The Swedes are on the forefront of alternative energy research and Saab has done its part by announcing a new advanced BioPower engine that delivers 14-percent more horsepower and 11-percent more torque when running on E85 rather than gasoline. That translates into 210 ethanol-induced bhp and 229 ft-lbs of torque, versus 185 bhp and 206 ft-lbs on gas. Meanwhile, a trip to 62 mph takes 7.9 seconds on E85 and 8.5 seconds while chugging fossil fuel. The “flexfuel” engine displaces 2.3 liters across four-cylinders and is turbocharged for good measure. Saab will still sell the smaller 2.3t BioPower engine in the 9-5 sedan and SportCombi along with this new, more powerful motor.
One interesting omission from Saab’s press release was a comparison of fuel mileage while running on both E85 and gas. We suspect running on E85 rather than gas would return less exemplary numbers in that category.
[Source: AutoblogGreen]