1992 Saab 9000Turbo | Retro Review

The Saab 9000 is a lesson in art where sharp lines and smooth corners are perfectly balanced. Still beautiful.

[@TheBTG88]

“No one could figure out why Saabs were so expensive, until you crashed one.” - Jeremy Clarkson

[@beb1527]

TheBTG88 My aunt was in a terrible accident with a large truck in her Saab 900 and the truck driver was so convinced he killed her, he didn't bother to even check on her. The Saab rolled over many times. When they managed to finally check on her and get the door open, his words to her were "you're alive?" Not only did she survive, she barely had any injuries

[@notroll1279]

Yes... but that fool only saw the light after trashing SAAB when they were alive and could have used some positive comments from him. I always liked Saab and now drive one so I can say with some confidence: Saab drivers don't mind some understeer. They want solid, thoughtful design and a car that won't rust easily. I hope mine will last another 10 to 20 years...

[@Karmy.]

@@beb1527 the Swedes really know how to build tanks!

[@kinxkin8566]

a saab saved my dads life in a crash

[@dezmitchell5329]

All Swede cars are safe Saab/Volvo

[@krueller3638]

I remember back in about '93 or '94, I was a kid and we just got out of the airport back home in the US and as we walked outside to our car, there was a black Saab 9000 turbo with it's front door open. As I walked by, I got a glimpse of the interior. Black leather with a black dash, buttons galore... It looked like a luxurious cockpit to me. That was when I started liking Saab's. Thanks for the review, it brought back a fond memory!

[@mayamanign]

I owned one of these back in the day and they're wonderful cars. Deceptively quick. I had the Aero and I would regularly leave so called sports cars in my dust. Saab I miss you.

[@maxipads1441]

Im a proud owner of a 1992 Saab 9000 Turbo, looks exactly identical to the one in the video. Incredible to see it new and being reviewed. Amazing car.

[@charleschauffe4350]

@Nathan Cox Another concern is parts- My wife & I both have 9-3's as daily drivers but parts are readily available. I heard parts for the 900 are now hard to get, but I was going to ask my Saab Technician about the 9000, which I strongly desire as well. In my area, the 9000 owners don't seem to want to give up their cars!

[@fernandorocha901]

Fantastic swedish car

[@marcscordato4385]

I deeply miss Saab. They were unique and distinctive. Modern cars are fabulous but they are not offbeat and quirky like Saab’s, although modern cars are refined they are just not as much fun as vintage Saabs .

[@waltertaljaard1488]

@Marc Proud and happy owner of a 2008 9.5 2.3 Turbo Aero. A modern and refined car, but still a Saab. Best of both worlds. :)

[@celticsdude]

I especially miss the 9000.

[@fernandorocha8459]

@@celticsdude great car this SAAB 9000 turbo

[@RobHeathers]

The 9000s from '94-'96(?end?) had a more modern refresh, and they are hands-down one if the most gorgeous cars ever. They have been a favorite of mine since I was a kid. I hear the turbos can be maxed-out to an insane degree before the engine or transmission kill. Their black taillights and deep dark purple paint is one of the best aesthetic combos of the 1990s!!

[@SWRadioConcepts]

You might be able to 'max-out' the turbo without killing the engine, but you'll definitely shorten the life of it drastically.

[@williamgson4055]

93-98, the CS body. The engine itself can take pretty much whatever you throw at it, 500hp on stock internals aren't an issue.

[@level5822]

@@SWRadioConcepts Not sure where you get that information considering you don't have a 9000. Got a '97 9000 CS 2.3t. It's got 134k miles and been stage 3 mapped to around ~310hp for 8 years.

[@AIRDRAC]

@@SWRadioConcepts Mine (1994 aero) ran 450.000 km with 315 bhp measured at the front wheels from the 2.3 (factory Hirsch level 3 tune). The guy i sold it to boosted it to 480, and then crashed it on the Nurburgring at around 280 kmph. He walked away.

[@krismania7070]

Fabulous car, and one which I had the pleasure of owning for years. Mine was a 1997 CSE Turbo Aero, and I miss it still. Man, did it shift!

[@m3trooper]

$37K for this back in '92 was pretty outrageous. I also remember how much I loved the way the wheels looked on these back then.

