65 thoughts on “Spotted – Saab 9-5 Wagon (again)”

  1. It’s interesting to see this, because the rear hatch has another design than from the first official photo and from the other photos we’ve seen. Here it doesn’t follow the shape of the bumper.

    • This design is better as the rear hatch will not be damaged in every little bump. This picture also makes the car more justice as it is taken from a distance. The previous picture was taken at shorter distance at a wider angle lens, which resulted in the car looking more “swollen” (perspective distortion)

      • Agree. Just wonder if this is the newest “version” (i.e. Saab has acted on the concern regarding the rear hatch and as you say the risk of damage).

        • I don’t agree, looks much worse than the original design where the hatch follows the contour of the bumper. Another problem is that this new design will fill the hatches rear part with snow in the winter. Let’s hope it is just a mule. Just for couriosity, why do you think the shaped hatch design would be damaged in every bump?

          • Good morning! 😉

            But one thing you can change is the tag. The post is tagged with “Saab 9-5” while the other spyshots are taggged “Saab 9-5 SportCombi” or something like that. 😉

    • “It’s interesting to see this, because the rear hatch has another design than from the first official photo and from the other photos we’ve seen. Here it doesn’t follow the shape of the bumper.”

      And it didn’t on the last gen of it either.

      Here’s a photo taken of my ’08 9-5 SC Aero the day it was returned off lease. 🙁

      http://i759.photobucket.com/albums/xx232/ths40/IMG_1788.jpg

      Has nearly the same design of the NG 9-5 SC shown above.

  4. The “d”-pillar (?) looks extremely big compared to the OG 9-5 SC with very small rear and side windows as a result. That’s the only thing bothering me, otherwise it looks stunning! And the new (or perhaps old?) design of the rear hatch seems much more practical.

    • That’s probably a safety thing again. You know, the smaller the windows, the safer the car. Omitting the windows is best, since then, none will dare to drive such car, resulting in total safety. 😉

  7. I dont like it. I really wish I did!! I love the sedan but this I think they will have a hard time selling. I wonder if they really have asked real people what they want and need in a wagon? Because this is way off in almost every point. 🙁

      • To small windows in the back, Way to big hatch and also it will to hard reversing when it’s designed like this. Also I think the trunk space is a bit to small. They should have asked the poeple what they want.

        • While I certainly understand the windows being small as an issue, I wouldn’t say this is not what people want. For example, the Honda CRV, a vehicle which I have a great distaste for personally, still sells incredibly well, even though the visability out the back is attrocious. While this would be a reason I wouldn’t buy the car (among many others), it has not prevented it from selling well, as its strong points, like reliability, reasonable fuel mileage for a small SUV, and utility outweigh some of the negatives like the lack of rearward visability.

          As for the hatch, a large hatch is really quite useful for many people, and for all we know it could be a power hatch, which if the weight was an issue would negate this.

          I don’t know how it will sell, my predictions are about as accurate as a blind man at a gun range, but I do think the style and utilitarian nature of it will certainly be points that may outweigh the negatives (potentially the visability) in the eyes of many buyers.

        • How can you be so sure in knowing what people want? For example Honda asked the owners of Accord Combi some years ago what they thought was most important to them. The result was that the next generation had smaller cargo and more “modern”, but perhaps more impractical design.

          And asking people what they want is not so simple as it may sound. I work with usability issues and in that area it is a well known fact that people often don’t know what they really want. You have to test their behaviour in a real situation instead. If you ask someone “do you want bigger cargo area?” many would say yes. But many of them would nevertheless buy a more sleek looking car with less cargo. It is also hard to know which people to ask. Owners of the old 9-5? They will maybe be more likely to buy the new version anyway. It would be nice to sell to others as well. Owners of the competitors? Many of them maybe wouldn’t buy the Saab anyway, etc. Just speculating here but you get the message…

    • I, on the other hand, think it looks better and better with every picture I see. 🙂
      If people regain confidence in Saab, then I am sure this car will sell as well as the previous 9-5 Wagon.

  8. Fordonsidentifikation
    Registreringsnummer: RBA908
    Fabrikat: SAAB
    FĂ€rg: MGRÅ Fordonsslag: PB
    FordonsÄr: 2011 Fordonsslagsklass: I
    Chassinummer: YS3GR5BZ2C9000006
    TypgodkÀnnandenummer:
    TypgodkÀnnandedatum:
    Senaste EU-regbevis del 1: 2011-01-18
    Senaste EU-regbevis del 2: 2011-01-18
    Handelsbeteckning:
    Upplysningar:

    Ägare/Brukare
    Namn: SAAB AUTOMOBILE AKTIEBOLAG
    Adress:
    Postnr: 461 80 FörvÀrvsdatum: 2011-01-17
    Ort: TROLLHÄTTAN

    FörsÀkringsuppgifter
    FörsÀkringsbolag: ZURICH IRELAND LTD
    FörsÀkringsdatum: 2011-01-17

