The embargo is now lifted and Auto Motor and Sport Sweden have published their images of the 2010 Saab 9-5.
I've reproduced a few below with some great detail work in view.
Click here to view the entire collection in supersize hi-res.
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It's details details details with this car.
I love it more and more every time I see stuff like this.
Here's the rear light strip. Absolutely magnificent.
The head-up display....... it's been asked for , for so long. Here it is.
Details details details - Saab name on the gearshift. Love it. Lighting on the controls in the background - love it.
Again, the lighting on the controls. And the surface of that center console - absolutely brilliant. I can't wait to see this.
And for those wondering where the night panel button went......
The luggage system in the boot. Are they luggage hooks at the back?
Details details details - the rear lamps once again.
This car is looking better and better with every viewing.
Now all they've got to do is get this K-Segg deal done, get it on show in Frankfurt and get it on sale.
Can't come soon enough.
I just love this car. Thought I needed a second car, but apparently I need a new first car... ;)
I was excited when I saw the CGIs, thrilled when I saw the early photos, and now drooooooling seeing these photos.
In 1987, my father bought two cars on the same day. A VW Jetta for my mother and a SAAB 900S for himself. Since then, our family (including myself, my wife, my sister, and her husband)has owned 5 VW, 3 Audi, 1 SEAT. I currently drive an A4 and love it, but it may be time to return 1987 and go with SAAB! I bought my first A4 in '98 because they were more unique than BMW and MB, but now there are so many on the road. What's more unique than SAAB!?
I don't think there's much that's new in the way of engines except for the 1.6. This one's a TTiD, which we've all seen in the 9-3. I guess it'd be nice to see how much room there is under there.
The interior is especialle nice in my opinion. Of course, this is where you spend all of your time when driving it, and it is important that it is able to compete with its german rivals. And this surely looks like it can be up to the job!
One question at the very end. In one of the interior photos you can clearly see a button below the eject button where it says "Rec." I presume this refers to a recording funtion. What is it we're supposed to be able to record? Any one have any info on this??
- Pear
By the way, notice that the interior are from two different cars, look especially at the different gearleavers and steering wheel.
Philip J
I hope we get some pictures of the Aero seats, and btw this Aero interior has an automatic transmission !!!!!
nice header pict !!!!!!!!!!
still prefer the wheels from the high altitude test 9-5 spotted in Colorado.
Btw, looking very closely on details on this car (flash & gap maninly on the front,rear lights and trunk-lid) you do understand the importance of form finish.The lines are not parallell to each other. The designers have also choose to overlap several elements onto several sub-assemblies making them visually critical(and a showstopper) when not positioned correctly.There are some parts (that in no way enhance the design) which makes me wonder.
BUT
The car is WICKED!!
It's massive.
Elegant and classy but still sporty.
I love it. It is even better in real life, seen one in white.
Sure is a Saab.
Where's the "preorder" button? On this website? On a Saab website? :)
Oh and the car looks magnificent. Now I'm again thinking if I should go to Frankfurt to see it live, because I don't know if I'll menage to wait until April when it will be shown at my local auto show in Belgrade. :-)
I don't think the cars are hand built. Some are most likely built on the pilot line and some on the normal production line in Rüsselsheim. These cars are driveable but as Swade wrote yesterday they will most likely meet a bitter end in a year or so.
Also, the brake pedal seems to be aluminum and the gas pedal rubber? :/
And I really really hope Saab will offer an interior color that is this dark, and move away from that grey we saw in earlier pictures, and the grey found in the current 9-3.
Good job, Saab!
I'm pretty sure that it says "airbag" on the steering wheel. Not aero.
Also, in the Aero interior pic, what is that red symbol between Park and Reverse? Never seen anything like that before. Its in the opel insignia too.
http://www.trollhattansaab.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/9000aerointerior.jpg
Seeing i was not so sure about the new light design when i saw all the spy shots I am strangely drawn to this pic
http://www.saabsunited.com/upload/images2009/07/ams_sweden_show_their_9-5_pics/Saab_9-5_MY2010_Vector_19_big_481.jpg
which is now my wallpaper.
Those AMS shots are great but I still think they should have made the front end a little more aggressive. I can ohnly assume that the Aero will get the full Aero-X treatment. :)
Their pics really did more damage than good to the 9-5's reveal.
These studio pictures are STUNNING. I'm now officially a fan.
Imaging Saab's frustration of some shitty pictures going around the web to ruin people's first impression of the 9-5.
Still waiting for a more aggressive looking Aero tho.
This car is such a beauty. really like a hot yet restrained swede.
Seems like such an odd exclusion, especially with Lutz harping about adding more 12V and even conventional plugs everywhere in the new cars. Though it does make the dash look very clean.
