I have a 2002 9-5 Aero with a few little tweaks. -Full 3" Krona exhaust -do88 intercooler & hoses -Krona intake kit -Custom tune running approx 305bhp/325lb ft It looks completely stock, until I floor it. The mid-rage is so unbelievable that we've nicknamed it the Millennium Falcon, because it has the same hyperspace ability. What a car.
Thanks for the welcome! A little history of myself. I used to work at a Saturn SAAB Isuzu dealership. I was part of the original team who brainstormed, planned and executed the first and so far only SAAB owners convention to be held in Toronto Ontario Canada. This is also my second SAAB (had my last one for 5 hard driving years). I've also been a commercial automotive photographer for both a small contract company as well as AutoTRADER. Of all the vehicles I've driven (too many to mention) I have to agree. Nothing drives like a SAAB.
Nothing else can drive like them. I’ve a 07 Aero estate. It’s tuned to a stage 3. There’s few cars that can keep up. I’m fearful when one day I need to replace her 😂
That Saab 95 has tons of other features that are not seen to the naked eye but rather built into the car It's loaded with safety features as well that are not available on other cars 👌
Just bought my first Saab. 2004 ARC 2.3 turbo 118K miles, mint condition, garage kept, all maintenance records. Under $2500. Wife LOVES her "new" car..
I have this exact car except its manual and a wagon, Im absolutely in love with it and cant see myself ever replacing it with anything but another 9-5 Aero. the 2005 model is also the most beautiful of all the 9-5 OG models imo.
Great review, really underrated cars, I have a 2007 9-5 Aero SportCombi myself and it's still better to drive and more comfortable than most new cars I've driven. Don't ever plan on selling it.
Thanks for the feedback and compliment!Actually, I do mention the glove box at 14:55 lol. I'm not planning at getting rid of mine either. I used to work at AutoTRADER and have driven many cars but they all lacked Character or Soul which Saab bakes into every car. One thing I didn't mention in the video was the radiation/UV and ambient light sensors that auto adjust the brightness of the displays. Guess I'll have to make another video!
yes they do feel more solid than most newer cars. alot of people just don't understand Saabs. I didn't start to get them til my 2nd 9-5.but they are great package. I'm on my 3rd now, Saabs are the only cars I'd buy
So sad these were unappreciated new. Yes a 2005 Merc (I have one & an 09 9-5) - ok the 'older' Merc in my drive feels decades more advanced. But there is something special about the Saab. Everything's so solid. I agree the fogs are annoyingly behind the wheel. The steering wheel buttons don't illuminate....but the car drives so safely and for the most part it's intuitively logical. And of course the Saab can do performance with 4 cylinders whereas the CLK needs 6 or 8 to match the Saab's torque😀
It is amazing how a Saab 9-5 Aero gets under your skin isn't it ? I have a 2008 estate (wagon in North America ?) and it is an unbelievable car. Have driven many others as well in the last 10 years but the power and comfort and load capacity combination is very hard to beat - even in modern cars. Long journeys are effortless. Great choice. Will never part with mine. Use super unleaded petrol in preference i.e. Octane 97 or higher and be religious about oil changes with special fully synthetic oil.
I have the same car, but a wagon. They can scoot. -I've had plenty of luck accessing the air filter without jacking the car. I just turned the wheel, though others use a curb/speed bump. -The bottom climate control unit can be replaced easily if you're losing pixels. Mine was fairly shot, and I got a used unit at a junkyard for ~10 bucks. Very easy swap. -Still trying to think of a way to easily bondo and repaint the splitter. These get pretty chewed up, and a replacement bumper cover seems excessive.
I am buying a 2005 Saab 9-5 Aero tomorrow as a second daily/tinker toy. What do I need to know?? please feel free to be specific if there is anything you recommend i immediately change or upgrade or whatever.
Awesome choice. You'll love the drive. The very first thing I would suggest is replace the front subframe bushings (front forward and front rearward bushings are all the same, the front center bushings are a different size) and replace the rectangular torque arm bushing with a PowerFlex polyurethane bushing. Replace the vacuum lines with silicone lines (they won't deteriorate under the immense heat from the engine how rubber lines do). Those are the things I would start with right away. Oh, and if it's an auto, change the tranny fluid (3x just drain and fill, do NOT do a flush as there's a magnetic pick-up at the bottom and you don't want to disturb any metallic bits that are being held there).
That pull cord in the trunk is not a good feature for any middle management mob guy out on a business trip🤣....seriously even after all these years that's a great video as I love these now increasingly rare gems. Was it a grey import or did they officially sell these in the US as it's KPH clocks?