    Fordonsdata
    Fordonsstatus: I trafik (2011-01-21)
    TillfÀllig registrering: Nej Privatimport: Nej
    Antal Àgare: 1 YrkesmÀssig trafik: Nej
    Fordonet tillverkat:
    Producentansvarig: 556258-8912
    I trafik första gÄngen i Sverige: 2011-01-21
    I trafik första gÄngen i utlandet:
    Ägarbunden dispens: Ja
    Ägarbunden dispens upphör: Nej

    Besiktningsuppgifter
    Besiktningstermin: 2014-08-01 – 2014-12-31
    Senast godkÀnda besiktning:
    FörelÀggande:Nej
    Körförbud:Nej
    VÀgmÀtarstÀllning:

    Skatteuppgifter
    Fordonsskattepliktigt: Ja AnvÀndningsförbud: Nej
    Årsskatt, kr: 3560
    Återbetalning vid avstĂ€llning, kr: 3262
    Debiterad fordonsskatt, kr: 0
    Debiterad avgift, kr: 0
    BetalningsmÄnad/er: januari
    Förfallen fordonsskatt/avgift, kr: 0
    VĂ€gtrafikregisteravgift: 65 kr ska betalas samtidigt med Ă„rsskatten.

    Tekniska data
    Motornummer:
    Kaross: Kombi (03)
    Karosserikod sÀrskilda ÀndamÄl:
    Slagvolym, cm3:
    VÀxellÄda: AUTOMAT

    Antal passagerare, max: 4
    Antal sittande passagerare, max:
    Antal bÀltade passagerare, max:
    Antal passagerare i rullstol, max:
    Antal stÄende passagerare, max:
    Skattevikt, kg: 2010
    TjÀnstevikt, kg: 2010
    Totalvikt, kg: 2450
    SĂ€nkt totaltvikt, kg:
    Max slÀpvagnsvikt, kg:
    Max slÀpvagnsvikt kg, obromsad:
    SlÀpvagns maximala totalvikt vid B-behörighet, kg: 1050
    Max sammanlagd bruttovikt, kg:
    Max lastvikt, kg: 440
    KopplingsavstÄnd, mm:
    KopplingsavstÄnd EU, mm:
    Effektiv bromsanordning: Nej
    Lastutrymmets lÀngd, mm:
    FrÀmre överhÀng, mm:
    Bakre överhÀng, mm:
    Utrustning:
    Drivande axlar fram:
    Drivande axlar bak:
    Antal hjul:
    DĂ€ckdimension axel 1: 225/55 R17 FĂ€lgdimension axel 1: 7 J x 17″
    DĂ€ckdimension axel 2: 225/55 R17 FĂ€lgdimension axel 2: 7 J x 17″
    Bandbredd, mm:

    LĂ€ngd, mm: 5008 Bredd, mm: 1868
    Höjd, mm:

    Drivmedel 1: BENSIN
    Motoreffekt, kw: 162,0
    Effektnorm: EG

    ———————————-
    First day in traffic: 21 January 2011.

    • Compared to the other spy shots of the 9-5SC this one is about one month “newer”. (Reg number: LFB 248 ).

    • Here is the additional information stating that the vehicle is for test use:

      T12E PROVBIL.FORDONET FÅR BRUKAS I TRAFIK MED DE UNDANTAG SOM
      GÄLLER FÖR EXPORTVAGN ENL VVFS 1994:5,AVSNITT 10.6 SAMT
      UTAN KRAV PÅ BESIKTNING ENL 38 OCH 77 PARAGRAFERNA
      FORDONSKUNGÖRELSEN (1972:595).SE SÄRSKILT BESLUT.
      T13H ÅRSMODELLBETECKNINGEN ÄR ÅSATT AV FORDONSTILLVERKAREN.
      T31BS KOLDIOXIDUTSLÄPP BLANDAD KÖRNING BERÄKNAD, CO2 280 G/KM.
      UPPGIFTEN ANVÄNDS ENDAST SOM GRUND FÖR UTTAG AV FORDONSSKATT.

      I wonder how this 280g/km is in relation to the final version.

      • It is an Aero Turbo4 XWD with the serial number 6, the other we have already seen were serial number 2 and 3.
        If this car has been registered 1 month after the other ones, they I would say, that this tailgate design is the one we will see in Geneva.

        • That would be strange given that the only official picture shows the other tailgate design. Saab should have known which tailgate the car would get when they published the official picture last month.

          • And at the same time it is not so strange if Saab has reconsidered the design and listened to the public concern regarding bumps on the bumper.. 🙂

    • SEK 3560 in annual road tax, seems quite a lot, even for Sweden. it’s about SEK 1000 more than the sedan, how come?

  9. it looks a little higher than the previous picture, maybe its how the picture was taken. any chances this could be a 9-5x mule?

    • I was thinking the same thing, it’s definitely taller off the ground, especially with that truck to compare it to. Plus the rear hatch is not part of the bumper, perhaps to allow for some 9-3x like cladding? Plus this car has been mentioned many times in the past, it would far outsell the regular wagon here in the US.

