From a conversation over the weekend:
Quote:
The new 9-5 is astonishing, I’ve never seen something like it in terms of comfort. It has a sporty feeling, but the awesome thing is the comfort. We did rough tests on the track and on open roads, on some very poor roads, and I’ve never seen a car like this. You could take a Mercedes CLS as a reference in terms of comfort, but in this comparison think of the Saab as being awesome. On those poor roads, the 9-5 moves incredibly well; it’s so stable and you can pass over big potholes with no problems. Again, compare it to Mercedes, the new E-class, which has an awesome suspension setup in terms of comfort…..well this 9-5 is state of art in this regard. We couldn’t believe what we saw.
Unquote
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That Opel blurb...
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It looks like the NG9-5 is more comfortable than your bed, swade !!!
I am so glad to have read this. I hope he’s not just an over-enthusiastic Saabb fann. BMW has a nnew 5 series coming out next year so I am sure with all the fuss about thhis new 9-5 and the sale to K-segg a comparison is comig. If this is true then Saabb wil be in the right direction.
Holy cows I am drooling.
Any idea, does the new 9-5 have normal suspension that is just tuned so well, or have they come-up with something new?
a 9-5 that beats big potholes cannot come soon enough!
Ezra Dyer’s “Saab for Sale” that Swade recommended in print just got posted online at:
http://blogs.automobilemag.com/6553308/editors-soapbox/dyer-consequences-saab-for-sale/index.html
ive read so much about how comfortable the ng9-5 is but i havent seen anything regarding its performance. i know a quiet ride is important, but what about handling and performance? saabs are notorious for their understeer and body flex. they need something that can actually compete with the rwd 5 series without costing more than one after getting all the sport options
Is Saab Sweden giving Swade the cold shoulder? There is a picture of the last OG9-5 rolling off the assembly line over at saabhistory.com. Looks to me to be a Jet Black Aero. I have to say the workers in the picture don’t look all that happy.
“they need something that can actually compete with the rwd 5 series”
Not necessarily, not all people like bouncy suspension and poor traction on snow…
This is very encouraging. Just about everything about the new 9-5 is encouraging.
I can’t wait. We have heard its extremely comfortable and outperforms the Insignia OPC. Both of best worlds?
Dont mention potholes to me, a very very sore point at the moment. Vancouver is being dug up around me and my car took a beating a few months back that looks like I am going to have to pay for. Damned local council.
Having said that I SO want to see the new 9-5. Swade, any idea when we can expect something?
My guess would be september in Frankfurt… that is if the deal is done and signed by then.
Take in consideration that those hard roads,usually aren’t straights, and you need a good chasis well tuned to mantain the car composed, with good comfort and roadholding, you can go fast and without any concern if the car is going to go out of the road in those conditions.
If the car its able to mantain a great level of comfort going fast on those roads and the driver isn’t stressed out, because the car is easy to drive.
And similar comments I listen from other sources, about this new 9-5.
regards
Ken H – I agree that not everyone wants a sporty suspension. And with a focus on premium comfort, it is yet another way for Saab to differentiate itself from it’s German rivals and augment it’s niche marketing. Think apple.
I hope it won’t be just similar car to insignia for instance. well despite the fact that its quality is much much better than any other opel ever ,I don’t wanna see again plastic “opel bis” ! I wanna have true turbocharged saab 9-5 with extremely powerfull engines not something like 2.2 tid from GM..
Saab has always understood suspension component setup and the affect this has on the driver, passengers and road-holding. The late Colin Chapman, founder of Lotus really liked the way the C900 handled.
Saab apparently did a great job too on the SUV that formed the basis for the US market 9-7x. They also worked their magic to high acclaim on the Insignia’s predecessor the Opel Vectra.
For the NG9-5 Saab are likely to be offering two suspension variants -standard and a HiPerStrut (High Performance Strut).
The latter may have been in response to competition and specifically, Ford’s ‘Revo-Knuckle’ system. Both are designed to improve drive-ability on high performance front wheel drive cars.
To be honest, Saab did not get it right with the 9-3SS at first try. Harsh ride but too soft in the curves and squeaky bushings is the standard feedback. It did get better as I have understood, but I can’t verify that. I know only that I have Koni FSD and the car is better than stock.
ARUK, I seem to recall Colin Chapman saying the C900 was by fare the best handling FWD car on the market and, in fact. outhandled the sloopy 1980s 3 Series. More of that please.
and the 9-4X? Why are’nt we hearing anything?
Sounds good. The new Epsilon platform is shaping up as advertised.
btw,the last 9-5 Sedan is now standing at ANA Trollhattan and has the registration number plate: BKN 230
There is a picture of the car here : http://www.sr.se/cgi-bin/vast/nyheter/artikel.asp?artikel=2951795
edit: forget my post ,checked with swedish road authority and “BKN 230″ was regged at Swedish road authority 2008-10-08.
dont know why swedish radio mentions it as the last 9-5 sedan.
Who provided the quote to Swade ?
If it has a sporty feeling but is still very comfortable, I wouldn’t worry about it being a land yacht. I have full confidence in SAAB engineers being able to find the right setup and compromise between handling and comfort. Obviously the Aero models will lean more towrds handling and the lower model(s) will lean more towards comfort, but I’m sure they will all be very competent vehicles.
Good question Ken. After all, if it was one of the journalists who were able to score an invitation recently, then you would think their comments would have turned up in print somewhere…
If HiPerStrut is meant to improve handling on FWD cars, then how will it perform with the XWD models?
But the Press can turn everything around if they like. If the SAAB turns to be “too” confortable, then it will be too american, and if it is too sporty then it won’t be confortable enough for a luxury sedan.
So I am only hopping it feels less confortable than a french and less sporty than a german to me.
Very encouraging read here. It’s nice to hear the particulars about the functioning of the car along with seeing spy-pics. Just to be compared with Mercedes in the comfort area is a very big step up. The 9-5 is the flag ship and should be more focused on the comfort of the ride. Let the 9-3 be all about Sport & Handling. While the 9-5 gives people a true alternative to the E-class and 5 series.
”From a conversation”, with who did you have a conversation, Swade?
Me +1
zippy that quote wouldn’t surprise me at all and yes, I too would like more of the same!
Sadly, the C900 was the last Saab to feature an engineering refinement that prompted those reactions -a front suspension system that incorporated a ‘double-wishbone’ setup. In addition, Saab went one step further and also included a pivot plate for the spring.
The ‘HiPerStrut’ and similar technologies are still a halfway house to a full ‘double-wishbone’ setup (essentially where a wheel is attached to the chassis by means of two independent ‘arms’).
Costs rather than a profitable benefits approach appear to have taken sway since. Hopefully, the new Saab will take a leaf out the C900 experience.
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