Edmunds drive the Saab 9-5
March 23, 2010 in News
This isn’t a full road test. It’s more like it’s title says – a ‘First Look’ at the Saab 9-5.
But Edmunds did drive it and they have posted a fairly lengthy piece on their time in the car and their time with Victor Muller.
Notables…..
- Viggen mentioned – check.
- Customisation options for the future – check.
- Showing them the Saab 9-1 sketch on his phone – check.
And then there’s the actual drive itself. Here’s a few quotes but you really do need to click on through and read it for yourself. It’s well worth it.
“It was so frustrating for Saab fanatics like me for so many years,” Muller says. “Not only did we have to wait 13 years for this next 9-5, but then we waited a ridiculous amount of time for four-wheel drive while GM Europe took whatever profits Saab was making and threw them into an Opel/Vauxhall black hole…..
……We feel embraced in Nordic-ness, the kind of alternative spirit that makes the cars of Trollhattan (Saab’s traditional home) so appealing…..
……”We are going to be working massively on perfecting the Saab interior experience and a big part of that is constantly improving the materials choices.” In fact, Muller tells us that not long after the introduction of the 2011 Saab 9-5 in the U.S. this summer, Saab will launch a personalization program much like the German carmakers offer……
……We find ourselves employing some body English here and there, as if we were channeling the spirits of Saab rally drivers Erik Carlsson and Stig Blomqvist, both notorious wild men at the wheel.
……the 2011 Saab 9-5 makes us think Victor Muller’s new car company can succeed. Get some sales going, make it possible to order the car in a slightly more luxurious specification, and then you can charge the prices that Audi does for its lavishly equipped U.S. models. Add the 9-5 2.0T model, Spyker Saab personalization packages, the SportCombi wagon in 2011, plus the high-performance Viggen, and then you’ve got a real car company.
Thanks to Mo for the link!
