New member with a 2010 9-5 Aero

[JTMav]

Congratulations for the car, Sir.

There´s absolutely no doubt that this new GM 9-5 will be doing much better with the tough competition than it was doing lately its predecessor. There´s also absolutely no doubt about the general superiority of this new model compared to the OG 9-5 (with the exception of some practical details, visibility and quality of the interior that was better in the older models of OG 9-5). There´s also no doubt this car will be crucial to SAAB´s future, and I could continue like this....

But......I´m more a fan of the swedish styling when it comes to saabs (sorry).

A fan of all saabs that from a km away can be noticed like a saab and no other different make, you know which ones I mean: the very old ones, the classic 9-3 up to 2002 designed by Björn Envall, and the 9-5 up to 2005 designed by Tony Catignani.

Those are usually called the "old-school" saabs; designed by saab designers in Trollhattan (not GM), that share at the most their platforms with other GM cars, not many more...

The new 9-5 is a much better car than any "old-school" saab in the road, a supreme car, extremelly safe and comfortable, probably one of the best cars in the world right now (I don´t doubt that)...but it´s not a swedish styled saab anymore (and not a 2.3T SaabScania-engined model either), no offense intended.

If I were shopping for a great car with 60.000 Euros in my pocket, and I wouldn´t care much about saab personality and swedish styling, then there´s absolutely no doubt it may would be one to consider, and by the way in the same version and color that JTMav bought it.

My very honest opinion on this, with all respect to everybody´s opinion on here.

I can understand your view and don't take much exception to it. I would say that after driving it for three months it is nothing like the 4 previous Saabs I have owned, including a 94 900 cvt, last year for the OG. It is however superior in almost every way. My last 2 9-5 Aeros were great but limited with front wheel drive as far as performance. This car far out handles any other 9-5 or 9000 Aero for that matter. I just put my winter wheels/tires on and we had some snow here in Boston and the car is simply amazing in the snow. You can't pump 300 horses through the front wheels and get the same level of performance the XWD system has. As far as looks, I think it looks very Saabish from the front, maybe it was designed under GM ownership but the car was created and assembled in Trollhatan. There's plenty of GM DNA at work here, no doubt, but I think it's a pretty good modern interpretation of what the NG 9-5 should have been. It's not perfect, but I'll tell you I have a pretty big smile on my face when I'm pushing her a bit. Car loves to go and stays put when it counts, drives smaller.
My hope is both this, the 9-4x and the new 9-3 will keep Saab around for a good long time. I just hope everybody doesn't wait till the "perfect" Saab is built. The company need some sales to get it's footing. I think the new ownership are all car guys and very respectful of the lineage. They'll make some great cars if they get the chance. Hoping they do.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!
JTMav

[jlrSAAB]

I love the new Saab 9-5, congrats for the choice.
Merry Christmas to all

[oviedo]

As far as looks, I think it looks very Saabish from the front, maybe it was designed under GM ownership but the car was created and assembled in Trollhatan. JTMav

"It was enjoyable working in the design studio with a great team during the 90′s, but by 2000 Saab had become completely assimilated in General Motors. The “fun factor and creativity” was being squeezed out of working in Saab, especially design. Quick Process and profit were the priorities above brand character, identity and uniqueness.
Sadly in 2000, my time with Saab had come to an end. A great Brand was in danger of becoming just rebadge engineering. Most of the design team had started to work in GM, Germany."

Saab History » Saab Designer Profile – Tony Catignani


GM engines in 2003+ 9-3 and 2010+ 9-5:

Saab History » The Saab 2.3-16 Engine (MY 1991-2009)
Saab History » General Motors Europe Sells Södertälje, Sweden Facility

But of course agreed, its one of the best cars in the world and safest in its class, superior in almost every way, absolutely no doubt about that! Congratulations again.

['07 Aero]

welcome from another newcomer. I had a 99 about 30 years ago and now I have a '07 Aero 2.8t. Love the
car and looking forward to summer and road trips.

[mattlach]

Welcome to the forum. It's nice to see the new 9-5 here.

I checked out the 2010 9-5 a few weeks ago and wasn't really impressed with the outward visibility. The side windows seemed rather small and the front windshield is far away from the driver. One thing I like about the 1st generation is the excellent seating position and view outside.

I haven't driven the new one yet but what's your experience with the view to the outside? Am I just imagining things. As an owner of several other Saabs, you probably can provide a good comparison to the older models.

Agree on the outward visibility bit. The pillars block more of the view than the last gen 9-5 which was pretty much perfect in this regard.

It bothered me a lot during the first test drive, but It doesn't take long to get used to and once I did it was obvious the new 9-5's are a huge improvement.

Nice car. I looked at an Aero, but it was too much money for me, so I got a Turbo4 Premium instead. The manual tranmission feels peppier than the Auto, and since I got the BioPower engine, I can't wait to test it with E85 and see if I get the suggested 20% power boost and 16% torque boost from the smaller engined versions in Europe.

I haven't seen any exact numbers for the 2.0T BioPower engine on E85 yet, or how it compares to on 93 octane gas