2010 – Saab 9-5 2.0 TiD Vector SE review

 Saab 9-5 2.0 TiD Vector SE review Most cars have a showroom life of approximately seven years. The Saab 9-5 that this sleek new model cars replaces has survived unchanged, apart from the occasional facelift and engine upgrade, for the past 13.

It’s a long time to wait for a new car, and now this General Motors product arrives just as the American giant sells the Saab brand to Dutch car firm Spyker.

Regardless of its problematic birth, though, the new 9-5 must prove to buyers that Saab can hold its own in the executive saloon market. At £26,495 for the cheapest diesel model – the manual, front-wheel-drive, 158bhp 2.0-litre turbodiesel Vector SE tested here – it is not short of confidence in its pricing.

The 9-5 range also includes 2.0-litre turbocharged and 2.8-litre V6 petrol motors, while a new turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol and a 188bhp twin-turbocharged diesel are both expected to arrive in the coming months.
Like most diesel engines with a single turbo, the 9-5’s 158bhp 2.0-litre unit has a clearly defined power – or, more precisely, torque – band. However, it is unusual in the extent of the lethargy before the turbo kicks in and the level of drama in the sudden surge of propulsion when the stampede of torque (258lb ft) arrives at 1750rpm.

You can have your right foot planted and there will be no more response than a painful creeping up the rev range before the turbo suddenly introduces some power. Amazingly, this is even an issue in first gear if the revs aren’t built up before the clutch is released, which is as much a fault of the long gearing as the engine’s output.

Keep the engine on song and the Saab will manage 0-60mph in 10.3sec, which in isolation seems about acceptable for a car of this size. But when viewed next to any level of competition – a 138bhp Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCi managed 10.0sec to 60mph in our road test – it becomes evident that the Saab is barely average.