[@777jones]

m3trooper by 1992 the 2.3 engine and those wheels were basically a 9000 Aero. The next year saw an exterior facelift, followed in 1995 by an interior facelift. It was a sporty, perfected car after 1991

[@jnucci1]

m3trooper 37 large back then is about 67k now. Yikes.

[@incyphe]

Very true. Only few grand below Lexus LS400 and Q45.

[@nutsackmania]

This thing would whoop the ass of almost any car on the freeway. Why is it being a hatchback a problem? Have you seen the hideous shit BMW is selling for 100k+ now?

[@stevel9914]

Not once you understand how much effort went into production. At 100,000 vehicles per annum across 2 distinctly different models (900 and 9000) produced in an almost handcrafted way.... makes these vehicles almost exclusive.

[@petezzzz]

1997 SAAB 9000 CSE 2.3 Turbo. The best car in the entire puniverse!

[@level5822]

No the Aero.

[@finefriendzz]

You're Both right, very happy with my CSE though..

[@kirbyswarp]

What a gorgeous, cool car.

[@theKevronHarris]

Even though I'm a Mazda guy, I also love Saabs as well. Thanks for posting this nice review!

[@IsoscelesKramer]

I've always thought Mazdas are like Japanese Saabs. They're both zippy, agile cars with a distinctive design.

[@BeesonsCars]

200hp for a turbo 4 in 1992 is crazy good. A Mustang only had around 220hp and it had a 5.0 V8. Many other V8s had less horsepower and torque than this turbo 4.

[@777jones]

Tyler Beeson people ragged endlessly on Saab for using a turbo 4 in a midsize luxury car. 25 years later, everybody does it.

[@Lrules364]

How about 195 n/a? Gm's Quad 4 was pumping that out by way of a W41 setup. And that motor ended up being coupled with a great performer:the cutlass calais. Super light, luxurious, and fast, it gave everyone a run for their money. No turbo required!

[@jsciarri]

That's a great point. Although the 1992 Corvette had just introduced the LT1 V8 which was good for 300hp, a four banger Saab to produce 200hp is just as interesting.

[@ancientofdays9737]

Tyler Beeson I learned something new today thanks.

[@Lucille69caddy]

Tyler Beeson TORQUE

[@mikeyfourbarrel8473]

This video makes me homesick for the 1990s . It has been years since I’ve even seen a functional Saab 9000! Saab used to be one of the coolest automakers. My 1989 900 was perfection for well over 200k miles. Thanks so much for keeping these Retro Reviews coming, Motorweek! I enjoy every one.

[@RaacingAce]

Saab 9000 turbo had a magnificent flexibility, it accelerated 60-80mph on top gear in 6 sec compared with 10.8 sec on BMW 535i

[@_dmfd]

Yea, the Saab 2.3T & 2.0T strongsuit was the midrange. 3rd gear legit felt the strongest. My 9⁵ aero wagon I had back in the day wasn't the /quickest/ to 60, something like 6.5s average, but man 3rd-5th gear pulled so hard on the highway! Doing 0-100 pulls you'd look down going 70 & be at 100 in no time, felt like the power wasn't gonna stop! I miss that thing

[@deanspanos8210]

I am always impressed with an engine with more torque than horsepower.

[@ekscalybur]

You must love diesels.

[@SomethingFunny454]

It just needs more cam.

[@sebbonxxsebbon6824]

C4 corvettes 230-250 horse power and 330+ foot pounds of torque.

[@brandonherrera2891]

@@sebbonxxsebbon6824 lt1s make 300hp and 340 torque. Lt4 makes 330/340. Lt5 makes 375hp and 405hp for 93-95

[@GyroPyro121212]

Spanos Lots of turbo engines have this characteristic. Especially engines with relatively small turbos.

[@eggshellskullrule7971]

Mine’s a dark green 97 Anniversary 2.3 CSE auto I tuned to 200bhp. Bought it in 2014 ( had done 47k km only!) in a heartbeat at a local ad for 750 dollars. Love it!

[@dtm8887]

I miss my old 9000

[@andyfrye3585]

An awesome blast from the past!

