Saab 9-5 2.0t Biopower Range
Hows your environmental conscience? Does it get a little tweaked by the sight of cars belching out voluminous clouds of greenhouse gases, carcinogenic particulates and all manner of toxic substances seemingly guaranteed to send us into premature dementia or infertility? If so, there are a few ways to slave your guilt. The best is to buy a bicycle, but thats not always practical for most of us. Petrol/electric hybrid cars are one way to clean up your act and are starting to gain a solid following but there arent many to choose from. Saab have hit on another approach that may well have a significant part to play in future vehicle development.
Its called BioPower.
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These engines emit only water but the manufacturing process is costly, some residual technological impediments have yet to be solved in making fuel cells a viable reality and even the most optimistic industry watchers dont expect to see one in a passenger car much before 2010. So what can we do in the interim? Biological fuel sources are nothing new, as many farmers will have realised down the years, running their vehicles on ethanol which can be derived from corn, wheat, potato wastes, sugar beet, forest residue, molasses, sugar cane and virtually any other form of cellulose. Petroleum is also used to make industrial ethanol.
"The 9-5 BioPower is an intriguing technological, environmental, financial and dynamic proposition"
Ethanol, which is the same chemical as the alcohol in alcoholic beverages, can reach 96% purity by volume by distillation, and is as clear as water. Ethanol is flammable and pure ethanol burns more cleanly than many other fuels. However, pure ethanol reacts with or dissolves certain rubber and plastic materials and cannot be used in unmodified engines. Additionally, ethanol has a much higher octane rating (about 115) than ordinary petrol, requiring changes to the compression ratio or spark timing to obtain uncombusted nonvaporized ethanol.
If 15% ethanol is mixed with petrol, no engine modification is typically needed and this mix, called gasohol or E85, is what Saab use with the 9-5 BioPower. This was introduced nationwide in Denmark, and in 1989, Brazil produced 12 billion litres of fuel ethanol from sugar cane, which was used to power 9.2 million cars. With an octane rating of around 105, this makes the 9-5 BioPower a good deal swifter than if running on normal 95 octane petrol.
Saab estimate a 20 per cent gain in brake horsepower and a 16 per cent boost to torque. The addition of a small amount of petrol helps the engine under cold start conditions. With oil prices at a record high, motorists could make long term savings, get better performance and help the environment by switching to BioPower. Those amongst you who paid attention in chemistry classes will know that the net products of ethanol combustion are carbon dioxide and water.
So wheres the environmental benefit? Aside from being able to replenish the fuel stocks, the plants harvested to create the ethanol consume more carbon dioxide in their growth cycle than the resultant fuel will emit when burnt, meaning a net depletion of CO2. Smart, eh? US magazine Popular Science certainly thought so, the 9-5 BioPower featuring in their annual ranking of 100 breakthrough products and technologies that represent a significant leap in their categories. "Were pleased and honoured to be named Popular Sciences Best of Whats New," said Jan-Ã…ke Jonsson, Saab Automobile AB Managing Director. "Near term, bio-ethanol provides an effective first step to our energy challenges. Its a bridge that can lead us from fossil fuels toward new, sustainable technologies that are still under development." The rest of the 9-5 package also merits closer inspection. The Range has undergone a facelift of late and its a very smart piece of design, notably with that new front end. The chrome headlight surrounds and clean finish to the grille and bumper sections give the 9-5 serious presence without resorting to the sorts of me-too contrivances that have afflicted certain rivals. The facelift goes a whole lot further than a mere window dressing, however, and Saab claim that every piece of panelling ahead of the windscreen pillars is new.
The rear end has been tidied and modernised with a more streamlined-looking rear valance and bumper assembly. The interior has also been given a spruce up. When run on petrol, the 2.0-litre engines torque figure of 177lb/ft gives it an advantage over many executive rivals.
This lends the Saab a more imperious outside lane attitude and the engines bigger muscles can be felt around town when you wont need to trouble the gearstick too frequently. The sprint to 60mph takes just 9.6 seconds, whilst the top speed of 134mph is again very class-competitive. Run it on E85 and youll be looking at a peak power output of 180bhp and drop that sprint to 60mph to 8.
3 seconds. Much will hinge on how efficiently bioethanol fuel is rolled out to garage forecourts. If a critical mass of filling stations is achieved, theres no reason why Saabs 9-5 BioPower shouldnt be a very credible contender. Its only a matter of time before bioethanol becomes a mainstream fuel source and in the meantime, this car will run perfectly happily on unleaded petrol.
Saab could have put a key move on the opposition here. I never predicted that this years most interesting car was going to be a Saab 9-5.
Facts At A Glance
CAR: Saab 9-5 2.0t BioEthanol Range
PRICES: from £22,070 on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 13
CO2 EMISSIONS: 218g/km
PERFORMANCE: ( running on E85) 0-60mph 8.5s / Max Speed 139mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 21.2mpg / (extra urban) 39.8mpg / (combined) 30mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin airbags, front side airbags, ABS
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height 4810/2040/1450mm
