Auto Trader

Model tested: Saab 9-5 Vector Sport 2.0t Biopower Estate
Price: £30,312
Insurance group: 14E
Tested: December 2006
Road tester: Keith Collantine

Auto Trader Ten Point Test rating: 77%

The current generation of Saab 9-5s has been plodding around for years longer than its rivals and the range is badly in need of some new blood.

But that doesn’t it isn’t compelling. This bioethanol-ready model is a fine example. It can run on regular unleaded or bioethanol E85, which comes from renewable agricultural sources.

Does the latest 9-5 have anything going for it besides its green credentials?

Read on for our verdict on the Saab 9-5 Biopower Estate, or click the links below to skip to a section.

Looks | Looks Inside | Practicality | Ride and Handling | Performance
Running Costs | Reliability | Safety | Equipment | X-Factor | Rivals

1. Looks
Saab gave the 9-5 a controversial facelift last year, picking out the headlamps in strips of eye-catching chrome. There aren’t many people who think it looks anything less than awful, but you can mitigate the impact by picking a paint scheme it doesn’t clash with too badly.

It’s a shame that the only distinctive feature is such a negative one, because the rest of the car is fine, if a little dated.

5/10

2. Looks inside
The interior is much better with clear and organised controls. But it would be nice to have more of them within easy reach of the steering wheel, if not actually mounted on it.

Leather trim gives the gear stick and hand brake arrangement a quality feel, as do the semi-metallic backgrounds around the instrumentation. In the back, leg room is decent and the seats are very supportive.

There are a few oddities to the layout, however. The ignition switch mounted next to the gear lever is unintuitive – as is the practice of having to put the car in reverse to start it. That takes some getting used to.

8/10

3. Practicality
The estate model has tons of storage space to begin with, and if you need more, you can fold the back seats down.

You’re not confined to using only bioethanol fuel - if there’s none available you can put standard unleaded in and it will carry on as normal with no hassle at all. Living with a ‘green’ car has never been so easy.

10/10

4. Ride and Handling
The dynamics are very good, but up against the likes of the BMW 3 Series they need to be better.

The driving experience is compromised by the extra bulk of the estate boot compared to the standard 9-5. The grippy front end turns in happily but the car hesitates as the weight transfers from corner to corner.

If you like a softer ride then this is an excellent choice – very comfortable and cosseting – but it’s not a car you grab by the scruff of the neck and drive for the sheer pleasure of it.

8/10

5. Performance
Our 2.0-litre turbo engine gave 150bhp and seemed to drag the car somewhat lazily up to top speed, taking 8.5s to do 0-60mph.

Cruising along the motorway it hummed along smoothly and quietly, but around the country roads a little extra grunt for hills and overtaking would have been useful.

Its undramatic performance is nothing to do with the fact that it runs on bioethanol – in fact, with bioethanol in the tank to get 20% more power, which is most welcome.

7/10

6. Running Costs
Opting for the bioethanol engine adds £590 to the on-the-road price. Whether or not you might recoup that depends on how generous the government feels towards bioethanol fuel over the forthcoming years.

Combined fuel efficiency is 31.4mpg with the manual but a surprisingly poor 26.6 with an automatic box. The auto also pushes CO2 output per km up from 214g to 251g – all of which makes a solid case for the manual version.

7/10

 

7. Reliability
The 9-5 may be long in the tooth but at least its age ensures reliability. The car is as solid, sturdy and dependable as anything else in its class.

8/10

8. Safety
Saab are one of the manufacturers that instantly spring to mind when you think of safe cars.

Sure enough, the 9-5 achieved five stars in the EuroNCAP tests. You get active head rests in the front to reduce the effects of whiplash in a rear-end impact, front and side airbags but, surprisingly, no curtain bags.

9/10

9. Equipment
Our test car came loaded with such treats as the Convenience Pack (Auto-dimming mirrors, folding mirrors, rain-sensitive wipers, £375), Luxury Pack (electric heated front seats, £1,100) and the top-of-the-range audio system including satellite navigation (£2,555).

Of these I could happily have lived without the Convenience Pack, especially as I found myself locked in a vicious battle with the over-sensitive windscreen wipers. Ditto the Luxury Pack.

But the satellite navigation, though pricey, was one of the best I’ve ever used with a clear, intuitive touch-screen system. My only gripe was the nannying way it refused to operate while the car was moving. Obviously this is to stop people fiddling with it while driving – but what if it’s the passenger pressing the buttons?

9/10

10. X-Factor
Clearly the distinguishing feature of this Saab is that you can run it on bioethanol. Of course, there’s little compelling reason to do that at the moment besides your conscience – the government are not offering the kind of financial incentives to bioethanol drivers that they are to those with hybrids.

There’s also the problem of where to get bioethanol from. Our press pack may have extolled supermarket Morrisons’ commitment to opening bioethanol pumps, but when I stopped at their Eccles branch there were none to be found.

It’s a decent car, if not up to the same standard as its class rivals. But for the ethically-minded this is a fine choice of vehicle.

8/10

Rivals:

Ford Focus FFV
Volvo V70

Skoda Octavia Estate

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