[@VBNicke]

I had an 1996 Saab 9000 Aero spec. when I was 18 years old. The 250 km/h (155 mph) wasn't enough while driving on the autobahn, the needle continued outside the scale, even though it was pretty accurate.

[@AIRDRAC]

I got mine up to 282 (measured on GPS), before i had to call it quits because the rear tires began to lose grip. At that point the speedometer needle was stopped against the reset button for the odometer :)

[@SgtMcCullin]

@@AIRDRAC What year model and engine was it?

[@AIRDRAC]

@@SgtMcCullin 1994 CS body with a 1996 B234 swapped in with a Hirsch level 3 tune :)

[@alexbritch02]

​@@AIRDRACWOW. I have a '96 Aero. No autobahn here but I've gotten it to 230 & it felt like it wanted to keep climbing! Slowly but surely.

[@Slacksfifth]

Love the boxy Styling.

[@90boiler]

There is something unique about Saab. Unimpressive AT kills performance, but they can be quite sleepers in MT. Would love a 900 Turbo for some weekend fun.

[@MrEyah23]

I love Saabs, my father had a red Saab 9000 CDE from 1993, drove it, loved it! 😍😊Now I have my own Saab 9000 CSE Aero from 1994, bought it in 2013, I had lot of repairs and restorations, but it was worth it all!! I love this 90's car, love the squrkyness and corned shapes! Best cars even made in the 80's and 90's! 😍 GM ruined it all! 😭😩

[@saintessa]

All time favorite car, never driven one however. Ut's just so beautiful.

[@jeralhall]

Retro week is always good!

[@andrea77tn]

I miss my 9000 Turbo

[@ParadoxdesignsOrg]

“Saab represents, Everything everyone else is doing, we’re not doing that! “- Jerry Seinfeld

[@alexroberts1029]

Born from Jets paradox designs blue stiching on recaro seats very unique car now a rare item in the u.s destroyed by hmm GM :(

[@LoveMyZJ]

Back when $37,000 for a four cylinder vehicle was laughable. My, how times have changed! Oh, and I miss Saab. :(

[@chuckmillirons6529]

I kept hearing that about 4 Bangers.....funny now that you can drop 65K on a 4cyl these days....

[@nutsackmania]

How many cylinders did the 944 turbo have? How much was it?

[@shTree]

@@chuckmillirons6529 37k then is 65k now

[@mantriccaravan8228]

Beautiful and safe cars. Nothing like a Saab! Keep your Mustangs, Civic and 3 series BMW's I want something different that doesnt follow any leader!

[@celticsdude]

The 9000 will always be one of my dream cars!!!!

[@joshthemediocre7824]

They always had some of the coolest wheels, and great power, i'd love to have one today.

[@Hintonbro.]

Surely the Audi A7 took inspiration from the Saab 9000

[@dqwaszx]

I never did understand the 4cyl hate.

[@kgbeezr75]

Because it's difficult to get around the 4cyl buzz. There are certain characteristics of a 4 that are hard to overlook, especially when you're dropping a shit-ton of cash.

[@777jones]

kgbeezr75 these cars had a fabulous engine. Today’s luxury cars are majority 4 cylinders. They are hardly more powerful than this 1992 car. It is enough power to bring luxury cars to 150mph. Any more power is not useful. It is for show.

[@AndreasFunnell]

@@777jones Well it's not only about the performance. Generally a 6cyl often operates smoother than a 4cyl. It is true that most cars today use 4 cylinders, even luxury ones, but they make use of hybrid technology to make the power delivery more smooth and enjoyable for daily driving. The B234 is a legendary engine though, very underrated!

[@777jones]

AndeN Funnell yes luxury makers did not perfect the 4cyl turbo engine until a bit later. The 2.3 was strong and had a balance shaft, but not the smoothest. Today’s BMW, Mercedes or Volvo 4cyl are as smooth as glass and have V8 level power.

[@AndreasFunnell]

@@777jones Very true.

[@adamv242]

I've always admired and desired a 5-door Saab 9000. Pity I haven't owned one... yet..

[@dcanmore]

With inflation that SAAB would be $65,800 today. However the 1991 Lotus Elan (1.8 4cyl turbo) was $39,900 ($70,900 today) and a 1989 Lotus Esprit Turbo (2.2 4cyl) was $89,900 ($180,926). Edit: just realised that GM owned both at the time.

