Saab 9000 - Maptun out and back to Saab

Anyone who followed the project for a long time noticed that there were gimmicks with the engine control unit. The 9000 Anniversary is actually a 170 hp turbo. The performance is nice, the 260 Nm are sufficient, but not really inspiring. A little more power was needed. For a short time, 170 hp turned into 245. A Maptun control unit and T5 APC valve made it possible.

380 Nm, 5,7 kilograms per hp, that's all there is to it. The kit is still available at today Maptun, in a slightly different form. With the disadvantage that you have to send in the control unit and the Maptun software is installed. And the consequence that going back to the original is no longer so easy. Because Saab 9k control units are unfortunately in short supply, after years ago in Sweden they haphazardly sold new goods at low prices.

The gimmick is nice, but also annoying

From a solid 9000, which is by nature more of a touring car than a sports car, Maptun has turned into a youngtimer that is quite nervous about the gas. One can like that and that is fascinating - at least for the first moment. In connection with brakes and chassis, which were constructed on the drawing boards in 1980, it is not something you want to drive permanently.

Because if you want to be consistent, you would have to do more. Braking needs to be resolved urgently, but it is difficult. The 9000 is only available with rims up to a size of 16 ″, the 17 ″ version unfortunately never came into series production. If you don't feel like a larger rim format that does not come from Saab, then it will be tight. The brake discs naturally remain small. Together with the chassis, which will always be a compromise, not a project that I seriously wanted to tackle.

It goes without saying that it is a pleasure to leave a modern plastic car on the highway and watch it get smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror. But these are just gimmicks for the moment, nothing that counts for everyday life. The final decision-making aid is the performance characteristics of the Maptun software with a pronounced turbo hole. It is far from what Saab or Hirsch delivered. The harmonic coordination is missing, Maptun frankly delivers classic tuning. This is generally not bad and maybe I'm just too spoiled through many Saab years.

Maptun out, back to Saab

In the meantime, the Saab has returned to its roots. Maptun is history, the control unit is again the original Saab. The T5 APC valve remained, the 170 hp control unit became one with 200. The performance is harmonious and confident, as one is used to with a Saab. The draft is full, at the traffic lights there is a small second until the 9000 picks up speed. 323 Nm, almost 80 more than the original 2.3t, are noticeably available.

The Saab is now again a sovereign sedan for long journeys, a golden compromise. The combination of the new engine control unit and APC valve in conjunction with consumption is interesting. It has developed positively.

There are 7,6 liters in the mix per 100 kilometers. Not bad for a 23 year old upper mid-range sedan. The value could not previously be achieved with the Maptun Kit or with the original 170 PS version. On the contrary, the original version was almost 2 liters thirstier, but was still just below the consumption specified by Saab.

What kind of times were those in 1998, when car manufacturers were still communicating actual consumption. Today the information almost never applies. Which, by the way, applies to all types of drive.