Workin’ 9-5

a nd I k now of one estate t hat has covered 360,000 w it hout need ing a ny major pa r ts or rebu i lds.

A ver y good reason for choosing t h is model over t he ot her ver y good execut ive offer i ngs is its superb level of sta nda rd equ ipment.

There a re just t wo t r im levels in later models – Vector SE a nd Aero.

Vectors come w it h a mu lt i-f u nct ion steer ing wheel, a n ine spea ker aud io system w it h au x in a nd USB, DA B radio, sat nav w it h touchscreen, Bluetoot h, cl i mate a nd cr u ise.

They a lso have pa rk ing sensors, elect r ic adjust ment for t he d r iver’s seat, adapt ive head l ig hts t hat sw ivel for cor ners, auto d ipping a nd automat ic assista nce for pa ra l lel pa rk i ng.

The Aero adds f u l l leat her upholster y, heated seats, spor ts steer i ng wheel, a l loy peda ls, a nd la rger a l loy wheels.

Saab has a lways majored on com for t in its suspension set t i ngs, a nd t hat mea ns t he 9-5 ca n cover long d ista nces leav i ng occupa nts f resher t ha n t hey m ig ht be in ot her execut ive offer i ngs.

There is some body rol l in ha rder cor ner i ng but nonet heless, t he 9-5 a lso has good ba la nce a nd excel lent g r ip even when pushed ver y ha rd.

Pet rol eng i nes a re a l l t u rbos, a nd sta r t w it h a 1.6 t hat has 176bhp. Th is is fol lowed by a 2.0-l it re w it h 217bhp a nd t hen t he 2.8 V6 w it h 296bhp. These a re ver y ra re of cou rse, because t hey ’re pret t y t h i rst y.

There a re t wo versions of t he sa me

2.0-l it re d iesel w it h eit her 158 or 187bhp a nd decent per for ma nce is backed up by 50-plus m i les per ga l lon.

The estate version is huge a nd act ua l ly has a bigger load a rea t ha n t he benchma rk Volvo V 70, a nd most ava i lable second ha nd w i l l have t he d iesel.

Pay about £5,500 for a n ’11 11-reg

Vector SE TiD (158bhp) ma nua l, or £7,950 for a ’12 12-reg Aero T TiD (187bhp).