In January of this year SAAB shut its doors and the world said goodbye to the famous Swedish car firm. But on 23 February, thanks to a European Investment Bank loan of €400m and a rescue package from Dutch sportscar maker Spyker, SAAB was back.
The 9-5 has all the SAAB DNA you'd expect on the outside. It has a street presence that is subtly different than rival four-door saloons. The rear three quarters is perhaps the most interesting viewing angle. Inside, well not a lot has been done. Seating is very comfortable but the dash and materials used remain similar to the outgoing 13-year-old model. The cool pop-out cup holder is no more and there is no clever graduated speedometer. New to this model are some nice options, our favourite being the HUD (head up display) that is similar to BMW's system as its readout is reflected up from the dashboard.
Ireland is taking in 9-5s with the Sport chassis, which means the ride is slightly firmer than the overly soft standard chassis. There is the option of electronically adaptive suspension with three settings (Sport, Intelligent and Comfort) and four-wheel drive. The full engine range includes a 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine and a V6 plus diesel options. The standard 2-litre turbo diesel with 160bhp is the one to choose and although it falls into a higher tax bracket, the automatic gearbox is essential as the manual shift is not overly nice to use or well-geared. On the road the 9-5 does not encourage enthusiastic cornering but it is a very comfortable machine - and a pretty stress-free drive.
General Motors, when it was forced to rationalise, put Pontiac, Saturn, Hummer and SAAB on the market. Three brands are no more, and Victor Muller, Spyker's top man, was able to jump in when Koenigsegg's potential takeover of SAAB fell through.
Spyker had been trying to buy Brawn GP and lost out to Mercedes, so they had a few quid. When the SAAB opportunity popped up, Victor Muller told RTÉ Motors he jumped at the chance to sign a cheque for $74m.
SAAB sells in 23 countries, so new SAAB has to develop a new network in the years to come. The Irish distributors, OHM, will continue with the brand. Globally, SAAB is close with China's Beijing Automotive re: sales of older technology to China, and perhaps future synergies will ensue.
SAAB's Trollhattan plant will be fully back up to speed by August, albeit with just one shift operating. Ten weeks of production in total was lost (seven weeks shut and three weeks of ramp up) and that time will have to be regained. General Motors will continue to supply anything SAAB needs but from now on SAAB is free to separate and seek suppliers from outside the GM network. The new SAAB 9-5 is the last full GM SAAB and is heavily reliant on the Opel Insignia's architecture, and that's no harm, as the Opel is a very good car.
Next to come from the Trollhättan plant will be the 9-4X, due in April 2011. The 9-5 Sport Combi (estate) will come in mid-2011 and then in 2012 the much awaited all new 9-3 will arrive.
SAAB says it doesn't need new customers... just its old ones back.
Michael Sheridan
