Why else did I find myself driving the Saab 9000CD and wanting to say something dramatic, like "Blue leader to blue three - watch your tail !" The power of advertising ? The Walter Mitty in me ?

Perhaps, but the analogy between a Saab motorcar and an airplane is more than mere fancy, the 9000CD’s angular dashboard and interior lines endorsing the notion that it is a precision machine rather than mundane everyday transport. After all, its designers freely admit that the dash was inspired by an aircraft cockpit.

And then there is the seatbelt warning light -- not hidden on the dashboard like everyone else’s, but an illuminated display above the rearview mirror that can be seen by all passengers -- I waited in vain for a beautiful Scandinavian hostess to materialise and offer me a coffee...

There is something almost eccentric about the shape of a Saab, old and new models alike always managing to stand out from the herd without making too bold a statement. The fact that one cannot be mistaken for anything else is probably a major part of their appeal.

Unmistakably a Saab, the 9000CD could be mistaken for nothing else.

The `cockpit’ look is no accident, its designers readily admit borrowing from their aircraft.

This 9000 could be the last Saab to use a platform designed solely by the Swedish manufacturer, since the smaller 900 is already based on GM’s Opel Vectra floorpan. Being the larger of Saab’s two basic model lines, the 9000 is blessed with generous legroom both front and rear, plus headroom which acknowledges that some people are taller than others.

The driving position is excellent as a result, with a steering wheel that is adjustable for reach if not tilt, and since the right foot needs somewhere to go when the cruise control is in use, there is the nice touch of a second footrest on the right for true long distance comfort.

There is no glovebox in the dashboard, that space being occupied by the passenger airbag, so storage space is at a premium with a barely adequate console, compensated for by reasonably sized door pockets and the commodious boot with its high-opening lid. And if you really want to risk the leather, long objects can be poked through the opening armrest in the rear seat.

Specifications of the big Saab seem at first glance to come unstuck in terms of its power-to-weight ratio -- weighing about the same as a Holden Calais which uses a supercharged V6 or 5.0 litre V8, the 9000CD is powered by a four cylinder engine of just 2.3 litres. But it has a "Light Pressure" turbocharger providing modest boost of 0.40 bar to produce 125kW of power (the same engine in two other models with different turbos churns out 147 and 165 kiloWatts, but this more `socially responsible’ version could satisfy most requirements).

With just a moderate prod on the accelerator, the 9000CD gets moving rapidly and makes its way through the automatic’s four gears with vigour that is almost surprising, settling down to cruise on WA’s 110kmh open road limit at a comfortable 3,000 rpm. Fuel consumption on our test averaged out at an acceptable 10.6 L/100km (27mpg).

At its most rewarding on twisty bits, the stolid build quality of the car is reflected in the near-flat attitude adopted in fast corners, the body remaining commendably rigid while the four-coil suspension copes with surface variations. And unheard during our week in the car was a single creak or groan from the body, even on rough corrugated roads, indicating just how rigidly tied together the whole thing is.

And the same applies to overall NVH levels, a muted rumble from the road becoming intrusive only on coarser chip bitumen while minor wind rustle from the doorseals was noted. Which would all make a nice environment for listening to your favourite CDs, but there’s the catch - the 9000CD has a great stereo system, but despite its name a CD stacker is an optional extra.

Hey, what sort of luxury airliner is this ?! Whoops, sorry -- Blue leader to control, over and out....