Test drive: Saab 9-5 Wagon

Seeing a Saab on the road is not that everyone takes note of. All Saab models are normal saloons or estate cars that don't raise much attention. In the case of the 9-5 this holds true. But if you think about the competition which the 9-5 went against, BMW 5-series, Audi A6 and the Mercedes E-class, it's no surprise that the 9-5 has gone a bit unnoticed.

Saab 9-5 Wagon (2006) in Fusion Blue Metallic

The Saab 9-5 was released in 1997 as the successor to the Saab 9000. It received a small facelift in 2002 and then a larger one in 2006 with new, well, almost everything. This particular Saab 9-5 wagon is from the year the large facelift which is most notable from the headlights, taillights and the new softer styling of the bumpers. I think it's a good looking estate car, it looks both practical and stylish. Even though the car is ten years old already I think it still looks quite modern as well. You really can't tell it shares its platform with the Opel/Vauxhall Vectra from the styling.

The wagon end of the Wagon

The seating position is very nice, and you do feel in control.

The interior is usual Saab with all the controls curved towards the driver as a cockpit of a fighter jet. Not really, but that's what Saab likes you to imagine. The buttons for the radio and other technology are large and easy to use. The climate control is very good but the controls for it took me a while to understand. Some Swedish quirkiness is present with the position of the window switches and the ignition key. The placement for the ignition key is for safety reasons, so that in the case of a frontal collision the ignition lock housing won't hit your knee as it could do if it would be next to the steering wheel. The other safety feature is the Saab patented night panel instrument cluster. Where by pushing the night panel button all the instruments are shut down and only the essential things such as the speedometer stays on. This is to have less glare from the instruments at night to the drivers eyes. Safety was very important to Saab and it shows in the 9-5 with many airbags. For this car Saab also developed an active head restraint that would prevent whiplash during an event of an accident from behind.

Ooooh, it's like a jet fighter

Key mounted near the gear stick

This facelift generation of Saab 9-5 came always with a turbo four cylinder engine which varied in size and power output. This particular one has the larger 2.3 litre turbo originally developing 185 horsepower through the front wheels. I say originally because this one has had it's engine optimized to run on ethanol. This not only reduces running costs and emissions but it also gives the engine more power and torque. Saab engines are designed to be able to run on the E85 fuel which means even if the engine is optimized afterwards it will run as smoothly and reliably as with petrol. If something goes wrong, however, there are many garages and Saab specialized repair shops with many spare parts around. Which means the repair costs or replacement parts for Saab cars are still the same as when Saab was making cars.

The engine in this 9-5 wagon is very torquey. The low rev grunt is amazing and you will never tire of watching the turbo boost gauge flexing while you are going for an easy overtake. There is not a noticeable amount of turbo lag but if pushing the throttle a bit more violently the turbo will kick in rather suddenly.

The 9-5 is still a soft large family car that doesn't encourage this sort of behavior. It rides smoothly at motorway speeds and with that amount of torque the ride never feels stressful. Even though the car feels light and easy to maneuver to its size, it falls short when in heavy city traffic. That is mainly down to the mushy manual gearshift, which isn't bad but lacks in precision. The Saab 9-5 does feel more at home on long stretches of road.

The re-styled nose after the large facelift

The Saab 9-5 Wagon is a large, safe and fast family car. It has it's quirks that differ it from the competition, which is tough I might add. If you desire this sort of car remember this, the Saab 9-5 is more exclusive than the 5-series, E-class or the A6 but also cheaper to maintain. And even though Saab as a manufacturer is gone there are still many garages that keep up the good and sensible Saab name.