Saab · 1984–1998

Saab 9000

The Saab 9000 is an automobile produced by the Swedish company Saab from 1984 to 1998. Representing the company's foray into the executive car scene, it was developed as a result of the successes of the turbocharged 99 and 900 models. The 9000 remained in production until May 1998 and was replaced by the 9-5 in late 1997, although some final cars were produced into 1998. The Saab 9000 was only available with petrol engines, in two different 5-door hatchback designs or as a 4-door notchback.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Successor: Saab 9-5

All Saab 9000 data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years → + Compare

Introduction

Saab designed the 9000 as part of its joint development Type Four platform in conjunction with the Italian automaker Fiat Automobiles. Fiat developed and sold its own derivative versions from the platform as the more basic Fiat Croma, the luxury-themed Lancia Thema, and the sports-oriented Alfa Romeo 164. Unlike the 164, which shares only the chassis, the Croma and Thema are outwardly similar to the 9000. As such, much of the bodywork appeared interchangeable between the 9000, Croma and Thema; for example, the doors. However, because Saab fitted heavier side impact protection and made other changes to the design, none of the components could be interchanged between the cars. Fiat had designed the Croma with no consideration of American crash test requirements, which forced Saab to strengthen the body by fitting various reinforcements. Thus, the front of the Saab is radically different from the Italian siblings due to the much improved crash protection. Only seven parts are actually interchangeable. Additionally, where the other Type Four cars used independent MacPherson struts all round, the 9000 used them only on the front suspension, with its rear suspension instead using a beam axle. The 9000 was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro and Saab's in-house designer Björn Envall. Despite being shorter overall than the 900 which was still produced in parallel, the 9000 has a longer wheelbase and greater interior space with 3.5 cubic metres (120 cu ft) of interior space, 0.67 cubic metres (24 cu ft) in the boot and 1.6 cubic metres (57 cu ft) with rear seats folded). Qualifying as an EPA-rated large car, a distinction shared only with the contemporary Rolls-Royce in America. This was achieved by installing the engine transversely to the direction of travel in the 9000 (instead of

History

The 9000 was launched to the motoring press at a conference at Kolmården Game Park on 24 May 1984 and 1985 in the European market. This original model called "Saab 9000 Turbo 16" was a five-door hatchback, only available with a manual gearbox and the 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder engine with 16 valves, already known from the 900. Maximum power was quoted to be 175 hp DIN (129 kW) without a catalytic converter. The 9000 has Drag coefficient of Cd 0.34, very competitive for the time. Earlier on in the development, the PRV engine had also been considered as well as the Ford Vulcan engine from the upcoming Ford Taurus. The Saab 9000 was awarded Best Prestige Car 1985 by the French magazine L'Action Automobile. Cars built in the first year had problems with weak structural rigidity and developed a reputation for cracks and fatigue if fitted with tow hooks or sunroofs. Earlier production 9000s were not able to pass the American crash test standards but the car was continuously reinforced during its production run. At the end of 1985, for the 1986 model year, the 9000 was rolled out in the most important foreign market: the US. It was fitted with the 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, now with exhaust gas purification via catalytic converter and was rated at 160 hp DIN (118 kW). Saab also introduced a fuel injected naturally aspirated engine for the 9000 during the same year, available in all of Saab's markets. This engine is rated at 125 hp DIN (92 kW) with catalytic converters and 128 hp DIN (94 kW) without catalytic converters. The naturally aspirated engine is based on the turbocharged engine and features four valves per cylinder, electronic ignition, and a knock sensor. In the autumn of 1986, Saab organised a record attempt with the 9000, which received much at

Models

=== 9000 CC (hatchback) === Originally known simply as the 9000, the original hatchback variant was later given the CC identifier, standing for "Combi Coupe", to differentiate it from the CD ("Corps Diplomatique") saloon and later CS hatchback. Saab also used this different identifier for models of the 900. While originally equipped with an upright front design, this was replaced by the facelift adopting the sloped design language in the 1990 model year that had earlier debuted on the 9000 CD saloon in 1988. As with the 900 CC, the 9000 CC had some special models in some countries, such as the 9000 Turbo 16 SP in France (SP stands for "Sport and Performance"). In Germany and Switzerland there were also a special edition named "Saab 9000 Turbo 16 S", with an airflow kit and the B202 turbocharged engine with a catalytic converter tuned up to 195 hp (for 1990). But the most popular special series is the so-called "Talladega" (US and most parts of Europe) or "Carlsson" (UK), both models available as CC and CD saloon versions. The "Carlsson" takes its name from legendary Swedish rally ace Erik Carlsson, who secured numerous wins for Saab in the sixties. In markets outside of the UK, it was known as the Talladega in honour of the 19 endurance records set by three standard turbocharged 9000s at Talladega Speedway in the US in 1986. Since 1988, the CC was available both with and without catalytic converter. Saab had scared the power to 175 PS (160 PS original) in the catalytic converter engine and 192 PS (175 PS original) in non-catalyzed variants. The boost pressure was around 1.0 bar. Furthermore, a new "black box" (APC) had been installed in the Talladega models which allows higher power. 9000 Carlsson models were produced with a paint-matched airflow body kit, spoiler, and

