Saab 9-5, presentation in Madrid

Saab has not disappeared. We could say it has passed into better hands; just 2 months after its full independence and 7 months after its agreement to sell to GM, the Swedish brand has presented the evolution of its popular 9-5 model. And not just any model. I can tell you it is here to stay, at a very eye-catching price to compete with premium brands.

More than 70 years ago, a Swedish brand was born building aircraft, which later went on to build cars and inherit that aviation technology from the air to the asphalt. Much has changed, but they can boast of being pioneers in technology. Back in the 1980s, what we now know as the head-up display appeared, a small screen that projected speed and rev data onto the windscreen so drivers didn’t have to take their eyes off the road. They were also the inventors of the HANS, an active head restraint used in F1.

But since we are not going to talk about aircraft, technology or the future, but about cars and the present, let’s get to the point.

One of the things that worried us most was who the brand had ended up in the hands of. The brand’s fans have every reason to celebrate; they have lost nothing, I think they have come out ahead. Manuel Alcázar, the brand’s managing director, explained to us that the strategy will remain the same: Scandinavian origins to do things properly, technology inherited from aeronautics, and a design and innovation typical of a premium brand, with the quality it deserves.

Five years are guaranteed to ensure the brand’s advancement and progress, through locked funds and projects on paper that will become reality. We are at the first of the five stages/milestones set for this period:

1. Presentation of the Saab 9-5: this is the present and we have already reached it.
2. Presentation of the Saab 9-4X: it will be in Los Angeles and the SUV will go on sale early next year.
3. Redesign of the 9-3: it will follow the same line as the 9-5 with similar lines.
4. Segments below the 9-3: the 9-2 concept has been mentioned, but the rumours have stayed just that, and no new details have been provided.
5. Logical cycle of model renewals starting with the 9-5 in 2 years’ time.

The brand’s philosophy may turn out to be very different from what one might think. At first, the driver is placed at the centre, surrounded by the controls and accessories, moving on to the rear passenger seats and then the bodywork. This is important because priority is given to the driver, and the focus is on the person sitting in the car, not on those who admire its exterior design or enjoy its comfort.

The entire range achieves a 5-star EuroNCAP rating, a well-deserved recognition across all versions, thanks to its 10 standard airbags, complementing the usual ones with two rear side thorax airbags. The brand also intends to include a driving course with the purchase called the Saab Performance Program, as standard, for customers, aimed at promoting respect for road etiquette, efficiency and safety in driving. More and more brands include this in their offer, so Saab could not be left behind.

Although the brand wants to stand out and excel in the premium segment, judging by the price, it doesn’t seem so. The entry-level engine is precisely the one we were able to test, a turbodiesel of litres delivering 160 CV of available power from 35,500 euros, with the most modern technology, much of it optional, but also some standard. Also at the same price is the 1.8 turbo petrol of 180 CV.

In the next post we will look at our first contact with the car, just over half an hour in which we were able to test, touch and enjoy the driving, get an idea of its behaviour and, above all, enjoy a car that will give people plenty to talk about.