2005 Saab 9-5 Ethanol Preview

Also ethanol releases less carbon-based emissions than gasoline, especially greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2), one

Like the alcohol that's found in alcoholic beverages, ethanol is commercially produced from grain crops. (Photo: General Motors of Canada)

of the primary factors theoretically believed by some camps to be the cause of global warming. Interestingly enough, ethanol is one of the most carbon-neutral fuel sources available to power automobiles, being that the carbon dioxide emitted during the production and consumption of ethanol is almost equal to the amount removed from the atmosphere when the grain crops are grown.

Eco-friendly cars are usually like a double-edged sword. While the power source used may reduce harm to the environment, users usually lose out on performance eliminating driving enjoyment. This reportedly isn't the case with the 9-5 FFV. In its most widely-available E85 form, the 85 percent ethanol/gasoline blend found at many refilling stations, the fuel offers an

The extra 30-hp kick the 9-5 EFF gets from the 85 percent ethanol/gasoline blend doesn't increase fuel consumption. (Photo: General Motors of Canada)

extraordinarily high RON octane rating of 104. This compares favorably to commercially available gasoline which peaks at an average of 91 RON.

The added 'kick' in E85's octane number allows the small, turbocharged motor to produce 180 horsepower, an improvement of 20 percent over the regular Euro-spec model's 150 horsepower output. Saab claims that the extra 30 horses won't come at the expense of fuel consumption either. At low speeds there is unlikely to be any impact of the flex-fuel, however, it's a totally different story at higher speeds. During testing runs, the 9-5 EFF posted a welcome 15 percent gain in fuel economy, as fuel-enrichment for motor cooling is no longer necessary when a vehicle is run on ethanol.