It seems fitting to do a bit of an update on the Snow Silver 9-5 Sportwagon, as it’s been 6 months since our major build happened, and a few thousand miles of pure Saab driving pleasure since. My initial feeling was one of total joy, joy at the way the 9-5 felt again, obviously being stage 5 tuned meant that if felt rather quick, but more than that, it all felt reassuringly honed.
The entire chassis had been tightened up with new drop links, arms and bushes, the suspension upgraded and stance lowered with Bilstein B12s, and the braking also upgraded with a Neo Brothers big brake kit upfront and Saab performance discs and pads on the rear, add the lsd and this had been transformed into an exceptionally capable, fast road wagon with wonderful cornering dynamics.
After transplanting the entire engine set up from the highly modified donor Aero, we’d also aimed to transfer the existing map. However, after meeting Karl from NoobTune, he’d advised dialling it all down a little for drivability, rather than out and out boost. This has proved a wise decision; day to day driving is handled with ease, as is city traffic, but request a bit more excitement and my god, it delivers it and more.
Out on the road, accelerate, and the Turbo needle immediately flies off the dial, a surge of power pulls the wagon in a way you just don’t expect, no hesitation, no lag, just pure torque. The sweet spot is in 3rd and 4th gear and above 3000rpm, under full boost, you can feel the front end lift a little and the Saab does a wonderful job of controlling its urge to drag you left and right, but it’s still a handful, change into 5th and you’re seriously moving along at a rapid pace. Most impressively though, the Saab always feels reassuringly connected to the road, wet and dry, it gives you the confidence to push it more than many other cars I’ve driven.
So far, it’s been without issue, it’s recently flown through an MOT, and has had some interior pampering, the leather has all been cleaned and conditioned, and I’ve fitted another BlueSaab unit, so my entire Spotify playlist can be enjoyed through the Harman Kardon audio, and the air conditioning has been cleaned and re-gassed, so is beautifully cool again.
Although this generation 9-5 isn’t my favourite aesthetically, the Snow Silver Metallic paintwork, and satin grille and light surrounds have quickly endeared themselves to me, the addition of the Turbo X front spoiler, rear roof spoiler and 19” twin spoke alloys have given it the perfect edge, and feels very much OE+. It’s a Saab I’m hugely proud of, and is truly a joy to own and drive.
