Saab 9000 Aero: Catch it while you can

Fast FWD execs are deeply out of fashion, and few epitomise the breed better than a Saab 9000 Aero

Getting a dressing down from mild-mannered super-driver Mark Hales doesn't happen often, but when it does it tends to linger. We were on the wind-down, following a day's driver tuition at Anglesey, and over wine and cheese, I'd just been explaining what it was about my front-wheel drive Abbott-tuned Saab 9000 Aero that made it so exciting. To say that he was unimpressed was a huge understatement.

Three-spoke wheels still looking great

Okay, so it was more of a playful 'are you mad', and I had just told him I'd decided on my Aero over an E34-generation BMW M5, but you get the picture. Not all car purchases are logical, and neither should they be. Point is, the things I loved about my 9000 Aero were what good drivers will tell you are wrong about fast front-drivers. The torque steer, wheelspin and corrupted steering are issues, and yet, they're what made this car feel most alive when the huge Mitsubishi TD04HL was boosting.

This is definitely a 'catch it while you can' kind of car, right now, and perhaps it's even moving on to the endangered species list. At the last count, there were 263 examples, taxed and on the road, in the UK, and numbers are still dropping, as owners of shabbier examples are cashing them in, and realising their worth as a rolling parts supply.

And that's a shame because as performance hatches go, this large Swede still has rather a lot going in its favour. It weighs 1,460kg, and comes with 229hp as standard, which might not sound a great deal, but the way its 258lb ft is delivered makes this a deceptively quick. Devastatingly so in the mid-range. Maybe that's why, after owning three of the things, and spending a small fortune making them go faster, I still catch myself looking for another.

It does straight and fast very well actually

I'll get the negatives out of the way first, of which there are a few. Even the youngest examples out there are 15 years old, and unless you're looking at some kind of miracle, the passing of 100,000 miles will be a distant memory. It was better made than the Croma/Thema/164 it shared its platform and many parts with, but the body is far from rigid, and the combination of miles, torque, stiff suspension, and poor roads will have taken their toll.

They rust around the edges, most alarmingly in the windscreen surround, and the gearboxes are weak (unless you go for an auto, in which case, it's an Aero in name only), while for most normally-proportioned owners, the driving position is strangely odd. But get a good one, and you'll be rewarded by a performance car with a very different blend of qualities that can prove addictive.

Even before you're off, and you're past the dated styling (although Saab 9000s are one of a select few cars that looks cool on three-spoke alloys), the interior is a rare treat. Genuine Aeros have fully enveloping seats, which are amazingly shaped, and a slab-like dashboard that marketing people will tell you was designed to resemble an aircraft cockpit. It looks good, inviting, and very business-like.

Keith has plenty of personal experience here

Start it up, and there's an undistinguished hum at idle, which reflects what it's like when, you're up and running - very rarely are you made aware of the engine, especially when cruising at high speed. It's not a screamer - the long-stroke design sees to that - and most of the time, even when working hard, the soft-edged engine note is usually overshadowed by the various whoosh and gushes from the turbo. And all those dynamic foibles? Only if you take it by the scruff of the neck on B-roads - but in truth, this car's about going fast in a straight line over long distances.

But where the Saab proves to be an absolute blinder is its way of making other cars move backwards very quickly. From 50mph, floor a well set-up Aero in third, fourth or even fifth, and the immense torque and old school turbo boost will leave you chuckling. Overtaking in even the smallest of opportunities becomes a breeze. I have many happy memories of mine - surprising many, many fast cars on the Autobahn, out-dragging a Volvo T5R on a very long-uphill run, driving from one of Europe to the other without effort.

This was one of three in fact!

It's perhaps not one of the most obviously PH of cars, but it's a breed the likes of which we don't really see now - understated, refined and effective. Buying one now is getting difficult, thanks to thinning numbers, and good ones remaining in loving hands. A search on PH is now a regular of mine, but - and I'm being controversial here - for what is the best fast Swede of its time, it's worth making the effort. The £500 scrotters have gone now, leaving us the nice £2,000-£4,000 ones, many of which have been tuned, so you do need to ensure they've been done properly.

But buy right, accept its foibles, revel in its strengths, and I promise you won't be disappointed.

[Source: howmanyleft]