aN ard A btgn eh ap Ae aba nt Gea Yat 1 gat OE RN Camere gS as TEST DRIVE THE SAAB 900S convert- ible and the turbo convert- ible may be the oddest- looking convertibles in Canada but they do have a certain European appeal which most American and Japanese convertibles lack. The unusual styling of Saabs over the years can be attributed to the influence of Saab’s aircraft division which builds, among other things, fighter jets. The first Saabs in the "40s and 50s were designed by aviation engineers who Saab adrnits ‘‘had a total disregard for conventional car- building wisdom.”’ The Saab 900 design dates back to the mid-1960s and hasn't changed dramatically since then. There are currently three body styles: the 9G0 hatchback with its familiar whale-tale rear end, a four-door sedan with slightly more conventional styling, and a convertible based on the two-door body style. Saab 900s are priced in the $25,000-$50,000 range with the base hatchback at the bottom and the turbo convertible at the top of the range. : An all-new 900 sedan and coupe will arrive this fall and a convertible will follow in the spring of 1995, Spy photos that I’ve seen indicate that the new 900 will retain its distinctive Saab character, but improve upon its aging technology. The current convertible is avail- able with a normally aspirated 2.1-litre four-cyiinder engine with 140 horsepower, or a turbocharg- ed 2.0-litre dual overhead cam four-cylinder engine which devel- ops 160 horsepower. The engine, which drives the front wheels, is placed in a north-south configuration rather than the conventional east-west arrangement in most front- wheel-drive cars. This has the ad- vantage of better weight distribu- tion and fewer vibrations trans- Technical Dats Price as tested $42,860 Base price $48,040 Type Twe-door, four passen- ger convertible Layout longitudinal engine/front-wheel drive Engine 2.0-litre four-cylinder, DOHC, turbocharged, inter- cooled, fuel injection Horsepower 160 @ 5,500 rpm Torque 138 ft.-ibs. @ 3,000 front Rig Gahlaccteg wg tira (ened ah i. hea ves Rey ue i ih ? pee ¥ aes ye) ae a oahndaut frre ae sae op C design of the mid-60s Photo Marc Rovne THE CURRENT Saab 900 Turbo offers a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine with 16G horsepower, four-wheel disc brakes witin ABS and a power-cperated convertible top. mitted to the passenger compart- ment. My test vehicle was a turbo medel equipped with an optional three-speed automatic transmis- sion. The turbocharged, intercooled 2.1-litre four-cylinder engine is surprisingly powerful. Saab claims that priority was given to acceler- _ation when overtaking rather than maximum top speed or standing- Start acceleration, . | found this to be true, as the 900 Turbo’s engine revs too high to be comfortable at speeds over 100 km/h, and performance off the line is only average. However, with the engine rev- ving at 2,000 to 3,000 rpm, a firm press on the accelerator pedal brings the turbocharger to life, enabling the 9G) Turbo to merge easily onto the freeway or pull out and pass lumbering motorhomes. Engine noise (with the top up} is non-intrusive in city driving but somewhai buzzy on the freeway, with the engine turning over 3,100 rpm at 100 km/h in third gear. The standard five-speed manual transinission would probably be a better choice for highway driving. See Tap page 24 rpm Transmission Three-speed automatic (five-speed manual) Curb weight 1,340 kg/2950 Ibs. Wheelbase 2,537 mm/99.1 in. Length 4,680 mm/184.3 in. Width 1,690 mm/66.5 in. Height 1,400 mm/55.! in. Trunk capacity 302 litres/10.7 cu, ft. Fires radiais Fuel consumption City 13.21/ 100 km, 2! mpg, Hwy 10.01/ 100 km, 28 mpg Warranty three yrs/60,000 km 195/60VR-15 Michelin IC C introduces programs to combat rising claims costs {CBC RECENTLY unveil- ed new accident and crime-prevention programs intended to reduce Autoplan premiums by trimming claims payouts. The insurance corporation pays more than $200 every se- cond its doors are open for business. ICBC is dedicating funds to improve the safety of intersec- tions and to step up police en- forcement. The new Road Sense program initiatives were presented in North Vancouver on Thursday, June 24. ICBC plans to expand a cur- rent $6.7 million safety and ctime-prevention budget to $10.5 million. The extra money will go to combat theft, hit and run, and vandalism. Among the program highlights are: © commercial vehicle enforee- ment and safety. The corpora- tion is training 30 police officers froin throughout B.C. to inspect commercial vehicles. 6 incentives for anti-theft devices, [CBC will pay back $50 of a driver's insurance deductible if the vehicle owner uses an ap- proved anti-theft device, but the money is only available if evi- dence is shown that the security NEWS photo Mike Wakefleld iCBC CHIEF executive officer Bill McCourt outlines the new program initiatives. measure thwarted a would-be thief. If che vehicle is stolen and recovered, there must be proof that. the anti-theft device was circumvented. @ driver of the month awards. Drivers with 10, 15 and 20 years on the road without accident and conviction automatically qualify for monthly awards of Autoplan premium discounts of $206, $300 and $500, @ vehicle design. The corpora- tion’ has prepared a consumer information booklet called How to Buy a Better Auto. The booklet lists more than 200 1993 vehicle models and compares such features as airbags, anti- lock brakes, head restraints, theft resistance and repair costs, The total cost of claims reported to ICBC has gone from $900 million five years ago to $1.7 billion last year..