[@YasssStitch]

All other boys in high school had trucks, I rocked 9000T 2.0 manual.

[@BIGGIEDEVIL]

Sierra Alpha Alpha Bravo

[@JackBandicootsBunker]

Beautiful, but I prefer the last facelift it got, with the squinty headlights and the grey and red taillights. Now, those 3-Spoke rims tho 😍

[@shepshepherd]

What a car!

[@castironbandito]

The freeze warning would actually come in handy for us Canadians considering that Canada has cold climates. Anyways, Saabs are nice cars and I love every single one that they made. Even the Saab 9-2X which is basically Saab's version of the Subaru Impreza hatch. But, it's sad that they went out of business in 2011. Like Volvos, Saabs are reliable pieces of machinery. But, at least they are not dull like many Japanese cars are.

[@yuriypodgorniak2728]

Good car and good acceleration for back then even now it's still decent

[@TimJoseph08031990]

One of Saabkyle04's favorite cars!

[@davesmith5092]

Had one, loved it.

[@MouseyBusiness]

Love those 3 spoke rims 😍👍

[@RoadCone411]

$37-large for a four-cylinder car is commonplace in 2018. Hard to find anything else for less than that.

[@Anderson-ky6ps]

Esse canal é nota dez parabéns pela postagem amigo bom rever automotivo 👏👏👏

[@wwaytobe]

Sucks that when saab was going to down they looked to GM to save them... Should have asked Toyota or BMW, or others. I liked saabs shame they are gone.

[@-m.d.n-9019]

Definitely Toyota. Imagine Saftey and reliability.

[@pswitch9553]

Speaking of BMW, before they went bankrupt, Saab planned to use BMW engines in their cars.

[@tubewoodycool]

That's not how business works though. GM bought saab

[@julienmouret9040]

@@tubewoodycool unfortunately, yes.

[@silverelgrandlow6298]

@@-m.d.n-9019 Definately NOT Toyota actually. Toyota is very watchful over profits and etc and would probably force Saab down to essentially rebadging Toyota cars as their own. They are already doing so with Suzuki, and sooner or later Subaru.

[@nobrainz00]

I love the multitude of buttons

[@Mrmatteo08]

The Saab 9000 share most of its components with the 1980s Fiat croma and Lancia Thema. The doors, for example, are interchangeable. It was called the type 4 project, where Saab 9000, Fiat Croma (that's the car on my pro pic) Lancia Thema and Alfa 164 shared a lot.

[@mikefue9597]

Interchangeable but fiat and lancia didnt have extra side door proteccion.

[@wernersturm9643]

Saab was in the Engineering to history their concurrenz 10-15 years forward. Saab is a security and fastatic cars.

[@donwa7772]

Not sure it's "beautiful." "Unique," maybe. "Interesting." 7.3 sec 0-60 was fairly quick in 1992...

[@henrydehavilland5620]

donwa777 it was incredible for a four cylinder fwd full size sedan.

[@sakariaskarlsson634]

I think they look better than the 9-5, especially the later 9000s. Also they are super easy to tune, its practically built to handle high boost. Thinking about switching my old v8 merc for a old saab i will tune.

[@PatrickRob82]

Personal taste. I think they're georgous.

[@josephandreuccetti7270]

Always loved Saabs

[@PatrickRob82]

My 2nd car! LOVED that thing.

[@alexander1485]

GM killed saab.

[@cadsux]

Saab would have been bankrupt if GM didn't own 50% in 1989, then 100% in 2000. In 2008, GM declared bankruptcy, and needed Federal bailout. In 2011, GM sold it to Spyker Cars, then went bankrupt. In 2012, NEVS bought Saab. In 2014, NEVS went bankrupt, & Saab ended production. Saab is just bad luck!

[@FantomLightning]

NEVS never went bankrupt. They're still around producing electric 9-3s.

[@shnorth888]

In a way it's former parent SAAB Corporation helped to kill it. They essentially lost interest in the car business and would rather concentrate on the aerospace and defense business.

