1986 Saab 900S Is Turbo Lite

From the May 1986 issue of Car and Driver.

Svenska Aeroplan AB, commonly known as Saab, was formed in 1937. Despite its background, this famed Swedish aircraft producer, which branched out into auto­mobile production in 1949, has recently built fairly blunt-looking cars. The new 9000 (C/D, December) may ruin that repu­tation, but even in the face of that sleek se­dan, Saab continues to bluff the winds of change with the relatively upright 900. It survives because it’s practical and because Saab’s engineers regularly sneak the dev­il’s work under its hood. When the Saab Turbo appeared, its hissing exhaust spoke with a forked tail. Then Saab loaded it with twin cams and sixteen valves, and its clo­ven hoofs scrabbled to put the power down, spelling out its personality in black strips, the most lurid of highway hieroglyphics. But not everybody wants to sell their soul to the devil for eternity, and to the bank for 48 months, and that’s where the new 900S comes in. By offering sixteen­-valve responsiveness without the expense of the turbo package, the S splits the whop­ping $6000 difference between the saintly 900 and the satanic 900 Turbo.

The S boots up on 195/60HR-15 steel-­belted radials and alloy wheels and high­-pressure gas shocks, but lacks the Turbo’s anti-roll bars. Nevertheless, its cornering, even at the 0.76-g maximum, feels flatter and better controlled than that of past mid-market Saabs. Luckily, the Turbo’s firmly contoured seats have made the tran­sition to the S, and the accommodations all around are couched in velour. The picky driver may note the proximity of pedals to seat and may wish the accurate steering were heavier, but their complaints will be drowned by huzzahs from happy passen­gers, who have for themselves and their luggage plenty of room and comfort. Any dunce who absconds with your stereo, however, will be genuinely unhappy about the steal-me, junk-me electronic AM/FM­-stereo/cassette unit, which takes a perma­nent nap unless the correct code is fed back into its memory after any interruption of power.

Of the 100,000 cars built by Saab last year, America snapped up 38,000—enough to qualify the U.S. as a major piece of Saab’s automobile action. Americans hanker for cars that can flat scat across an intersection at the drop of a light. We like to get to the far side first, so we need torque down low, where it rolls out in our favor like doctored dice.

Saab figures its sixteen-valve four­-banger will roll sevens all night long. At 2.0 liters, the upgraded normally aspirated four produces more than one horsepower per cubic inch, and fifteen horsepower more than the eight-valver in the base 900; the 900 makes 110 hp at 5250 rpm, while our S puts out 125 hp at 5500 rpm. The torque peaks at 123 pounds-feet at 3000 rpm for the S, a handy 500 rpm lower than the 900’s 119 pounds-feet.

Like all four-valve-per-cylinder layouts, Saab’s is aimed at increased efficiency and flexibility through improved breathing and combustion. The S’s fuel charge arrives with the impetus of Bosch LH­-Jetronic fuel injection behind it, and air travels into the engine via ram-tuned in­take tracts. Saab tech director Gunnar Larsson chose not to provide two small and symmetrical intake ports per cylinder, but instead developed one round and one D-shaped tract to feed each combustion chamber. This causes a valve-to-valve ve­locity difference that helps generate useful turbulence inside the chambers.

Fuel economy hovers at 20 mpg, 1 mpg less than the 900’s. The sixteen-valve en­gine produces clearly superior drivability; because it’s boxed inside such a tall, rela­tively weighty shell, however, it makes the S no Krakatoa among factory-souped se­dans. Even so, it cures the breathlessness that straps the 900, noticeably lightening its load and transforming the selection of the five gears in the somewhat clunky box into headier steps. At 10.0 seconds, the S does reasonably well from 0 to 60, though its towering façade, which ranks behind only that of Yosemite’s El Capitan, turns a 0-to-100 test into a 51.8-second enduro and quells the top speed at a ho-hum 104 miles per hour.

Even without Saab’s turbocharger to huff and puff in assistance, the sixteen valves pump their little hearts out. Fortu­nately, they’re covered by Saab’s new three-year/36,000-mile warranty, which lasts for the full duration even if the car is resold to other owners. By next summer, 900-series Saabs will scamper ashore with optional convertible tops. Topped or top­less, the 900S will hit it off with those who crave practicality as much as performance, at a base price of $16,095. The S feels faster than the 900, and it is, just as the devil intended, but its middling performance may still leave you on the horns of his dilemma.

Source: Reviews - aranddriver.com