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.
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{ 71 comments }
It’s amazing what a difference the slightly darker studio photos from AMS does compared to the sunlit, slightly weird angle from Autozeitung.
I just love this car. Thought I needed a second car, but apparently I need a new first car…
Again notice the projected HUD on the windscreen. Wonder how it works. Any info about it? And will it be an expensive option? Now you can talk about some airplane similarities, and good ones too =) A real cockpit
It looks like those are luggage hooks, or else a weirdly designed emergency release for the trunk. Also, are those compartments I spy to the sides of the trunk hinges? Maybe a place to stash an umbrella?
How many can they sell in the first year? What were the numbers for the current 9-5 when it debuted?
Very nice photos. The car looks awesome on these.
Swade: You said earlier that these cars were hand built in Rüsselsheim. Do you know if they are complete and driveable cars, or just cars to show of the exterior and interior in its final finish? I haven’t seen any photos with hood open showing the engine…
Those hooks are to hang grocery bags.
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!?
CTM, the 70 cars built there included all the mules on the road. I’d be surprised if this Vector model wasn’t a runner as well.
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.
in Europe? I guess only Acura, Infinity and Lexus and Cadillac
, last two maybe only for a while 
.
Damn, this is one good looking car! I’ve spent the last day or so looking at it, and as most of you have pointed out already, the first pictures that came from the german magazine, did not exactly portray the car in a good way. These last ones however. All I can say is wow… The guys at Trollhattan did a GREAT job on this car. I can almost not wait to see it in real life.
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
The pictures from AMS are absolutly amazing, this is a an absolutly brilliant looking car (dispite of the headrest).
By the way, notice that the interior are from two different cars, look especially at the different gearleavers and steering wheel.
Philip J
The vector interior is gorgeous, and the Aero interior much more.
I hope we get some pictures of the Aero seats, and btw this Aero interior has an automatic transmission !!!!!
Swade,
nice header pict !!!!!!!!!!
GML +1 on the hooks for t-shirt shopping bags. Very thoughtful detail.
still prefer the wheels from the high altitude test 9-5 spotted in Colorado.
Ctm, i also think this mule has a real engine etc.
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.
WhaHoo! More green on the dash vs. the current 9-5 … and a night panel button! Nice button layout on the center stack.
Where’s the “preorder” button? On this website? On a Saab website?
I think that that hook for bags MUST be done as plane like in 9-3 Combi trunk.
Why are you thinking that the automatic interior shot is from an Aero?
Sry noticed the “Aero” Sign in the steering wheel not by looking at it at the first time
I agree, Swade. It’s getting better with each viewing. I look forward to seeing one in person.
It says “Aero” on the lower alu-insert on the steeringwheel, ingraved. On the vector there is no alu-trim there, and the leather is different.
Back from vacation – This car sure looks like a winner, me like alot. Its a bit too big for my use, but it probably tells pretty much how the next 93 will look like. The future is so bright we all have to weart shades…
In picture 16, you can actually see a mesh sitting in that “doodle” by the front wheel, suggesting that it actually has some real use and is just not a design thing…
I doubt it… looking closely it still seems closed. Its a detail, but I think not a very pretty detail, a bit like the fake diffusor at the back of the Turbo X. I’d have preferred sticking to more ‘form follows function’.
Anyone else noticed that DOLBY Digital and dts signs on the infotainment?
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.
Swade I also agree with Me, brilliant header there for the SU.
What a great car indeed. Can’t wait to see it in Frankfurt. I think it will kick some serious *ss when it reaches the showrooms. Just a “small” pity the steering wheels of Saab, Opel and Buick bear so much resemblance, more differentiation on such an obvious piece of the interior would have been preferable IMHO.
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.
So no exterior work to be done on the Aero
???
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.
Not sure what you mean, but the car in the pictures are the Vector, as is the one of the interior pic with manual transm. But a couple of the interior pics (the ones with auto-trans.) is Saab’s own studio-pics of an Aero interior. There are no pics of the Aero exterior so far.
I still have to see it in person but in pictures it doesn’t draw me in the way the last gen 9-5 did (I owned a 1999 before my current 9-3 convertible) These pictures are certainly better and it’s nice to see that they did sweat the small details. I think it will sell as well as the last 9-5 did when new if it drives as well as we’ve heard. I’m done with sedans anyway my next new car will be another 9-3 vert so please Saab get cooking on the new model
I’m loving the new 9-5! One note about the Saab head’s-up display…it was developed by Saab in the early to mid ’90′s in the 9000 and was pinched by GM and later introduced in the Corvette. It’s about bloody time Saab has the opportunity to use its own creation! GO TROLLS!!!!
This car is brilliant! The interior is outstanding, looks better than anything from the competition at this point.
Good job, Saab!
How do we know that this is an Aero interior? It looks the except same as the other interior pictures except its an automatic.
I’m pretty sure that it says “airbag” on the steering wheel. Not aero.
I’m pretty sure I’m blind. I now see the “Aero” in the metal trim of the steering wheel. Cool. haha.
Is that a speaker I see between the pillar and the door handle of the passenger door?
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.
Makes more sense – thanks for clarifying.
Brilliant !!!!!!!!!
I’m wondering if it is the compartment to gain access to the motors for a remote trunk. As this would completely round out the luxury items for a car in this class. This is one car that I think will age like fine wine. Every time I see a new photo, I like it more and more each time.
Love the wraparound dash …… VERY 9000 !
http://www.trollhattansaab.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/9000aerointerior.jpg
Saabken, that what I was thinking too which is most def NOT a bad thing.
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.
I have become an official hater of Autoblid, their photo and photographer are crap and morons respectively.
