Saab 9-5 Aero Estate

[Matt Cyclone]

Mr E said:

I don't even want an amg 350.

17" wheels, soft springs and 600Nm of twist.

So - if you want that, get the Aero Estate, spend a few bob on getting a stage 3 tune and put some softer springs on it! Might not quite make 600Nm but wouldn't be a million miles off!

Much cheaper than buying a Merc!

[petrolveins]

Update for you all!

I decided to go ahead and order 4 new tyres, took a little gamble and went for the new Uniroyal Rainsport 3s, very little in the way of reviews out there, but seeing as the Rainsport 2s had excellent reviews I decided to go for it. Got them for £290 delivered from Camskill, then had them fitted at work today. Only driven home for 4 miles on them and already they feel a lot better than the old mish mash of tyres. I've kept the good michelin off the car as a spare. Will report on how I get on with them, will also try to keep you updated from my Irish road trip which I'm embarking on the 14th for. I also decided to not go for the remap. Would rather the extra fuel money for Ireland, and also don't want to feel like a downgrade in power to the 252bhp E350 I'm getting in March.

[Andy665]

petrolveins said:

Update for you all!

I decided to go ahead and order 4 new tyres, took a little gamble and went for the new Uniroyal Rainsport 3s, very little in the way of reviews out there, but seeing as the Rainsport 2s had excellent reviews I decided to go for it. Got them for £290 delivered from Camskill, then had them fitted at work today. Only driven home for 4 miles on them and already they feel a lot better than the old mish mash of tyres. I've kept the good michelin off the car as a spare. Will report on how I get on with them, will also try to keep you updated from my Irish road trip which I'm embarking on the 14th for. I also decided to not go for the remap. Would rather the extra fuel money for Ireland, and also don't want to feel like a downgrade in power to the 252bhp E350 I'm getting in March.

Also ordered Rainsport 3s for my newly acquired Aero last week - fitted to my brand new OE 18" rims that I acquired for a very good price - current tyres are mixture of ditchfinders, car is scary in the cold / damp

[petrolveins]

Andy665 said:

Also ordered Rainsport 3s for my newly acquired Aero last week - fitted to my brand new OE 18" rims that I acquired for a very good price - current tyres are mixture of ditchfinders, car is scary in the cold / damp

I greatly enjoyed my last journey on the old tyres, off a roundabout down a dual carriageway I managed to keep the inside wheel smoking for a good 100m or so. Biiiig cloud of smoke.
So different to my last car, bit this one makes me chuckle out loud like the BMW never did.

[griffin dai]

You won't be disappointed with the Rainsport 3's. They're fantastic on my 9-3
I've had them fitted a few weeks now, they're coping really well. Haven't broke traction at all in the wet and give tons of grip in the dry. Well worth it!

[petrolveins]

Well... a tyre update already. I now have one Rainsport 3 with a hole the size of my finger in the sidewall. Can't believe it, one bloody day on the car, not even 24 hours on there. Absolutley fuming, tyre wall does feel very soft I must say, not blaming the tyre though. The that was overtaking a bike on a blind corner is who I blame. I had no choice than to drop a wheel off the side off the road into what looked just like soft grass/mud, then bang, burst tyre. Had to change it at the side of a very narrow fast road, in the mud. The driving the Corsa is going to die. I want the money for my tyre and I want their licence revoked. Fuming is an understatement right now.

[steveeeW]

Sorry to hear about the idiot in the Corsa!
I am very interested in these at the moment, although the saloon. I am 22, but have a 10 month old daughter, so looking for something with a lot more fun than my current Civic, for not much money at all. My commute is only 8 mile round trip and we are planning a holiday to France next year, driving ofc and at this moment in time, this is the only car that does it for me!

[Stedman]

petrolveins said:

...but this one makes me chuckle out loud like the BMW never did.

Ah you see, you get it now :nod:

[petrolveins]

Photo time!

Been down to see my mates in Brighton, and with a new camera I got last week, a chance to photo the car. This one I think for something pretty much straight out the camera is pretty good. The second photo was after about an hour of exploring the back roads. Dirty cars are my favourite things.


Saab 9-5 Aero Estate by tlynchie, on Flickr


Saab 9-5 Aero Estate by tlynchie, on Flickr

[DanielJames]

Pics look even better now they're on Flickr Tom

[petrolveins]

DanielJames said:

Pics look even better now they're on Flickr Tom

Cheers mate, seriously impressed with the jump in quality from my old Canon to this one.