Anyone know if there will be a pure USB plug for charging?
however;where is the famous SAAB cup holder......where is it ,I hope there is a cup holder hidden somewhere( and im not talking about the possible cup holder in between the seats)
well.....even without the SAAb cup holder,it is still a pretty nice car....
Good job SAAB
Waiting for the hatch...
I cant wait to see it in person...
Two little points.
Where did our beloved 2.3T go? ;( ;(
Also, the window buttons aren't in center console! :0
I like the headlights, but find the center grille too big, slightly out of proportion and the bottom section too "round" (I like more angular designs like the C900, 9000 CD sedan CS-body 9000).
SaabKen: I think the headlights are fantastic, the shape, the distinct framing, the blueish tint. Otherwise, I concur that ths grill is a bit huge (this is going to be a competitor to Audi's single frame, so that men can still compare who got the biggest, you know). I presume you meant the "bottom section" of the grille? That is in line with the one of the Aero X and will lead Saab into the next decade, I guess.
@ Zippy - that same pic is my hallpaper at home. My wallpaper at the office is the one w/ the taillights off and showing the 9-5 logo. :)
Leftlane have an article about the LaCrosse, and seems to be missing there too.
And by looking at the interior one more time I've noticed the whole smokers thing is not there, no ashtray no cigarette lighter and no 12V plug at all.
Maybe it's time for automotive industry to change the cigarette lighter 12V plug for a more modern and smaller plug, maybe USB or maybe the whole automotive industry should create a new standardized plug, if USB is not suitable for whatever somebody thinks he needs current in his car.
Just a thought !
But for many devices that is more than sufficient.
As for attaching ipods, the old 9-3 solution of keeping everything in the little box is the best. And there seems to be a standard for hooking up MP3 players that most devices comply with. I dunno about the iPods though... Apple are pretty big on this licensing thing... E.g. it is not easy/possible to find someone making a converter to allow you to charge a MacBook from the cigarette lighter, because licensing the MagSafe plug costs $$$.
I did notice a button labelled "MP3" in one of the pictures. Presumably there is a way to dump tracks onto that device.
I don't know about the 9-3 but about my fathers VW. There is a small box in the glove box, where you have a VW connector, you can then buy adapters for iPod or normal USB mp3 players, whatever you connect to that port can be then remote controlled by the radio.
But he says the iPod solution is kind of crap, as he only gets a list of all songs, and if he wants to hear the last one he hast to jump over every single song one by one, not so exciting if you have over 1000 songs in your iPod.
ctm, I think(expect) under the armrest or the box in front of it, there will be at least 1 USB port.
Off topic, but what do you think SAAB will do for the NG 9-3? I am starting to think that if SAAB could chop some 5cm from the Insignia's rather large snout without compromising compliance with pedestrian safety rules, it might be cheaper to offer a SWB Epsilon2 9-3 range of sedan, wagon and hatch, and eventually introduce a 9-1/9-2 based on a smaller architecture to compete with the A3...
But also the interior looks promising, great car, great design.
Some more pics from a swedish mag;
http://www.vibilagare.se/
That is why I never understood why people do have problems with SAAB using delta2 for the 9-3.
I'm only curious on which concept will the NG9-3 be based on. The 9-x is more suited for a 9-1 than a 9-3, IMO, as the 9-3 will be a sedan, and maybe a fastback. And it won't be good for SAAB to have a 9-3 and a 9-1 with the same snout.
And let me say a couple of words on the snout.
GM-FWD platforms have a basic problem with the snout, it has to be big, why? mostly because you need the space as the engine is placed in front of the front axle.
In fact comparing the NG9-5 with the Teutonian 3 you can see that the front overhang is where the SAAB uses its extra centimetres, and having a rear overhang of the same size of the Merc E.
Front overhangs on GM FWD models are usually quite big. But, comparing between FWD-based cars, the Audi A6 has a HUGE snout as well. I think the new 9-5 looks better than the A6.
Anyhow, a 4,6-4,7 m 9-3 sedan or fastback is feasible with the LWB or the SWB versions of the deltaII platform, and the 9-1 (the 9-x Air is 4,4 m long) could be based on the 3dr Astra which will use a slightly tweaked deltaII platform. But I hope SAAB has no longer got to use Gamma for the 9-1, although some here said SAAB should base the 9-1 on the Mito with it's "brand new" gamma platform, which Fiat co-developed with Opel 2002??
You are right about the Audi, but it is the longest of the teutonian 3. And it wins a couple of snout centimetres over the NG9-5 because the engine is mounted longitudinal, so can be the axle somewhere underneath the engine.
I read somewhere (don't rememebr if it was here) that along with the current Corsa platform, SAAB also rejected the new Gamma (2012 Corsa) as being unsuitable for a premium product.