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.
maybe the Germans are jealous or feels inadequet of their shitty phtots and have to pull off the leak first otherwise no one’s going to look at their pics after these shots.
This car is such a beauty. really like a hot yet restrained swede.
Q: Where is the 12 V plug on the dash?
A: In the glove box between the seats mabe?
CTM, I just watched a review on the new Buick LaCrosse and it also is missing the 12V at the base of the console. Its in the storage dept between the seats…so if you get a radar detector…not sure how that is going to play out.
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.
Naw, I got a transmitter/charger base for my Ipod Touch. If the plug is in the box it’s kind of useless for all those with a similar device. Hope the iPod integration works extremely well then…
Anyone know if there will be a pure USB plug for charging?
well I love the car more and more,it is a great design,still waiting for the station wagon though…
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
I can only hope that all of you can afford one. While it is pretty clever of Saab to use cheap metal to scale up the car, to directly compete not only with cars in the Audi A6 class, but also in the A8 class (I expect the cabin to be in the same size class as the A8, since the Insignia’s cabin is about 8 cm longer than the one of the 9-3 I, and thus, the 9-5 II cabin may be about 20 cm longer, though this is not really reflected in the photographs), there is now also plenty of room for upscaling the options. And that will cost us dearly
. When ordering all this incredible stuff that will be just so desirable, who knows at what prize you end up , ha!
Waiting for the hatch…
I love it all!!!
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
So far the majority of people, myself included, do seem to favor the taillights more than the headlights.
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).
According to my rumors, the so called H engine is no longer built, so there will also be no 2.3 liter variant (235). Saab (i.e. GM) has sold the plant where they were built.
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.
Let’s see… I now have the new 9-5 as my wallpaper both at the office and here at home, and I have the 9-5 logo as my display picture on MSN… I guess I kinda like the thing
Leftlanenews had it almost spot on in their rendering last year I see…. something to remember when LLN posts a rendering of a 2012 9-3…. http://www.leftlanenews.com/cars/image_popup/newgallery.php?postid=8388&defimage=http%3A%2F%2Fphotos.leftlanenews.com%2Fphotos%2Fimageresizeronfly%2FphpThumb.php%3Fsrc%3D%2Fphotos%2Fcontent%2Fapril2008%2F9-5-1.jpg
Amaranthen, the acuracy of Leftlanenews’ rendering is something I noticed as soon as I saw the pictures. Same with theis CTS wagon rendering, that also proved to be spot on. I hope we can see a 2012 9-3 rendering from them soon.
@ 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.
This car, inside and out, makes me sure that I will care for and drive this new SAAB in the future – with this new 9-5, I am absolutely sure that SAAB puts the dot over the i, the jam in the doughnut, when it comes to joy of driving, pride of owning, and enthusiasm of friends/relatives persuation to-know-and-understand-SAAB for all SAAB-lunatics in the world, meself included. SAAB, I congratulate you with a beautiful and sleek new SAAB, keep up the good work and bring a wagon, a 9-3 and a baby-SAAB on the market – and I’m sure that all the nay-sayers, pessimists, besserwissers and saboteurs will have to eat their hats.
The styling is great, and very distinctly Saab. I am, however, greatly disappointed with the instrument pods. These break up the previously-clean lines of the dash, and remind me of a cheap pseudo sports coupe.
And more than one her told Leftlane got it right
I mean here not her
The instrument buckets reminds me very much about the instruments in the SAAB 99 from 1971 onwards. Looks great in my eyes, no problemo. The angle of the upper part of the instrument panel is also pure SAAB 99. Great that they dare, a mix between ideas from 70′s, 80′s and modern SAAB instrument panels. The numbers/needles in the speedometer and rev counter reminds be about the white needle instruments in the 99, from 71 up to 74 I think – from then on it was yellow needles. Also if you look to the great inspirator of SAAB when it comes to instrument panels, Italian sport/GT car design in the 70′s, there is also a lot of similarities. GREAT DESIGN!
ctm, about the 12V plug.
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 !
The USB 3.0 Powered-B plug supplies 1.8A on pin 1 and 2.0A on pin 10.
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.
Not having a couple of USB plugs (at a cost of, what, $1 each?) would be stupid. Even the mobile phone manufacturers have decided to go USB for charging phones, and most people do have a USB adapter for their PDA, phone, etc.
Rune, I’m not that sound on USB 3.0 specs. If this is enough to get a cool bag running is ok for me. But maybe having USB ports in the front and the old 12V plug in the trunk could be a good solution.
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.
Yeah, I remeber.
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…
The back lights are the cream of the crop! I’m looking forward to see the new 9-5 in front of me, it will put a smile on my face everytime
But also the interior looks promising, great car, great design.
Very nice car indeed !
Some more pics from a swedish mag;
http://www.vibilagare.se/
To be true, I think they keep the Delta2 as basis. And believe me,you get a car with the size of the current 9-3 and a greater wheel-base taking Delta2 as the platform. And I don’t know how long Delta2 for the astra combi/estate will be.
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.
An option I was thinking about was to keep roughly a 30cm gap between models: that could mean the 9-3 on the LWB Delta2 (Cruze sedan) and a 9-1/9-2 based on the SWB Delta2 (Astra hatch). 5m, 4.7m, and 4.4m, for the 9-5, 9-3, and 9-1 respectively.
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.
The Astra 5d and the Cruzè have the same wheel base. But I don’t know the wheelbase of the Astra caravan.
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 have no idea regarding the Astra Caravan’s wheelbase.
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.
Yes, they did, I can remember. Sometimes I should write things down.
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