I'm not sure where you heard/saw that info but it's definitely not the case/reason. How do I know? The Saab 9-3 ss has a steering wheel lock. And it did lock on me once while driving when the car shut off due to the CPS failing. Many people have also had CIM failures (Column Integration/interconnect Module) which causes the steering wheel to stay locked. The 9-5 doesn't have a steering wheel lock at all. The location of the ignition switch doesn't matter for implementation of a steering wheel lock.
You learn something new every day! Lol. Getting an oil change at a quick lube place is always fun when they look all over and ask where the air filter is lol
An object of worship of many Dutch petrolheads. Have a 2.3 T Aero 2009 myself with facelift. Front looks nice and unusual, but the back looks a lot like a BMW. Interior, dashboard and steering wheel have been upgraded as well compared to yours, but otherwise it's the same car. When you put it in sports mode and press in the accelerator you also need to put it in manual paddle shift mode. Otherwise the automatic gearbox cannot keep up with the 260 HP. Hardly ever use that mode. Fast enough. And a great long distance cruiser.
Cool 😎 they changed the style in 2006 so I have the year before with the "shark mouth" front end. That was only for the 2004-2005 Aero models. I've driven with the paddle shifters but it's not really ideal for city driving lol.
@@kmercuryc The Saab is my daily driver. My hobby classic is a 1968 Citroen Ami 8. A weakness for French aircooled 2 cilinder classics and old German diesel Mercedeses (street locomotives). The first because they are miracles of utility engineering, and the 2nd because they were the favorites of my dear late dad and built like tanks. The Germans knew everything about crash protection; just put another thick piece of steel in the body and adjust the gears and brakes to cope with the weight. And the French knew everything about saving weight and fuel economy. But still make them ride like featherbeds with bullet and idiotproof technology.
Wrong vid for those things. I didn't get into roll because when driving in traffic, it's not going to matter and mine is fairly flat when cornering anyways. Braking, I didn't get into either but I guess I could of mentioned it with no video proof that it stops really quick. Steering I do mention in my other video which is more about the drive. th-cam.com/video/RybHRbWqArE/w-d-xo.html
I had one of these almost new. Absolute pig it was, reliability was terrible. The Honda Acura in your country is a much better and more refined option.
Sorry to hear you had a bad experience with yours. I guess with anything mass produced it can happen. From my experience and others I know, the cars generally last a long time and are very dependable. This is my second SAAB. The first one I had for 5 years and put on 130,000 or so km's. It got totalled at 282,000 kms (I was rear ended on the hwy) and that car never left me stranded. I've had this one for 2.5 years or so and I've put on 117,000 km's (sitting at 317,000 km's right now) only major hiccup is because I cheaped out on the ignition cassette. Other than that, the car has been great!
Well you must be realy unlucky. Couse Saab is super reliable. I got 367.000km on mine. And rides like New. Still got some 1st parts on it suspencion gearbox / engine turbo Chain never needs to be changed. Waterpump is solid. At 250.000 it needed New breaks all around. Also New disk.
I have a 2002 9-5 Aero with a few little tweaks.
-Full 3" Krona exhaust
-do88 intercooler & hoses
-Krona intake kit
-Custom tune running approx 305bhp/325lb ft
It looks completely stock, until I floor it. The mid-rage is so unbelievable that we've nicknamed it the Millennium Falcon, because it has the same hyperspace ability. What a car.
That's funny, I named mine the Sabbllennium Falcon 😯
Welcome to the world of Saab. Really worth keeping on the road, nothing else drives like them.
Thanks for the welcome! A little history of myself. I used to work at a Saturn SAAB Isuzu dealership. I was part of the original team who brainstormed, planned and executed the first and so far only SAAB owners convention to be held in Toronto Ontario Canada. This is also my second SAAB (had my last one for 5 hard driving years). I've also been a commercial automotive photographer for both a small contract company as well as AutoTRADER. Of all the vehicles I've driven (too many to mention) I have to agree. Nothing drives like a SAAB.
Nothing else can drive like them. I’ve a 07 Aero estate. It’s tuned to a stage 3. There’s few cars that can keep up. I’m fearful when one day I need to replace her 😂
That Saab 95 has tons of other features that are not seen to the naked eye but rather built into the car
It's loaded with safety features as well that are not available on other cars 👌
Just bought my first Saab. 2004 ARC 2.3 turbo 118K miles, mint condition, garage kept, all maintenance records. Under $2500. Wife LOVES her "new" car..
My wife won't let me drive anything else which is fine by me!
You got a great car man! Greetings from Sweden.
Thank you! Greetings back from Canada!
I have this exact car except its manual and a wagon, Im absolutely in love with it and cant see myself ever replacing it with anything but another 9-5 Aero. the 2005 model is also the most beautiful of all the 9-5 OG models imo.