[@cadsux]

GM & Chrysler filed for bankruptcy before, and they're still selling cars. NEVS filed for bankruptcy August 28, 2014, then Saab cancelled it's licensing agreement to use Saab's name. On June 2015, NEVS acquired 2 Chinese partners, and began "healing". The 9-3 EVs didn't go into production until 2017. A company can file for bankruptcy and still do business, depending on the circumstances.

[@eduardorivera4100]

shnorth888 yup but the classic Saab’s rock cuz they were once interested

[@PWalsh-su1ek]

YESSS thanks for posting this!

[@alextsahalis6984]

"We will always have a problem reconciling $37,000 for a 4-cylinder car." How times have changed! Say hello to these $60,000 Audis, Mercedes, Cadillacs, and BMWs of today! Saab was clearly ahead of the times.

[@louiei.1552]

The guy getting into the front seats looks like Mr regular from rcr in 15 years.

[@gabrielgomez2483]

Awesome vid! Do you guys have a video on the insane 9000 aero?, Or the first gen 9-5? That would be great to upload.

[@ggtontoyono]

in the latest stream you can see the 9 5 aero of the 2000' 230hp also the wagon

[@Doobie1975]

15.5 sec at 96mph in the quarter mile is very impressive, usually the mph run's in the mid 15's are usually around 90mph

[@joeseeking3572]

I seriously wanted one of these back in the day - newer model than this, I think it was a tad over 40k. Even though the design was old by that time, and the 4cyl had weight to overcome, the quirky design appealed to me. And despite, or maybe even because of, the ubiquitous wood kit (yeah why not), I loved the dash. In the end though I just could not get comfortable in the damn seat. Not enough bottom cushion length and the nod at that time eventually went to a S70 T5 - and then I discovered BMW's thigh extender which has tipped the scales on the last 3 sedans (Lexus had a soft-of solution on the last F Sport GS I drove, but it was down on power compared to the 550 I eventually went with)

[@alexsaab8089]

😍 B234 is the best engine

[@AIRDRAC]

Indeed! Ours did 470k+ km with 305 hp (measured on the wheels, that is), before being sold, and tuned to 450+ by the new owner(!)

[@Maggiolone85]

I have a 91 9000. A lot of things that made these cars unique or quirky were actually industry firsts that we take for granted now. Even Volvo, who claim to innovate, copied most of their tech from saab and ford

[@salazmiguel5542]

my favorite saab 👍

[@ascott2168]

This is awesome!!!

[@holdenrock1]

i always loved the 9000. can still find them very cheap

[@itstherealsethallen]

I’ve been searching for one of these pre-facelift 9000s for a while now. Sadly, they are very rare. It’s beautiful. But they rust so horribly.

[@WHO9119]

Seth Allen depends on where you live Saab sold more cars in New England area then any other place in the US

[@maxipads1441]

My 92 has very very little rust and has 107k miles.

[@itstherealsethallen]

I live in New England.

[@AIRDRAC]

@donwa777 The one in the review is actually the first facelifted version (the grille is sloped, and the lights are too, on the first version they were almost vertical), but it has the B204/B234 engine, so it's definitely the versions from the first facelift and onwards, that are worth looking for if you're looking for the best performing versions.

[@charleschauffe4350]

I have seen 2 in my area over the past few months, rust free, but I am in Houston, so we don't have salt on the roads issue.

[@CrapeCraft]

To put this saab's $37k msrp in perspective, a contemporary Volvo 850 Turbo was about $32K, and it put out more power. As much as I love Saab and this car with pricing like this it is not surprising that they had to sell out to GM.

[@Balkanmotorsports]

John Davis the legend

[@70malcolm]

These cars just disappeared. You really don't seem them anymore. My cousin an 88 9000 for his first car back in the day. It was fast.

[@stevel9914]

See a lot of comments about the price ... People just do not recognise how exclusive these vehicles were .... approx 60,000 vehicles per annum .... probably less than a months production at Ford or similar. At least 5 spec levels, 3 engines and 5 or 6 interior colour options with 3 different seat materials. For a small volume company this is close to custom production. Of course today EVERY manufacturer has a 4 cylinder turbo car in their range .. and probably is most of their production if you include diesel 4 cylinder turbos. Not many manufacturers had ABS installed at this cars inception in 1985..... almost no -one had ignition coil packs (yet now everyone does) . How many companies now offer pollen filters and climate control.... this was not a common thing in 1991.. never mind 1986. The list of innovations (considering the company was a nobody) is endless. Oh and the design isn't for everyone .. but that's a BIG PLUS for SAAB owners.... we never bought a SAAB because we wanted to impress other people... we bought one because it was not just a good car but a GREAT car. It still is .... but they have now become rarer and even more exclusive.

