Saab Reveals Details of New 9-5

Swedish automaker Saab discloses details of its flagship sedan that will receive its first public showing at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show.

Not your typical Swedish meatball

Unlike IKEA and Abba, there hasn’t been much to discuss lately about a third Swedish export, Saab. After all, what can we say at LotPro.com about a model that hasn’t changed all that much since it was introduced 12 years ago? It’s kind of hard to get excited about a new headlight bezel or different fabrics for the interior.

Different is precisely what Saabs used to be. Back in the 70’s, the model 96 was the antithesis of normal. A freewheeling clutch? Yup. How about an ignition switch on the floor between the front seats? Ditto. And although the 96 looked odd at the time, it was only because Saabs were very aerodynamic back when most domestics had adopted the slab-sided look reminiscent of something fabricated at a slate quarry.

Somewhere in the 90’s, though, the company lost its way, largely as a result of homogenization as it was absorbed into the GM fold. Its vehicles began to look like everything else on the road and, as its sales faltered, the General seemed to spend less and less time keeping the division’s passenger cars up to date and more and more time badge-engineering ridiculous sport utility vehicles that it attempted to foist on the public as “real” Saabs (note to GM: a floor-mounted ignition switch does not a Saab make).

The new 9-5

So here we are with a new 9-5, more than a decade since its last update (most Japanese vehicles that were around in 1997 are 2 to 3 generations beyond that model) and the big question being asked by the Saab faithful is, “was it worth the wait?”

In a word, “yes.” Taking design cues from a recent spate of concept vehicles, the new 9-5, especially from the sides and the rear, is a handsome vehicle. “We are giving a fresh, very modern expression to some of our classic brand design cues,” says Simon Padian, Saab Brand Design Chief. “We have taken visual themes in our recent concept cars, such as the Aero X, which are inspired by Scandinavian design and our brand’s aircraft heritage.”

The only seemingly incongruous element might be the new vehicle’s overly-large grille, which, stylistically, seems a bit out of place on an otherwise sleek and fairly unadorned design – very much a modern interpretation of the classic Saab 900.

Power

The European smörgåsbord of drivetrain choices will, as usual, be pared down to only a couple from Saab’s all-turbo lineup for drivers on this side of the pond – a 2-liter four and a 2.8-liter V6.

Ambience

While there are no surprises under the hood, Saab owners will be pleasantly surprised when they step inside the new 9-5. Legroom and shoulder width have been increased for both front and rear seat passengers. A deep center console sweeps up to the main instrument cluster which features a rolling ‘altimeter’ speed read-out (Saab likens it to a reference to the company’s aviation heritage) and, in true Saab fashion, the car’s ignition, now a start/stop button, resides on the console between the front seats.

The new Saab 9-5, assembled in Trollhätten, will go on sale in 2010 in three trim levels: Linear, Vector and Aero.

Tags: abba, aero, frankfurt motor show, ikea, linear, new saab 9-5, saab, saab 9-5, trollhatten, vector