The four-door Saab 9-5 Aero probably is the most sophisticated car that General Motors, Saab’s parent, sells. Based on the European Opel Vectra with Saab design input, this is a fine European-style car, in the mold of the BMW 3-series, Audi A6, Lexus GS 300 and the Mercedes C-series.

The Saab 9-5 Aero is among the most sophisticated cars GM sells.

The standard rich leather-trimmed seats look, smell and feel luxurious, but the best is the (optional) three-speed fan-driven ventilation through little holes in the front seats. That feels so good on a hot day when you turn on the A/C in the car, immediately cooling down your body and making you comfortable. Climate controls are automatic and separate for the driver and front passenger. This system works very well.

The driver’s seat feels like an airplane cockpit, but the instrumentation is a little sparse. The excellent sound system has a cassette as well as a single CD player. The flimsy-looking cupholder sort of unwinds itself from the dashboard and is obviously intended for coffee cups only.

Saab offers a button on the dash that blanks out all instrument lights except the speedometer at night. Quite relaxing actually, except that one might run out of gas.

This is a full four-seater, with room for large folks and lots of trunk space for baggage.

The shape is aerodynamic, distinctly Saab, and quite appealing, attracting a number of admiring glances. Front and rear fog lights are standard on the Aero version.

Some European auto companies now offer very powerful turbocharged 4-cylinder engines which produce enough smooth horsepower that V-6 engines seem superfluous in this class of car.

The Saab 9-5 Aero has a 2.3 liter, turbocharged, 16-valve, 4-cylinder, dual overhead cam engine. Saab does offer a less powerful 3.0 liter, dual overhead cam, 200 hp, turbo V-6 in its $38,650, 9-5 SE version.

Driving the turbo 4-cylinder engine is a rush. It moves this car incredibly quickly, and so smoothly that it feels like the car should take off and fly.

The four-speed automatic transmission shifts intelligently and smoothly. A five-speed manual transmission is standard. Final drive is through the front wheels, which imparts a little torque steer under hard acceleration.

Driving the 9-5 Aero is much like driving a BMW or an Audi. It is very responsive and confidence-inspiring on fast curvy roads. The suspension is not quite as good as the BMW 3 series, but aside from rough road performance it provides a comfortable, firm ride. On the freeway it is quiet and easy to drive, although the cruise control is a little fiddly to turn on and use.

Pressing the sport button on the transmission lever turns this already fast accelerating vehicle into a rocket ship. The four-wheel antilock disc brake system is, in true European fashion, highly competent and with total car control stops this car literally on a dime.

EPA fuel consumption estimate is 21 mpg city/28 mpg highway for the manual transmission and 19 city/26 highway for the automatic.

The Saab 9-5 Aero is base priced at $40,175, pretty much fully equipped with alarm system, computer, On Star communication system, keyless remote, front and rear fog lights, central locking, dual heated power mirrors, moonroof, Harman/Kardon stereo, front and side airbags, anti-whiplash head restraint, driver’s seat memory, power front seats, cruise control, tilt and telescoping steering wheel with radio controls, traction control and alloy wheels.

Options include automatic transmission for $1,200, ventilated front seats for $995, heated seats for $595 and two-piece wheels for $1,650.

A similarly equipped 9-5 with a 185 hp turbo 4-cylinder engine is priced at $33,995.

The warranty is four years/50,000 miles with four years/50,000 miles roadside assistance. Saab generously offers free maintenance by a Saab dealer for three years or 30,000 miles.

One might ask, why buy the offbeat, less well known Saab for $40,000 when such worthy competition is out there in this price range? Well, it appears that the Saab gets higher praise and ratings in consumer reviews on Carpoint.com than any of the competition, and Consumer Reports rates its reliability as above average, while giving it an excellent rating for customer satisfaction. Those ratings should pique anyone’s interest.

Anyone in the market for an Audi, BMW or Lexus sporty sedan should definitely test drive the Saab 9-5 Aero before making a decision. The friendly folks at Marvin K. Brown in Mission Valley will be glad to arrange a test drive.

Motoring since 1952, Austin Lynas has owned 54 cars and at one time raced mini-sedans in England. An aerospace engineer, he was instrumental in developing the anti-skid systems used in British military aircraft that preceded today’s ABS systems. Lynas can be reached by e-mail at osten@aol.com.