Mid-size prestige buyers, the wait has been worth it – the all-new Saab 9-5 is here and it’s everything you’d expect from Sweden’s luxury automotive brand.
For sure, there was some doubt. How would the new Saab - now purchased from General Motors by Dutch sports car maker Spyker – go about designing and manufacturing the long-awaited all-new 9-5 model?
Fortunately, Spyker left Saab to do what it does best – prestige cars – and the result is a worthy addition to Saab’s history of high-tech, nice-to-drive, handily-priced vehicles highlighting superb Scandinavian design.
And now with Saab’s future secure thanks to Spyker, the Swede’s are racing with new product development. The 9-5 Sport Kombi starts production in June (due here in October), the 9-4-X (to be built in Mexico) is next and, early in 2012, the all-new 9-3 range will be launched.
“By this time next year, this car (the all-new 9-5) will be the oldest model in our range,” explained Saab Cars Australia chief Stephen Nicholls.
Saab 9-5 Overview
Saab has launched the all-new 9-5 sedan range in three variants.
The entry-level Vector TiD4 2.0-litre turbo-diesel is priced at $71,900. An extra $4,000 gets you the Vector grade powered by a 2.0-litre petrol engine (Vector Turbo4) while the range-topping all-wheel-drive Aero Turbo6 (2.7-litre turbocharged V6 petrol) retails for $94,900.
As well as the extra grunt and all-wheel-drive traction, the Aero grade brings substantial extra technology and luxury trim.
With an overall length of 5,008mm, the all-new Saab 9-5 is big – in fact it’s one of the largest of the mid-sizers - and this translates into a long luggage compartment and abundant interior space.
The ultimate compliment you can pay to the all-new 9-5 lineup is: it’s just like previous Saabs. That means sporty performance, clever Scandinavian design and excellent quality.
Saab 9-5 Under Engine
Previously Saab sourced its 2.7-litre petrol V6 engines from Holden, but Saab Cars Australia says these days the engines are shipped to Saab’s Trollhattan, Sweden plant from elsewhere in the GM global operation.
No matter the source, this is still a brilliant, refined and high performance turbocharged V6. Power and torque are both increased from the old 9-3 – now 221kW at 5,500rpm and 400Nm from 2,000rpm.
Despite that extra performance, at 8.0l/100kms, fuel consumption is down by the smallest amount from the previous Holden-sourced engine (8.1l/100kms).
The entry-level Saab 9-5 Vector scores a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, common-rail, turbo-diesel engine, good for 118kW at 4,000rpm and 350Nm from 1,750rpm. While not quite a match for the performance of diesel-powered rivals from Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, the diesel Saab’s $71,900 sticker saves you significant coin.
Saab says the diesel returns combined cycle fuel consumption of 6.7l/100kms.
For us, the star of the all-new Saab 9-5 lineup is the Vector Turbo4 with its turbocharged 2.0-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine. Maximum power is 162kW at 5,300rpm and peak torque arrives at 2,500rpm.
Saab says the 2.0-litre petrol turbo returns combined cycle fuel consumption of 9.4l/100ms.
All drive via an Aisin, six-speed automatic transmission with sequential manual mode.
Saab 9-5 The Interior
What really separates the Saab 9-5 from others in the prestige mid-size sedan segment is the interior. The combination of Scandinavia style, space, quality materials and innovative new instrumentation provides a tantalizing prospect.
First-up the instruments - sure there’s the expected combination of gauges and the head-up display. What is unexpected is the central speedometer which rolls-over like an aircraft altimeter – brilliant.
Then there is the air-conditioning vent for the driver/front passenger. While others stick with multiple vents in different shapes, Saab has kitted the all-new 9-5 with one long vent with different sections which can be directed as required – typically efficient Scandinavia design simplicity.
Leather is standard across the range with the Aero version gaining sports front seats with nice adjustable under-thigh supports. Combine those seats with rake/reach adjustment for the stylish three-spoke leather steering wheel (again typically Swedish simplicity) and the driving position is top-shelf.
