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
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
Not necessarily, not all people like bouncy suspension and poor traction on snow... ;)
Having said that I SO want to see the new 9-5. Swade, any idea when we can expect something?
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
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.
There is a picture of the car here : http://www.sr.se/cgi-bin/vast/nyheter/artikel.asp?artikel=2951795
dont know why swedish radio mentions it as the last 9-5 sedan.
If HiPerStrut is meant to improve handling on FWD cars, then how will it perform with the XWD models?
So I am only hopping it feels less confortable than a french and less sporty than a german to me.
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.