The Saab 95 Aero was a high-performance automobile. It was only produced for two generations, but it was used as a police car. The Saab 95 Aero was built as an executive car, manufactured and marketed by Saab from 1997 to 2012, across two generations. The first-generation 9-5 was introduced in 1997 for the 1998 model year, as the replacement of the Saab 9000. The second generation was presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show on September 15, 2009, and production began in March 2010. Saab ceased operations in 2012. Did you ever own a Saab?
Saab 95 Aero 2 Generations
First Generation
The first-generation Saab 95 Aero was powered by Saab’s B205 and B235 straight-4 engines, and from 2002 in Europe by an Opel Ecotec X22DTH 2.2 diesel engine (Saab D223L). A turbocharged version of the General Motors V6 engine, designated by Saab as B308, was available from 1999 to 2003. This engine was only available with an automatic transmission, and cars with this engine installed are distinguishable by their twin tailpipes. The V6 engine was only available on Arc, SE, and Griffin models.
In 2004, the V6 engine was replaced by a high-pressure turbo straight-4 engine rated at 220 horsepower. By 2006, this engine was rated at 260 horsepower, even in the non-Aero or non-sport models made for the American market.
This generation of the Saab 95 Aero was available from 1997 until 2010. There were sixteen engine choices, but there was only one transmission available. Saab was very concerned with safety. The Saab 95 Aero Active Head Restraints (SAHR), which moved up and forward to prevent whiplash when the car was struck from the rear. This feature won safety awards in Australia, Denmark, and the United Kingdom. The Saab 95 Areo was also one of the first cars to have extensive side-crash protection.
There were more safety features in the Saab 95 Areo. The front seats had torso and head airbags. The basic structure included a passenger safety cage, front and rear deformation zones, reinforced door posts and pillars, as well as the “Pendulum B-Pillar,” which combined high-strength low-alloy steel at chest and head height with tailored blank steel at the floorpan, designed to direct the crash forces down toward the floor. From 2002, Electronic Stability Control was included as standard. This was the generation that was used as a police car.
Second Generation
The second generation of the Saab 95 Aero, built on the Global Epsilon platform, was presented at the Frankfurt International Auto Show in September 2009. Production ran from 2010 until Saab folded in 2012. The vehicle had its North American debut in October 2009 at the South Florida Auto Show in Miami. On November 24, 2009, the first pre-production second-generation 95 was produced.
With the announcement of the sale of Saab to Spyker on January 26, 2010, the new generation Saab 95 Aero was produced at the Saab plant in Trollhättan. Full-scale production began in April 2010, with the cars appearing in dealerships in June 2010. There was a wagon version introduced, and it was called the “SportCombi.” It debuted at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. The Geneva Auto Show was cancelled shortly after. The 95 Sedan 2.8 V6 Turbo was named Car of the Year in Singapore by “Wheels Asia.”Production of the 95 ended in March 2011 because the company failed. The failure of the company produced a premature end to the car.
Conclusion
The Saab 95 Aero was an interesting car. It was so fast, it was used as a police car, and the first generation of the car had no fewer than sixteen variants. One of the other interesting things about this car was that it was truly global, winning awards and being produced worldwide. The car was produced in Sweden and imported into the United States.
