I own a '96 9000 Aero, and it is a wonderful highway cruiser. However, when I get to gravel roads, I wish a had my Subaru Outback instead; the Saab does not want to go bumping around the rocks in the gravel. However, the Subaru is a real bore on the highway. This made me wonder - can anyone share their experience with using an Aero as a skiing/backpacking/towing vehicle? Has anyone used the Aero in such multi-tasking capacity? Here is the information I have and the questions I am looking to have answers for:
- Clearly, an 9000 Aero - or the 9-5 Aero - should have no problem negotiating the snow with the proper snow tires. However, is the low clearance due to ground effects going to create a problem in the fresh snow?
- Related question: a friend of mine drove in an 9-5 Aero through 10cm of water and ended up with an engine replacement - apparently, the air intake is low enough that some water was sucked into the engine. Where is air intake on the 9000? Is it going to have a similar problem? Has the 9-5 issue been alleviated on the later model 9-5s?
- Gravel - I suspect that my 9000 was not happy in the gravel because the vehicle has close to 100kMiles, and probably needs new shocks. Any other comments on its gravel drivability?
- Towing - there is some info on towing in the manual, but has anyone actually attempted to tow with an Aero (either an 9000 or a 9-5)?
Thanks,
-Dima