[@justin_san_souci]

Was there never a Motorweek episode about the OG Saab 9-5. Like 99-2009?

[@fortune300]

And as a replacement for this GM forced Saab to work on crappy Opel platforms to develope the new "Saabs". We all know how that Went....

[@jareknowak8712]

What other car could you buy for SAABs money in the same period in USA?

[@justmy2cents_]

Saab killed Saab! They did not & should not have sold out to a company who didn't have their best interest in mind. If it was for funding purposes then get a loan but don't sacrifice your company's integrity loyalty for broken promises! There's always contract clauses that can insure trustworthiness. Saab for whatever reasons saw an opportunity or maybe a great business move that they thought would be lucrative for them but not for their loyal customers. I don't have all the facts but maybe it was in good faith that GM would keep things on par?? I loved my 96' 9000 cse Turbo 5sp! It was a blast to drive & very unique. Unfortunately it got badly rear-ended on I-95 which totaled it!!

[@driveintherain]

I miss my Saab, lol

[@sannyfolkesson2226]

what bugged me was when 9000CC vanisehd of the market every manufacturer stopped making these type of hatchback cars for a long time, still rare, despite em being far more practical then those sedans with a mail-slot for a trunk... yes im looking at you audi.

[@laddtryck]

dreamcar

[@TheCarCrazyGuy]

Saab is sobbing in it’s automotive grave.

[@wacawsowa4638]

Mam taką maszynę, super autko

[@armandoenriquez1104]

That '70s Show to Kazuki in the Season 15.

[@nutsackmania]

Took my 9000 to work today, boooooost

[@rootsmanuva82]

$36,945 in 1992 when adjusted for inflation is $66,762 today. Bit steep.

[@77chatham]

Funny how this was faster than a 2012 9-5

[@illitero]

$36k in 1992? _calculates for inflation_ $65k in 2018. Yowza.

[@Spheredalai]

Saab try not to name their cars starting with a 9 challenge (impossible)

[@FuckTheGlobal]

it will start at 30- ^^

[@WHO9119]

Anybody remember the commercial when SAAB dropped the car on its roof then flipped it over and drove away, thats why it was so exspensive they lost money on this car thats why it never worked out for GM when they bought SAAB

[@theKevronHarris]

WHO9119 I did remember!

[@jake20479]

when you buy a saab.. all you have are saab stories ;)

[@LynxStarAuto]

These cars were hideous, but bulletproof.

[@RobertoSalvatti]

Hideous?, you have no taste, pretty sure you drive an SUV or a VAN.

[@WhenYouFlying]

Chill with the sponsors

[@armandoenriquez1104]

Motorweek to Anime comedy.

[@IceMan-il7dx]

Bring back buttons....like flying a B737

[@veronsilva6965]

Ayrton Senna GP Brasil 1991!!!!!!

[@oldieznut1]

Only four cylinders but somehow was quicker and had more horsepower than its V8 counterparts.

[@eduardslahs219]

jau 10 gadus braucu ar SAAB 9000 AeRO ar dzineju 2,3 . Braukšana vel arvien sagādā baudu .

[@bigoteshombredemuchovalor9032]

How much is 37 thousand in today's money ?????

[@joebrito2066]

Whooping 200 Hp!

[@andrewsmithjr.1434]

Elmo leather.

[@jongpraserthsathaporn2877]

❤👍👍👍👌✌🏾✌🏾✌🏾❤💟😇😳🧐👍👍👍

[@atmartens]

Saab: Poor man’s Volvo. :)

[@viktorjjakobsson9710]

Thats a daft statement.

[@a2jettagli]

And literally zero survived. I saw one on the junk yard 12-15 years ago. That was it

[@leftpastsaturn67]

You saw one in a junkyard 12-15 years ago and that means none survived? That's amusing.

[@illdub89]

Huh? Lots of people still drive them, myself included lol