One-offs

=== Convertible (prototype) === A convertible version was constructed by Finnish company Valmet, the prototype version is currently on display at the Uusikaupunki car museum near the Valmet factory. Other experiments included fitting of the Yamaha developed Ford SHO V6 engine most famously fitted to the Ford Taurus SHO. This was vetoed by Saab-Scania, Saab's owner at the time, as was the fitting of a VM Motori diesel engine which had been executed with the goal to increase Saab's sales in central and southern Europe. Prometheus (prototype). In 1993, Saab experimented with steer-by-wire technology as part of the pan-European programme "Prometheus" (Programme for European Traffic with Highest Efficiency and Unprecedented Safety). Their contribution to the programme consisted of a modified 9000 with the steering wheel replaced with a center-mounted joystick. This setup removed the risk of body and facial injury in the event of an accident. It also provided easier and cheaper airbag installation, as well as improved instrument panel visibility. This prototype was tested by Jeremy Clarkson in an episode of Top Gear; the segment was revisited in Series 18, Episode 5 of the Top Gear TV series, where Clarkson and James May paid tribute to the fallen automotive marque. MPV (prototype). At a visit to the American Sunroof Company, who helped design the Saab 900 convertible, the engineers spotted the building of a minivan based on the Chrysler's K-car (later launched as Chrysler Voyager). Gunnar Larsson thought it was a neat idea and when he came home he asked the head of bodyworks Dick Ohlsson if they could do something like that based on the Saab 9000. "No problem", was the reply and a small team started working on it in secret. They used the 9000 platform but lengthened and wit

Engines

The Saab 9000 was available with a variety of naturally-aspirated and turbocharged engines. The range consisted mostly of the Saab 2.0 and 2.3 litre engines, but there was also the 3.0-litre V6 made by General Motors. One 9000 was fitted with a prototype Saab V8 engine. After the facelift in 1992 and as of 1993 (in most markets), the newly introduced two equipment series CS/CD and CSE/CDE could be combined with all available engines (depending on the country) in the respective model years. This means that even a base CS could be ordered with the most powerful turbo engine. The face lifted CS models and the CD were available in MY 1992 in most countries with the same four engines which had also powered the former CC: - the old B202 with and without the turbocharger, both known from the classic Saab 900 - the B234 with and without the turbocharger This changed for MY 1993: on most international markets a 2.0 litre light pressure turbo (LPT) equipped engine called B204 with two balance shafts (like in the B234) became available on both CS and CD models. In these markets, this LPT engine gradually replaced the 2.3 litre naturally aspirated unit. Because Saab did not introduce the 2.0 litre LPT in the U.S., the LPT concept did not enter the U.S. market until 1994 with the 2.3 LPT, based on a re-designed B234 engine. Since then, the Saab 9000 has only been available in the U.S. with the three 2.3 litre turbo engines: 2.3 litre LPT: 170 hp 2.3 litre FPT: 200 hp 2.3 litre Aero: 225 hp The 9000 with this LPT engine had the best fuel economy of any large car in the U.S. in 1995. The background of the new B204 and re-designed B234 engine was that Saab needed a suitable engine for the upcoming 900 NG. Since Saab was always under high-cost pressure, the new B204 were designed to f

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name

Saab 9000

Manufacturer

Saab

Production

24 May 1984 – 6 May 1998

Assembly

Sweden: Trollhättan (Trollhättan Assembly), Finland: Uusikaupunki (1984–1991)

Designer

Björn Envall, Giorgetto Giugiaro at Italdesign

Class

Executive car (E)

Body style

4-door saloon (CD), 5-door hatchback (CC, CS)

Platform

Type four

Related

Alfa Romeo 164, Fiat Croma, Lancia Thema

Layout

Transverse front-engine, front-wheel drive

Engine

2.0 L B202/B204 I4, 2.0 L B202/B204 turbocharged I4, 2.3 L B234 I4, 2.3 L B234 turbocharged I4, 3.0 L GM B308 V6

Transmission

4-speed ZF 4HP18 automatic, 5-speed F25 manual

Wheelbase

2672 mm

Length

CC: 4620 mm, CD: 4782 mm, CS: 4761 mm

Width

1763 mm

Height

1420 mm

Kerb weight

1410 –

Successor

Saab 9-5

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured facts from Wikidata (CC0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

Sources

• Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q169116CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saab_9000CC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1361651115 · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SAAB9000.jpgCC BY-SA 3.0 · Photo: Liftarn · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.

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