We have this combination and have just towed for the first time, no problems with power but stability is poor. Not sure why as it was loaded correctly but couldn't get above 50 without a wobble, have discovered that car has sport springs, could this be the problem? Any ideas?
Just like baby bear's porridge , perfect. Use extender mirrors however as it it tempting not to buy essential for this set up. A bit of a dip with a plug in tow ball but it doesn't seem to trouble the handling. One can nearllu forget it is there.
My Saab 2001 9-5 2.3t estate and Coachman Wanderer 18/4 (based on the Amara 535/4) is a big outfit! It is often closer to the 90% than the 85% recommended weight ratio, and getting the ball weight down to the max 75kg is near impossible with two (lightweight!) gas bottles and other bits in the front stowage box. I have burnt out her clutch on one occasion doing a stupid reverse manouver into a small space, uphill! However, the outfit is very stable, little sway even when passing or being passed by HGV's. What I do find a little frustrating is the mpg when towing - down to 20 or less, and the lack of 5th gear power on inclines. Yes, the Saab is knocking on a bit and, yes, it's done over 175,000 miles so what can I expect? It is a beautiful car and I treat it abysmally! It rewards me with incredible reliability and, even now, drop a cog and feel that turbo kick in - when solo. Even towing, the lower gears cope very adequately. I am searching for a replacement car - Saab will not last forever - but I will shed many tears when she has to go!
Just returned from a week in the lakes and returned 36mpg at a steady 56 mph for 130 miles, plenty of power, loaded correctly well suited and plenty of power in reserve.towing pleasure with confidence
I was a little concerned in the first instance after i purchased my swift challenger 490 se of circa 1993 5 berth loaded to the max of 1250kg with an over all lenght of close too 24 ft shipping length, two adults and toys for a three year old, awning etc this outfit has impecable towing ability, the engine has more than enough power to cope with all eventualities and on a nice run from warrington to the dorset coast returned 35 mpg. careful loading of the van will help with stability and i chose to place the vans spare wheel inside over the axle to lower the hitch weight. excellent
I have to say that as the holiday came closer the more worried I got. I bought the saab without much consideration for the caravan. I was very pleasantly surprised. It towed a lot better than my previous 2 Volvo V70 D5's. A lot. Highly reccomended and the fuel consumption hardly changed from solo. Honestly 44.6 average on a 345mile tow.
My second 9-5 is working very good as a towcar for my Polar 620. Driving trough most of southern Sweden, I could use 5th gear in most cases. Also reduced fuelconsumption by 35% compared to my previous 9-5 2,0T (220 bhp) gasoline engine without loosing any performance. The diesel is very powerfull. The 9-5 are also very stabile with my boggie Polar 620 behind and I have not experienced any incapacity with the rear suspension. It may have something to do with the fact that we only have our baby-prams in the back. Rest is safely placed in the caravan.
I've towed with this outfit for the last 2 years without problem. Trips have included to North Yorkshire, East Anglia and France. Care is needed in loading the caravan as the tow ball load limit of the car is low at 75kg.
Just towed a caravan for first time with our newly acquired Saab. While it handled well on the whole, we are concerned about the rear suspension - the car seemed very low on the back axle compared with our previous Mondeo. Does anyone else have experience / advice on this?
No problem with this combination provided that nose weight is correct. Very good performance and great engine flexibility. Average 29 to 33 mpg when towing with car and van fully laden.
Towed this caravan to Costa Brava and back without putting a foot wrong. Handled all inclines on and off motorway very effectively, though often changing down to fourth gear. Would be better still if 6 gears. Handled short steep hills well, eg. coming up out of some sites.
We have recently started caravaning and tow with a 2007 Saab 95 AERO sedan 260BHP towing a Swift Challenger 540 We added ATC to the specification. The combination is very stable, even in high winds and we are pleased with this configuration. The Saab has the power to accelerate well and top gear is usable in most conditions. averaging @ 25MPG
I TOW WITH A SAAB 9-5 1997 AND IT PULLS MY ELDDIS WISP 1991 AND THEY WORK OUT AT 54% I DONT NO THAT IT IS ON THE BACK , BUT THE SAAB DOES HAVE TOWING LIMIT OF 1800KG , IM VERY PLEASED WITH THE OUTFIT AND WILL IN THE FUTURE PROGRESS TO A BIGGER CARAVAN. THANKYOU FOR READING MY REVIEW
great tow car ,good fun up hills but heavey on fuel !!!!
Fuel as low as 16 mpg ( headwind and roof box ) upto 23 mpg
Exellent combination. I've been towing aprox. 3000 km last summer mostly on swedish roads (moderate steep hills) and it was very powerfull yet moderate fuelconsumption (13,0 liter/100 km). For a relative big caravan the Saab had absoloute no trouble towing the Polar 620 what has to be the most perfect caravan ever made! Greetings from Norway and Oslo
i have towed with this car now for over 3000 miles over all different types of road from country to motorway last being in the region of 1200 miles from northeast scotland down to hurley berks. with no problems and returning a very respectable 30-35mpg and there was no lack of power for overtaking when needed.
Superb performance with the extra 25bhp from the Hirsch upgrade (Saab Approved and fitted), and tows our Sterling Europa 460 with ease. With fuel consumption when towing of around 28mpg on average this may seem a bit thirsty, but we seldom feel we're holding up traffic, and getting away from the lights leaves most cars standing, so perhaps a lighter right foot would give better results! On its own the 9.5 seldom drops below 43mpg, and can easily show 50 plus mpg at motorway speeds.
Handling is good with the caravan on, uphill starts on even the steepest hills have not been a problem, with the usual provisio that you need to feather the throttle a wee bit to save tyre screech.
Braking is as per usual with an Automatic, and is excellent though pad wera can be heavy if you don't use the manual change down to help, or lift off a bit earlier and let the outfit slow itself initially.
Comfort is unaltered with a caravan in tow, rear vision is good with the Raydot mirrors we use, and rearward manouvering is as good as any other car we've had, even with the extra rear pillars on the estate version.
In standard form with 150bhp on tap the 9.5 will be a good towcar; with the Hirsch upgarde it's a great towcar, and the best Saab we've towed with.
Have towed with this combination for a year now and travel all over UK and Europe,(4,500ml last trip) and have had no problems.It pulls well, no problems on Motorway Inclines/Hills leaves many units well behind,even in the Pyreneese. Being sensible will return 30+mpg.I use BP Gaslite bottles to keep nose weight down and they are a big help. Being Twin Axle it is a very stable unit. Will probably keep the pairing for a further year.
I have found this combination superb.
Excelent handling on motorways.
Manages hills inclines with ease.
A great combo makes towing a real pleasure.
I've been using the wrong weights! see http://www.cuddles.abelgratis.net/coachman.htm#pastiche01 to be able to identify your year of manufacture and weights
(Webmaster: yes you did, because you overlooked this text: "All caravans in the database are of modelyear 2005/2007. In case your model is not listed select one and fill in the weight, dimensions and windflow character by yourself on the next page."
This website can only exist with your support.
Thank you!
TowCarCalculator
©2004-2023 Caravantrekker