Can't disagree with that! 🙂
Great review, really underrated cars, I have a 2007 9-5 Aero SportCombi myself and it's still better to drive and more comfortable than most new cars I've driven. Don't ever plan on selling it.
Thanks for the feedback and compliment!Actually, I do mention the glove box at 14:55 lol.
I'm not planning at getting rid of mine either. I used to work at AutoTRADER and have driven many cars but they all lacked Character or Soul which Saab bakes into every car. One thing I didn't mention in the video was the radiation/UV and ambient light sensors that auto adjust the brightness of the displays. Guess I'll have to make another video!
Ah, okay, I somehow missed that part :p
yes they do feel more solid than most newer cars. alot of people just don't understand Saabs. I didn't start to get them til my 2nd 9-5.but they are great package. I'm on my 3rd now, Saabs are the only cars I'd buy
Very informative and fun to watch !
Thank you!
Great car! I love Saabs, want to get one in near future. I hope to get an aero or vector in good condition to drive it for years
If you can, get an Aero or you'll forever be lusting for one if you don't. At least I did when I bought my first Saab lol. Now I'm all Aero 🙂
@@kmercuryc all I have to do is convince my wife to Saab xD
@@Wrooblas After my first Saab, my wife won't accept me having anything else lol
@@kmercuryc so I just need to buy it and she'll know how is it just after first drive :D
saab forever
So sad these were unappreciated new. Yes a 2005 Merc (I have one & an 09 9-5) - ok the 'older' Merc in my drive feels decades more advanced. But there is something special about the Saab. Everything's so solid. I agree the fogs are annoyingly behind the wheel. The steering wheel buttons don't illuminate....but the car drives so safely and for the most part it's intuitively logical. And of course the Saab can do performance with 4 cylinders whereas the CLK needs 6 or 8 to match the Saab's torque😀
I couldn't have said it better 👍🏽
Great presentation, thank you!
It is amazing how a Saab 9-5 Aero gets under your skin isn't it ? I have a 2008 estate (wagon in North America ?) and it is an unbelievable car. Have driven many others as well in the last 10 years but the power and comfort and load capacity combination is very hard to beat - even in modern cars. Long journeys are effortless. Great choice. Will never part with mine. Use super unleaded petrol in preference i.e. Octane 97 or higher and be religious about oil changes with special fully synthetic oil.
Who still have this great car in the year of 2020?
Technically I did, yes. It unfortunately died and I sold it to someone who has an older ARC so he's going to upgrade his by using the Aero parts.
I have the same car, but a wagon. They can scoot.
-I've had plenty of luck accessing the air filter without jacking the car. I just turned the wheel, though others use a curb/speed bump.
-The bottom climate control unit can be replaced easily if you're losing pixels. Mine was fairly shot, and I got a used unit at a junkyard for ~10 bucks. Very easy swap.
-Still trying to think of a way to easily bondo and repaint the splitter. These get pretty chewed up, and a replacement bumper cover seems excessive.
Very good car all money u spend on get back in heart...
And i fix open airfilter in right wheel house goes so much better than orginal
No push button drop down rear head rests?
Maaaan, I could have shown that. Never thought of it. 🙁
Hi bro I have 2004 aero and what oil do you use for your engine. For mine ı use 10w60 mobil1 and my engine is very quite now
I always used Mobile 1 0-40 dexos or the OEM GM LL version if I could find it.
I am buying a 2005 Saab 9-5 Aero tomorrow as a second daily/tinker toy. What do I need to know?? please feel free to be specific if there is anything you recommend i immediately change or upgrade or whatever.
Awesome choice. You'll love the drive. The very first thing I would suggest is replace the front subframe bushings (front forward and front rearward bushings are all the same, the front center bushings are a different size) and replace the rectangular torque arm bushing with a PowerFlex polyurethane bushing.
Replace the vacuum lines with silicone lines (they won't deteriorate under the immense heat from the engine how rubber lines do). Those are the things I would start with right away. Oh, and if it's an auto, change the tranny fluid (3x just drain and fill, do NOT do a flush as there's a magnetic pick-up at the bottom and you don't want to disturb any metallic bits that are being held there).
Saab is an awesome car👍
No drive-revieuw while doing it live.
The aero rides superb, tune it!
Stage 1 software
285hp 430nm?
I did do a driving review.
th-cam.com/video/RybHRbWqArE/w-d-xo.html
Very nice and rare car! Great video.
Thank you so much! 🙂
How are the vibrations at idle?
Mine still vibrates here and there. I'm just used to it being that way. My 9-3 ss did too. Not as much but it was still noticeable.
