It’s only brief, but Daniel B’s drive of the new Saab 9-5 has been written up in comments. I figured it’d be good to share here on the front page.
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Anyway, when it comes to the new 9-5 I´d just like to pass on something that happened this last week:
Last weekend I drove to my local Saab-dealer (in Skövde, Sweden). I had some emails with a dealer there regarding the new 9-5 and he welcomed me for a testdrive. I got there at 10 o´clock when they opened and there was quite a group of people already there. The dealer told me that unfortunately, due to having just one car avaliable, and the lot of people wanting to drive, there would be only a very short testdrive for approximately 5 minutes.
I said to him that this is fully understandable and I´m just happy to be able to sit in the car and actually LOOK at it in the flesh.
I wanted to drive a car with Hiperstrut and Drivesense, and the car avaliable was a fully loaded Aero Turbo6 XWD in Fjord Blue. They also had a similar car in Glacier Silver inside as a show car and that one looked STUNNING!! (I´ve always been in love with blue Saabs- I have a Cosmic Blue 9-5 SC now) -but that silver Aero was really something spectacular.
Needless to say this car was amazing in design, touch of qualtity, details, and it was really spacious. I did get in and out of the backseat quite a few times -and believe me: The issue about the headspace is massively exaggerated. I´m 6 ft tall and I had no problem at all…
The ONLY issue for me was the black plastic panel, but that IS something that will be sorted with the customer-ordered cars the dealer told me. (And thats a great thing!)
I´m not going to get carried away and do a full review of the car because a 5 minute test drive really don´t say that much, BUT it was very quiet, very smooth, and VERY enjoyable to drive.
Here comes the really great thing that happened:
I told the dealer that I have a family of two children (My son is 2,5yrs and my daughter is 7 months) oh, almost forgot the wife…:) – and the sedan really isn´t something for me (even though I love the car) but I need to wait for the SportCombi. I also told him that the wife and kids had to stay at home (because taking them with me would have been pointless AND I just wanted to get the feel of the car, as a prelude to what the SC will be about).
He replied that this was fully understandable, but he was very interested in my input anyway, even though I would not be a potential buyer until the SC came out. He THEN told me that he would get his own Aero Turbo6 XWD in a few weeks time and wanted to keep contact so that when he got it, I could take the car for a longer ride and also drive it home to show the car to my wife..:)
Now THAT is amazing!. From my piont of view, this is the kind of dealer relations with its customers and potential customers that will sell Saabs. This is the guy that I will by my next car from! Simply amazing…
Next funny thing is:
I took my father in law to the same dealer to have a look at the NG 9-5. (The silver Aero on show was there).
Now, you have to understand something when it comes to my father in law: He has been a Volvo owner for 25+ years. He’s been employed by Volvo Cars, and now works for a company who supplies Volvo, and Volvo is his biggest customer. ( I can’t believe I just wrote Volvo 4 times in one sentance at a Saab enthusiast site..:)
Anyway, let’s just say that when it comes to cars, me and him have a love & hate relationship as far as Volvo & Saab goes (It’s almost like a Tom & Jerry relationship).
Getting in front of that Glacier Sliver 9-5 Aero Turbo6 XWD, he just stared… He looked at it, opened doors, looked and looked…
All he ever knew about this car earlier, was basically things he had read in Swedish media…. And that says it all doesn’t it..?
The least I can say is that he was VERY suprised, and very STUNNED.
He didn´t say much, but leaving the dealer and getting in the car he said:
-That’s I car I really would like to have!
So, Saab. You have made a fantastic car and I can’t wait to see, feel, drive and own more!
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