1995 Saab 900SE Turbo Test: Handle with Care

From the April 1995 issue of Car and Driver.

Power comes in two varieties. There’s steady power—the stuff of hydroelectric dams and the Bud­weiser Clydesdales. Then there’s explo­sive power—what you get from an atomic bomb or, say, Steven Seagal if you yank his ponytail.

The latest 900SE Turbo produces power of the latter variety. Unlike Saab’s mellow GM-designed V-6, the pressurized four-cylinder turbo engine is as volatile as Susan Powter at a KFC shareholder’s meeting. Thus, the 900SE Turbo requires an especially attentive hand to make the most of its considerable performance.

The powder keg under the hood is, as in previous 900 Turbos, a blown-and-inter­cooled 16-valve 2.0-liter four. But there the similarities end. The new engine is actually a smaller-stroke version of the 2.3-liter four that serves elsewhere in the 900 and 9000 lineups. It therefore benefits from that engine’s dual counterrotating balance shafts and Saab’s latest Trionic engine-management system. Compared with the old turbo, the new engine also fea­tures a higher compression ratio (9.2:1 versus 8.5), increased boost pressure, and reconfigured software in the APC boost­-control system. The result is a 25-horse­power increase, to 185 horsepower at 5500 rpm.

The result of that is a sedan with Carl Lewis legs. The speedo needle flies past 60 mph in just 6.5 seconds and doesn’t stop climbing until it hits 142 mph. (The V-6-powered 900SE, in contrast, runs to 60 mph in 7.0 seconds and tops out at 135 mph.) The turbo four revs with respectable smoothness, though not quite up to the V-6’s standards, and pulls without any dropoffs to its 6000-rpm redline. The sound at full boost is conspicuous and vig­orous—like a giant steam-pressure coffee machine frothing up a ten-gallon latte.

There’s a price to be paid, however, for the Turbo’s sprinting power. As opposed to the flexible V-6, the turbo four demands constant levering of the standard, slightly numb-feeling five-speed to stay within the meat of the power curve. The engine is rated for lots of low-end torque: 195 pound-­feet at 2100 rpm, which sounds like plenty on paper. But in real-world driving, all of our testers complained that simply pulling away from stoplights can be a waiting game. Quick starts require deliberate slip­ping of the clutch, or the engine bogs down. When that happens, for a few mortifying heartbeats Geo Metros and Subaru Justys suddenly seem to possess the accelerative power of a Corvette ZR-1. Then the Saab’s boost comes up and—whoosh!—the Turbo redeems itself in a furious charge.

In fact, thoughtful use of the clutch, shifter, and throttle are required even for relaxed starts. Noted one road tester: “In many cars, I’ll slide away from near-stops in second gear. But if you try that in the Turbo, the boost lag will grow you a beard.”

The boost response is fine on the Inter­state, though. Tip into the throttle at highway speeds, and the turbo bites immedi­ately. Without shifting down, you sense a satisfying surge of acceleration—as the car glides forward effortlessly, it becomes patently clear just how much horsepres­sure is amassed underfoot.

Befitting a car clearly intended for drivers who take their motoring seriously, the Turbo rides on a chassis that trades some ride comfort for handling control. Compared with naturally aspirated 900s, the Turbo wears stiffer anti-roll bars front and rear, tauter gas shocks, and larger wheels and tires (205/50ZR-16 versus 195/60VR-15s).

Not surprisingly, the higher-grade running shoes help the Turbo vanquish its V-6 sibling at the test track. Skidpad grip climbs from 0.77 g to 0.82, and 70-to-0-mph stops drop from 207 feet to 171. Yet while the Turbo certainly feels stiffer than the 900SE V-6 and clomps over pavement breaks, it retains the same stable demeanor as its sister car. Power into a turn and the Turbo understeers resolutely, its tail remaining safely planted no matter the throttle setting or g-load. The Turbo’s only notable histrionics occur when you’re try­ing to power out of tight turns: too much steering lock combined with an immoder­ate right foot will send the inside front tire whirling into a noxious haze.

The turbo engine is available only in the three-door and the convertible. The three­-door pictured and tested here presents the driver with the same smartly designed inte­rior and comfortable, upright seats as the five-door. The instruments, controls, and cockpit trim have a neat, modern look: the cabin environment is as Swedish-clean­-and-sensible as an IKEA showroom. Yet familiar touches—the between-seat igni­tion switch, for example—maintain an unmistakable Saab character.

Also carried over from the five-door is enough cabin room to transport five adults or Marlon Brando. Doors that open nine inches wider than the five-door’s allow easy access to the capacious rear seat. And that rear seat can be folded flat to produce the same whopping 50 cubic feet of cargo room as in the five-door. There’s a rear-­seat pass-through, too, so if you’re headed for, say, an anti-censorship rally, you can poke your placard handles through the opening and keep the “Beavis and Butt­head for Congress!” signs hidden in the trunk until you get past the PC herd.

In addition to the abundance of room, 900SE Turbo buyers can expect plenty of features. Almost everything is included as standard: anti-lock brakes, dual airbags, air conditioning, power everything, a sunroof, and an AM/FM/cassette system. About the only item not available on the Turbo is the V-6 car’s standard traction-control system. Which would just spoil all that tire-smoking fun anyway.

The 900SE Turbo lists for $29,460. That’s roughly $3000 less than the equiv­alently quick BMW 325is and about the same as the less swift but also less heady V-6-powered 900SE five-door.

The Turbo will be the one chosen by the buyer who played with M80s as a kid.