Edmunds.com Readers Weigh In on New Saab 9-5

Edmunds.com Readers Weigh In on New Saab 9-5

By Michelle Krebs November 1, 2010

By Mark Holthoff
The last few years have been rough for Saab and the Swedish brand, now under the ownership of Dutch sports car maker Spyker, is by no means out of the woods yet as more bad news was reported just last week.

Still, the hopes of Saab owners, enthusiasts and company employees ride on the first complete makeover of the flagship 9-5 model in 13 years.

Will the new 9-5 help Saab find its way to surer ground?  We asked the online community of shoppers and enthusiasts at Edmunds.com, and here's a sample of what they've had to say.
 

Readers love the looks of new 9-5.  "I sat in this car at the LA Auto show, and I was very impressed," says griffilicious, calling the design "tight, futuristic and unique."  Likewise, e36_guy tells us, "I saw the new 9-5 at the Minneapolis Auto Show recently, and I was blown away," calling particular attention to the car's "clean surfaces, sharp lines and interesting, not-yet-cliched little styling touches."
 
Interior details like the green lighting motif and heads-up display are frequently mentioned high points, and reader thedream21479 calls the cabin "undeniably stylish" while double_duece says it's "one of the coolest I've seen."
 
Even diehard Saab fans are pleased, including rick8365 who says, "I liked Saabs in the past, esp. the 99 and 900 series, but I haven't even looked twice in recent years; [however] this car has my attention. I love the style references back to those previous cars (including the blistered roofline above the windshield) that look unique yet modern here." Current Saab 9000 owner joliver4 remarks that the new 9-5 "reflects the design principles of the first 9000 better than the first generation 9-5 ever did."
 
A few aren't quite as enthusiastic, characterizing the 9-5's new sheet metal as awkward-looking from some angles.   Reader xorbe says, "It looks like two different vehicles grafted together right at the middle - Saab up-front, and I don't know what in the back."  Another reader agrees that it is "an awkward looking car especially in profile" but ultimately concludes, "It finally has its own identify now and is showing it boldly.  I like that."

 
Disappointment in the new 9-5 tends to come from one of two sources.  First is the lack of an available manual transmission in the U.S. car, at least at launch.  Reader roar02ram notes that "a manual was universally offered in the Saabs of old... [and] really enhanced the whole sporty/quirky equation" - not to mention is "a missed opportunity to compete head-on with the BMW 535i and Acura TL SH-AWD," which both can be had with manuals.
 
Second, and probably more worrisome, is the sticker price, which starts at nearly $50,000 and has some readers practically apoplectic.  "Seriously what are you guys smoking?" asks dc325ix, who advises Saab to rebuild the brand at a lower price point before going up against the likes of Audi and BMW.  Reader cz_75 agrees, saying "Start out cheaper to encourage people to migrate into the brand or return to it."
 
Others are less hopeful, such as justinlink who jokes, "So you have to pay 50-large to have the dubious 'privilege' of driving a Swedish car made with outdated GM technology?" or jumplead who dismisses the 9-5 as "an overpriced car... in an overcrowded segment."
 
Reader saabgirldfw pleads, "If anyone at Spyker is reading... you MUST lower the price of the 9-5 Aero to bring buyers into the showrooms! American car buyers will buy what they see on the road. And if they don't see a new Saab next to them during rush hour, they're not going to think about visiting the Saab dealer before heading to the Audi, Mercedes or BMW lots!"
 
Several point out that, with $50,000 to spend, they'd probably drive off in a different car.  "If I wanted a change of pace from the German midrange sedans, I'd be much more inclined to buy a Cadillac CTS or Jaguar XF," says tbone85, while ed124c contends, "It is hard to believe a BMW or Audi customer cross-shopping a Saab."
 
Still, reader chavis10 argues that "I could buy a stripped [BMW] 528i or [Mercedes-Benz] E350 at the same price," but would rather have "a more powerful and better equipped 9-5" and which also boasts "some sense of expression."
 
Saab appears to have just such a different-minded enthusiast in mind for the 9-5.  Recently announced plans call for ramping up U.S. sales by about 200 percent over the next few years - ambitious, but the target is still just one-tenth of what rivals Mercedes-Benz and BMW are now selling.  That would keep Saabs relatively rare in the U.S. by comparison and perhaps help to justify the 9-5's lofty price tag.
 
Saab does have at least one likely buyer in reader quijote_viggen, who says that "this new 9-5 looks very promising as my next purchase" because it appears to deliver both "the excitement that a Saab has always provided and the craftsmanship detail that Audi has always executed in the most stellar of ways."
 
On the other hand, notes calspecial68, even a "great looking car with a compelling case to match" may be "too little too late as GM has severely tarnished this brand's credibility."
 
And that's the word on the street.
 
Mark Holthoff is Edmunds.com's senior manager of Customer and Community Support. 

Photos by Saab

 

Michelle Krebs:  is Editor-in-Chief of AutoObserver.com. Follow @AutoObserver on Twitter.