Center console sees the eight-inch colour touch screen for the navigation system and 10Gb, 11-speaker Harman/Kardon audio system.
Rear seat passengers score impressive leg-room and one of the cars we drove was fitted with the optional dual eight-inch rear DVD entertainment screens.
Saab 9-5 Exterior & Styling
Saab’s British Design Chief Simon Padian was in Australia to unveil the 9-5. He pointed out the 9-5’s aggressive rear end and spectacular, full-width tail-lights as perhaps the clearest examples of Saab’s bold new design direction.
The 9-5 still maintains strong design cues to the Saab family but - with more than a nod to the edgy Aero X concept car - the all-new Swedish mid-sizer is both assertive and contemporary.
Sure there’s the hallmark ‘hockey stick’ side profile with a wide C-pillar and large windscreen, but the blacked-out A-Pillar and B-pillar, combined with black tops for the exterior mirrors give the all-new Saab 9-5 an almost wraparound glass look.
At the front, the bolder, deeper look is highlighted by Saab’s new ‘ice-block’ lamp design.
Saab 9-5 On The Road
Saab bravely selected the winding, hilly roads around Dayelsford in rural Victoria to introduce the all-new 9-5. Brave because recent summer floods have left the roads in Victoria’s ‘Spa Country’ littered with pot holes, washaways and road works.
We’ve enjoyed lots of Saabs over the years and the all-new 9-5 didn’t let us down. We were able to drive all three variants over a variety of roads and immediately apparent was the same turbocharged performance and, in the case of the Aero Turbo6, the same all-wheel chassis dynamics which have endeared the Swedish lineup to us for so long.
Clearly the Aero Turbo6 General Motors turbo V6 is the star, its 221kW/400Nm and all-wheel-drive grip propelling the range-topping 9-5 with urgency and precision. Ain’t no all-wheel-drive BMW 5-Series or Mercedes-Benz E-Class.
The diesel Vector also provided handy acceleration but its chassis didn’t quite match its petrol sibling.
In fact, in many ways the 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol Vector is the surprising standout of the all-new Saab 9-5 range.
It’s the combination of that refined, 162kW/350Nm performance and chassis dynamics from the advanced H-arm rear axle (same design as the Aero AWD) which provides the Saab 9-5 Vector Turbo4 with an alluring all-round package. The optional DriveSense package with 3-mode control for variable damping and steering assistance is a beauty.
Combine all of that with its $75,900 sticker and the Saab 9-5 Vector Turbo4 makes for serious contemplation by buyers of prestige mid-size sedans.
Saab 9-5 Challenges
Our first acquaintance with the new Saab 9-5 was behind the wheel of a Vector TiD4 and the ride of the turbo-diesel front-driver was not quite as ‘together’ as its petrol sibling. In fact the two front-wheel-drive models and the all-wheel-drive Aero all run slightly different suspension designs and we found the TiD4 just a tad less compliant in the front, and we detected some steering rack shake which wasn’t noticeable in the other models.
We also deduct points for the boot. At 1,113mm, and with a capacity of 513-litres, it’s large enough but somewhat shallow.
Saab 9-5 Verdict
Car Showroom is delighted Saab is back in the market as we’ve long been fans of the Swedish design, delightful turbocharged engines and hallmark interiors.
Saabs are just clever and the new 9-5’s aircraft-style instruments are a new benchmark for the industry.
If Saab - under the direction of its new Dutch owners - had headed in a different direction, the results could have been disastrous. The fact the new 9-5 is just so Saab is the reason it’s so good.
Saab 9-5 The Competition
We reckon the Mercedes-Benz E-Class is the world’s best premium mid-size, the BMW 5-Series isn’t far behind and the Audi A6 is a pearler. Like the Volvo S80, Saab’s new 9-5 is less expensive, an admirable product and the Scandinavian design provides a style point.
Likes:
Handsome new look; hallmark Saab interiors; dynamics of AWD Aero
Dislikes:
Jittery suspension in Vector diesel; shallow boot
