up, she GOES. u have to get used to driving with boost lag...it took me a while, but now I know how to keep the car in the powerband.