[petrolveins]

Yay! Finally back on 4 Rainsport Tyres. I have to say for a 94 load rating I am concerned at how soft the tyre walls are. While they have excellent wet grip I am very concerned about another puncture next week on the Irish roads.

[anonymous-user]

Looks good. Nice work.

[Clivey]

Normally I don't like FWD, especially in larger cars…but these things actually seem like a laugh. - There's something just a little bit outrageous about sending an absolute boat load of power and torque to the front wheels…as this video (containing another powerful FWD Swede saloon) shows!

[petrolveins]

Clivey said:

Normally I don't like FWD, especially in larger cars…but these things actually seem like a laugh. - There's something just a little bit outrageous about sending an absolute boat load of power and torque to the front wheels…as this video (containing another powerful FWD Swede saloon) shows!

They are a laugh. I mentioned before this car has me laughing out loud at times, BMW never did that. It's become more gentlemanly after the new tyres, but on the worn ones before it would spin up 3rd in the damp. Smoke 2nd everywhere, and accelerating hard along anything other than a flat road the steering would be tugging left and right, proper handful! I still love on the motorway at 70, dropping to third, flooring it, there's a moments hesitation then whoosh, it picks up and will fly upto silly numbers very quickly indeed. Feels quicker than the 330i, but the 330i had a very linear power delivery. Which i must admit at this point I am missing the BMW and just how awesome it felt to drive.

[Clivey]

petrolveins said:

They are a laugh. I mentioned before this car has me laughing out loud at times, BMW never did that. It's become more gentlemanly after the new tyres, but on the worn ones before it would spin up 3rd in the damp. Smoke 2nd everywhere, and accelerating hard along anything other than a flat road the steering would be tugging left and right, proper handful! I still love on the motorway at 70, dropping to third, flooring it, there's a moments hesitation then whoosh, it picks up and will fly upto silly numbers very quickly indeed. Feels quicker than the 330i, but the 330i had a very linear power delivery. Which i must admit at this point I am missing the BMW and just how awesome it felt to drive.

I'm not surprised to hear that they feel very different. - Even my lowly 320i's 2.2 has that silky smooth power delivery and even though it's the baby of the BMW 6-pots, you still get that feeling of the power building as the revs climb and the noise, for a "normal" car is fantastic…plus I love the balanced handling the RWD chassis gives you. After moving to RWD, I wouldn't want FWD again in anything larger than a Focus-sized car…but here's where the Saab's different: It has enough character to make me consider one if I were in the same position as you (needing a cheap(er) winter car etc.).

[Mr E]

I'm almost 2 years in. I'm still not bored of overboost in 3rd gear.

[petrolveins]

I'm halfway through my trip to Ireland and I've got some photos for you all! Took the ferry from Clare to Kerry and had a good explore, never been there before, and my God, I was blown away by how stunning it was. Picked the only day it hasn't rained all week, but my gosh was it windy, photos were all rushed, suprised any are sharp as I could barely stand up at times. Although the bonus was no summer tourist traffic. On the Slea Head loop I met 3 cars in over an hour. Car has been great, roads are a lot better than previous years, so good in fact I spent a lot of time missing the much lower and stiffer BMW. For comfort though the Saab has been unmatched. Overtaking is a breeze too. Dare I say in the past few days I've not seen a faster car anywhere I've been

Without further a do... photo time...


Saab in Ireland by tlynchie, on Flickr


Saab in Ireland by tlynchie, on Flickr


Saab in Ireland by tlynchie, on Flickr


Saab in Ireland by tlynchie, on Flickr


Saab in Ireland by tlynchie, on Flickr


Saab in Ireland by tlynchie, on Flickr


Saab in Ireland by tlynchie, on Flickr


Saab in Ireland by tlynchie, on Flickr


Saab in Ireland by tlynchie, on Flickr

There's a few more in that Set on Flickr to see too, and I'll be adding as the trip goes on. Hope you like em.

[petrolveins]

Forgot to update after my trip!

Saab was awesome, effortless for overtaking and blitzing straight roads. May have been in a hurry for my ferry early Sunday morning, and might have crossed Ireland, Coast to Coast in 3 hours

However, is a little over a month too short a time to keep a car? In my week in Ireland I feel like I've explored everything the car has got to give. Didn't realise how much I would miss handling

Before my company car arrives in March I really want to try something else!

[-crookedtail-]

Enjoyed reading that mate, it would seem almost a perfect car for such a trip, comfy and fast if lacking a little handling finesse!

In regards to selling and moving on, I'm sure you'll get what you paid for it all day long so nothing ventured and a whole lot gained!

So any ideas what you would like to try out for a few months before the company motor arrives?