How about a 1.6T?

[Steve McF]

Doing my usual surf for anything Saab, I came across this:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/60-REG-9-5-1-6T-VECTOR-SE-ULEZ-FREE-1-FORMER-KEEPER-FULL-HISTORY-LEATHER-2-KEYS/283853809275?hash=item421701667b:g:YGsAAOSw29ZeB4fs

It's a 1.6T petrol. Does anyone know anything about this engine/derivative, and is it a case of "don't touch with a bargepole"??!!!

[sgould]

I think that it's an engine that Saab developed for GM.  There's also a 1.4t available in the Insignia.  I've not heard anything against the engine, but I doubt that many were sold, so info will probably be scarce.

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/vauxhall/insignia/first-drives/vauxhall-insignia-1.4t

[Steve McF]

I think the 1.6T was 150bhp, so same power output as my old 9-5 Ecopower!!!!!

I assumed it was a GM unit, but if Saab developed it for GM, I'm intrigued!!!

[Audax]

I doubt it was created by Saab for GM as it was part of a series of engines introduced in 2005, by that time Saab were just working on a few small aspects of the engines with GM (they might have done the turbocharging but doubtful they would have had any further influence beyond that).

That particular turbo engine was first fitted in the Astra in 2007. It's 180hp 230nm of torque, bit under powered in the 9-5 given how big and heavy it is, nothing wrong with it from what I can tell just not very high performance or very Saab though.

[sgould]

180hp for the 1.6t

A couple of extracts from the brochure...

[sgould]

I understood that Saab did all the turbocharging development on the GM engines.

One reason I have never considered buying an NG 9-5 is the size.  It's 7 ft wide across the door mirrors. There are rather too many 6'-6" width restrictions around this area which would make life tedious.

[fka]

I can vouch for the 1.4 having driven the Insignia (hire car) a few years ago. Cracking little engine although it runs out of puff fairly early in the rev range.
Also the light weight up front gives the car a fairly even weight distribution.

[Audax]

I understood that Saab did all the turbocharging development on the GM engines.

I believe Saab only worked on some of the later Ecotec engines when working on the NG9-3, which resulted in the B207 series. The 1.6T is a different family of engines which was an evolution of an even older Opel design which was mostly used in Vauxhall cars.

For the B207 series I was told by a guy who worked at Lotus that it was an engine he had personally worked on, he claimed that Opel had done the basic block, Holden had done the drive system and Saab the turbocharging and that as a result the engine didn't work properly so they got Lotus to fix it, hence why he had a 9-3 as he wanted to drive a car with an engine in that he had done development work on. (No idea if that was a true story other than I know he did work for Lotus and did have a 9-3!)

[ReAxs7]

Slightly off topic. Saab had a developement project which produced the Saab Variable Compression (SVC) engine which produced 225bhp out of 1.6L.

Click the link if you wish to read more about it over at Saab Planet.com

Saab Planet.com

[Steve McF]

Ah yes, that great line at the end ......

"The SVC project was shelved by General Motors, when it took over Saab Automobile, due to cost."

Many a small company with innovative ideas, quashed by an overseas parent company more interested in the balance sheet than the actual engineering..........