Another Article from R&Ts’ April 1979 issue, this one is a Road Test.
The testers were very impressed with this car- will you be too?
Vintage Review: SAAB 900 Turbo
– Posted on October 10, 2015
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Curbside Classics Archives
Another Article from R&Ts’ April 1979 issue, this one is a Road Test.
The testers were very impressed with this car- will you be too?
Thank you for posting this! It’s amazing how independent manufacturers used to be able to develop evolutionary changes on the same platform over periods of 20 and 30 years, and to do so now would seem to be impossible. On the other hand, I think Paul explained on here that the Camry has been on the same basic platform for something like 15 years, so I guess it’s possible. I wish Saab had been able to survive the tough times the way Porsche did, and recover to sell highly evolved versions of their unique vehicles!
Page 3 of this review: “…the steering is too light for adequate
feel during high-speed driving.”
SMH!
THIS is why I don’t like power steering. Very few car mfgs.
have gotten it just right: Strong enough to assist in parking,
but progressively unobtrusive from 20-30mph and up. Is
that asking too much??
With electric power steering I’d just as soon have an on/off switch on the dash. It should be doable.
The pwr steer in my Xsara seems to behave well good feedback at speed and easy parking, maybe your shopping at the wrong store.
PSA’s hydraulic Power Steering was considered among the best at its time. My Dad had a 1992 Peugeot 405 and I had a 306, 206. All had immaculate steering, light enough for parking yet firm enough for “driving”, at any speed or conditions.
Unfortunately, everyone including PSA has moved on to electric Power Steering, so those days are over…
I wonder if Delorean considered this powertrain for his car? Seems like it was made for a rear engine car.
A friend of mine in high school got one of these after they moved here from Iran (mid-80’s)- it was VERY fast for the day, the turbo lag was substantial but then the boost hit and it was time to hold on. His was maroon with matching maroon velour upholstery. It looked exactly like the car in the article above and was a 1979 model as well. It made quite an impression on me. Good times.
This vintage reviews are great. Would love to see mid 60s estage wagoon comparison test with such a details 🙂
The mechanic who does my WOF inspections has a turbo convertible it appears to live permanently in a corner of his workshop though he said it does go but suffers from ongoing electrical problems, the only other one I see regularly has the grass up to the top of the wheelarches now so may not go at all interesting cars and no doubt quite good new but those two kinda put me off.
I daily drive a last year production c900 and love reading anything Saab. Thank you very much for this read. It was an engrossing. Fascinating to compare the introductory model and the ending production model and figure out which faults were rectified and which were inherent. Please more vintage Saab postings!
These slobbering euro love articles drove me crazy. First hand experience, my GM RWD cars with posi rear-ends did better in snow country than these did, and I never resorted to chains. Just good condition Goodyear All Season radials. The GM cars were also more comfortable, easier to service and more cost effective.
I agree. And the GM cars was way more quiet at speeds. Even a Caprice would be more quiet than an expensive Mercedes in those days.
you’re making me lol. i’ll take on your caprice in snow tires, chains, and posi against my 900 with summer tires (maybe even a donut in the back) any time. not even the same universe man.
“the gm cars were more comfortable”. obviously you’ve never enjoyed the seats in a Swedish car. gm’s living room thrones weren’t designed with human ergonomics in mind. plush doesn’t equal support and true comfort.
I wonder why Saab stopped selling the 5-door in the US in ’81 or ’82. Hatchbacks were Saab’s trademark body style, and the 99/900 was rare in that it opened right down to floor height.
My first experience of a 900T was looking at the brochure which mysteriously arrived in the post in my name; actual first hand contact was in a 900 Turbo 16S 2-door as a passenger. I can still remember it as a complete blur of insane speed ‘flat’ cornering and on-demand wheel spin at any speed. What I do know from perusing the brochures was attention to engineering safety and ergonomics was of the highest order for the time. Most Swedish cars were constructed to withstand harsh conditions and unmade road surfaces of their home country which is why they were made so robustly.