2010 Saab 9-5: Can The New Face Turn Saab Around?

Saab has had very interesting history in the

U.S.

and in recent years it seems the brand simply dwindled into products that lacked innovation, originality and style. This all was punctuated with General Motor’s sale of the marque, to Koenigsegg, this past June.

With this sale there is hope. While cars became more diluted and began sharing components with GM, there was something lost in the mix. Probably the last great product turned out by Saab was the 9-3 Viggen but I cannot be entirely sure because I never drove or tested it. So, it has been either 10 years since the last great car or 20 plus.

The recently driven 9-3 Aero SportCombi, February 2009, had a delightful drivetrain and amenities; however, it just lacked a stellar interior. It seemed very GM and not very Saab and this speaks volumes from where the Swede came. Do not get me wrong, it would be a fantastic car for a discriminating, quirky buyer but I do not believe its awesome drivetrain and mediocre everything else could be a driving force behind a sale. Especially, when the competition is as strong as ever.

Saab’s departure from GM is probably the best thing that has happened to the jet builder. And, to no one better than Koenigsegg: A proper, Swedish manufacturer that produces cars that are unique and people want to drive. For the survival of the Saab entity, this is crucial.

Behold, the new 2010 9-5....

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B7FAN - 7/27/2009 3:18:26 PM

+5 Boost

I say this car will get SAAB on its way this is a nice design but we need more input from Konigsegg

Agent00R - 7/27/2009 4:15:34 PM

+1 Boost

Valid point.

It will take several years IMHO.

theoptimisticpessimist - 7/27/2009 3:43:41 PM

+4 Boost

I agree with B7FAN. Once Konigsegg scours the GM out of the cars and lets Saab be Saab

JRobUSC - 7/27/2009 4:41:22 PM

+4 Boost

wouldn't this car have already been "in the can" by the time Saab was sold last month? In other words, everything you're seeing would still have been GM-designed, and Koenigsegg had nothing to do with it, correct?

Agent00R - 7/27/2009 5:24:11 PM

+1 Boost

That would be correct.

But, that does not mean the car could not have been a bit more bespoke -- regarding the interior.

You would think the brand would have done more to distance themselves from GM when they unveiled this incredibly fresh design.

1dott8 - 7/27/2009 7:17:14 PM

+1 Boost

i'm not the biggest fan of this car. saab, please bring back the cars of old when saabs had soul.

The_FNG - 8/4/2009 2:56:04 PM

+1 Boost

Please point us to this empirical evidence to support your claims about Subaru buyers.

Designer1 - 7/27/2009 8:21:59 PM

-3 Boost

SAAB is garbage!

0to60 - 7/27/2009 10:42:03 PM

+1 Boost

the rear does, a little

tango - 7/27/2009 11:42:46 PM

+2 Boost

My opinion of this car is that it's a step in the right direction. Its profile (in spite of what the writer of the article will tell you) looks very much like a first gen 900. Notice the fairly upright windscreen and the upward slope from C to A pillar. Even the "floating roof" is harking back to the 1st gen 900. As for the face? Lose the chrome around the headlamps. Integrate the grille and the headlamps the way a SAAB's is supposed to. The gaping mouth trend should also pass SAAB by. It barely even works with very attractive efforts from Mazda and Audi, let alone a company like SAAB trying to regain lost ground.