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I few weeks ago, I was at the dealer's and they commented that they had not gotten 2002 9-5 aeros yet. I had seen several 2002 9-5's around and was discussing that with the dealer.
I got this thing in the mail from Saab that they'd give me a $20 gift certificate to barne's and noble (or one of those bookstore chains starting with a B) if I test drove a new Saab. Saab wants to me still be a customer after my lease ends. So I went over to the dealership in my Viggen. I don't intend to trade my Viggen in. They had a couple of dark gray 9-5 aero sedans in. Schwing!
A friend and I took one for a test drive. The only way to really tell it is an aero is that it says aero on the right hand side of the trunk/boot where most of the 9-5's say 9-5. The exhaust is normal stealth looking. No aero labels ahead of the door. Obviously big wheels and tires, but the wheels are a little more conservative looking and less showy than the 2000 and 2001 9-5 aeros. 225/45/17's just like prior years. They built a real sleaper.
Good news - inside, it has better seats the earlier 9-5 aeros. They are almost like Viggen seats, but not quite. The shifter has a nice leather top to it. This one had a metal dash which was very sweet and aeronautically inspired. It brakes as well as the Viggen - a big rush of blood to the head while it stops very quickly. It rides very well, not as firm as a Viggen, and not as soft as a normal 9-3 or 9-5. The clutch is super light. It requires almost no effort to push down and has very little resistance - something I had to get used to after driving around my 88 900t all winter. Acceleration was as well as expected. Boost needle went about 1/8" into the red, which is psychologically more feel-good than the Viggen which boosts to the edge of the red, but not into it at full boost. Both are probably similar in power - more than adequate to get into trouble real quick. I do think that the average Viggen driver will probably get more out of their car than the average 9-5 aero driver simply due to the Viggen Flight academy experience, even though the power is very similar.
Back seat room is very roomy in the aero compared to the Viggen, which may be a consideration for many. I like my Viggen coupe, but many more people prefer more doors.
The 2002 9-5 aero was priced a tad over US$40k. It was very nice and I highly recommend it to those who can afford it. I will be keeping my blue viggen because I love the color and it's still almost new even though it's nearing three years old. I also don't really want to be one of these people getting a new car every three years. After returning to the dealership, They gave me a card to sign up for a European vacation drawing on the web. It was a good visit to the dealers that day.
-Jason Philbrook
posted by 10.0...
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