My 9-3 Goes quet. As if the engine Goes off
That pull cord in the trunk is not a good feature for any middle management mob guy out on a business trip🤣....seriously even after all these years that's a great video as I love these now increasingly rare gems. Was it a grey import or did they officially sell these in the US as it's KPH clocks?
I love the 04/05 95 aero look they look perfect , mine is black but first choice was white ,
Wow, a Saab car and a Pentax camera! You are an individual, much like me!
Yup! I've never been one to follow the crowd lol
You should check out my photography channel! th-cam.com/users/kobiemercuryclarke
The reason Saab put the key in the centre to lock the gear selector is because people were afraid of a fault causing steering to lock while moving.
I'm not sure where you heard/saw that info but it's definitely not the case/reason. How do I know? The Saab 9-3 ss has a steering wheel lock. And it did lock on me once while driving when the car shut off due to the CPS failing. Many people have also had CIM failures (Column Integration/interconnect Module) which causes the steering wheel to stay locked. The 9-5 doesn't have a steering wheel lock at all. The location of the ignition switch doesn't matter for implementation of a steering wheel lock.
Best Saab to get to 500+ HP to the wheels plus smooth ride with all the options.
I Never Knew 9-5 Aeros Had Factory Cold Air Intakes 🚀🚀
You learn something new every day! Lol. Getting an oil change at a quick lube place is always fun when they look all over and ask where the air filter is lol
Don't forget the high-performance race car engine 👍👍👍
An object of worship of many Dutch petrolheads.
Have a 2.3 T Aero 2009 myself with facelift. Front looks nice and unusual, but the back looks a lot like a BMW. Interior, dashboard and steering wheel have been upgraded as well compared to yours, but otherwise it's the same car. When you put it in sports mode and press in the accelerator you also need to put it in manual paddle shift mode. Otherwise the automatic gearbox cannot keep up with the 260 HP. Hardly ever use that mode. Fast enough. And a great long distance cruiser.
Cool 😎 they changed the style in 2006 so I have the year before with the "shark mouth" front end. That was only for the 2004-2005 Aero models. I've driven with the paddle shifters but it's not really ideal for city driving lol.
@@kmercuryc The Saab is my daily driver. My hobby classic is a 1968 Citroen Ami 8. A weakness for French aircooled 2 cilinder classics and old German diesel Mercedeses (street locomotives). The first because they are miracles of utility engineering, and the 2nd because they were the favorites of my dear late dad and built like tanks. The Germans knew everything about crash protection; just put another thick piece of steel in the body and adjust the gears and brakes to cope with the weight. And the French knew everything about saving weight and fuel economy. But still make them ride like featherbeds with bullet and idiotproof technology.
@@waltertaljaard1488 I love Citroën!
Nice car😍
Thank you! 🙂
top choice!
i have rare Aero 2000. and why its rare? it is kindof test model whitch has only 230HP when normaly aeros has 250HP
Early 9-5 Aero were rated as 230HP, 2004-2005 were rated at 250 due to changes in ECU tuning, then 2006-2009 was 260HP due to a larger intake pipe.
Beautiful car , I drive a 2007 9-3 tid sport .
Thank you, and nice choice of car yourself!
too bad you say zero about ride braking steering roll etc,
Wrong vid for those things. I didn't get into roll because when driving in traffic, it's not going to matter and mine is fairly flat when cornering anyways. Braking, I didn't get into either but I guess I could of mentioned it with no video proof that it stops really quick. Steering I do mention in my other video which is more about the drive. th-cam.com/video/RybHRbWqArE/w-d-xo.html
I had one of these almost new. Absolute pig it was, reliability was terrible. The Honda Acura in your country is a much better and more refined option.
Sorry to hear you had a bad experience with yours. I guess with anything mass produced it can happen. From my experience and others I know, the cars generally last a long time and are very dependable. This is my second SAAB. The first one I had for 5 years and put on 130,000 or so km's. It got totalled at 282,000 kms (I was rear ended on the hwy) and that car never left me stranded. I've had this one for 2.5 years or so and I've put on 117,000 km's (sitting at 317,000 km's right now) only major hiccup is because I cheaped out on the ignition cassette. Other than that, the car has been great!
Well you must be realy unlucky.
Couse Saab is super reliable.
I got 367.000km on mine. And rides like New.
Still got some 1st parts on it
suspencion
gearbox / engine
turbo
Chain never needs to be changed.
Waterpump is solid.
At 250.000 it needed New breaks all around. Also New disk.
dover one foxtrot You couldn’t have looked after it, they are very reliable.
Chillednfunked Yeah you know poor mans service.. he only checked the tires every time the Maya calender restarted.