    • It definitely looks to stand taller than the other SportCombi pictures, but it could just be the perspective. Not too sure about the redesigned tailgate though – kind of looks like a Subaru Legacy now…

  10. Looks good! This one will sell!
    The badges looks much better placed on this car than on the one we saw a couple of weeks ago.

  11. The car looks great. This photo shows that everything comes together really nicely at the roof and the rear doors.

    I think it is strange that they are testing a different hatch. The official rear looks better but this is probably a better solution if someone bumps into your beautiful car.

    • My thoughts exactly. Form should follow function.
      I was going to say a while back that there is no need to put a spare tyre under the trunk floor in Saabs anymore, since we haven’t had a puncture in something like 14 years.
      Guess what. I had one a month ago and was very grateful of the mini wheel I managed to put under in the snowstorm and drive home. The original tyre was totally shredded thanks to snapped suspension spring.

      • I had two punctures last year and another one a year before. I drive around 40-45000 km per year. I live in Stockholm. I definitely want a spare in my car….

        • Punctures seem to be popular in Sweden… 😉
          Had my first on the trip to SAAB Festivalen last summer. – The mini spare was useful, too, as the tyre was completely deformed.

  12. That looks brilliant – somehow (due to angle of the shot?) this one looks even more sleek. Funny that theyÂŽre testing different hatches this late in the game – OTOH it is great to be able to address issues swiftly should they arise.

  13. This is interesting.

    Havent they made up their mind or why would the official teaser pic be from a different design than the car in this pic? Or could it be that there might be a different design on different versions (Aero vs the others)??? Confusing…

    Could the hatch be made of plastic or is it just a lower part that can be changed to change the design? Sounds expensive if they have 2 different tools for a metal hatch

    The lights on the hatch aren’t working in any of the pics seen. In 2 of the spy pics the brake lights are on ( here ) and on the pic above but still the hatch hasn’t any lights on (except for the upper brake light and the led bar). I wonder if they ever will or if this is a prototype thing…?

    • It can be as simple as the red lights on the hatch are the fog-lights.. and yes, we know that the white lights are for reverse.. 😉

      • Carl-Henrik, you are right. The tail lights on the sedan and the SC are differently designed. The reverse lights are in different place on the lights. I also noticed that the American version has red rear turn signals. Is this a legal thing in the U.S.? BTW. IMO the American light system on cars is so much better looking than the European.

    • For insurance reasons I think that the lower part of the trunk is plastic. Metal closer to the end of the car results in higher insurance rating for the car which the manufacturers usually don’t want. But I doubt that Saab will release a picture of the car and then change the design. Strange anyway.

    • Great! That is a really important step. Until the Swedish government drops the next bomb and change the Co limit from 120 to 100.

    • Also the TriFuel is getting attention even if it’s not a big seller. Methane (natural gas) is interesting as you are able to make the fuel from so many sources.

  15. I like the design from the first pic a lot more than this one. Don’t get me wrong but with this rear it looks a litte like a Subaru Outback. And the

  16. Ofcourse a couple of variants have been made to see what people think. This is a nogo for me. The teaser picture is much more modern and as Baracuda states it sort of looks like an Outback configured like the car in this picture.. Or any other wagon for that matter.
    And getting hit by another car in the rear often results in the bootlid having to be replaced anyway.

    Cheers/Tom

    • Tom, not sure about that. We (mrs) have backed our 9-3SS with amazing speeds against all kind of things and you couldn’t tell. Can a door like we’ve seen in the previous pics go untouched of these kinds of incidents? I’d hate to think what it would cost every time you hit something. Go to 2:03. Quite interesting.

      • Ah, no biggie, just trying to defend design over practicality 🙂
        And… the other version looks better… no?

        Cheers/Tom

        • Uups, you really done it now 🙂 (left brain vs. right brain question to a Saaber). Yes, it looks better, until… 😉
          Whatever they go for I’ll take it! Hope it’s… no, sorry can’t decide. As you said, no biggie.

  20. By now, I have seen more spy pictures of the 9-5 SC than I’ve seen the 9-5 sedan in real life (3 in total, 1 in Belgium and 2 at the Spyker yearly US celebration). Hate to repeat myself, but I travel a lot in New England and I would have expected to see more of them by now. Anyone has the regional sales numbers for the US?

  21. This looks good. And practical.

    The other solution looks better I think, perhaps because its feels a bit more modern.
    But expensively exposed.

  22. I just canÂŽt believe that this is the way tailgate is going to look like. I am sure that this version has been a design variant but they have used some “old” parts for this vehicle and are going to use this car for some testing or so. Maybe even by purpose they want us to be a little confused about how the looks of the production version will be…

    But it is just impossible that they give us an official picture just a few weeks before Geneva shoe and the picture is something else than the final version!

  23. some time ago an US site had leaked scatches of the 9-5 SC, it had something to do with design property, as I would call it. These versions had a similar tailgate like this version. Maybe this is specific for the US, as it looks very 9-4X like.

    Daniel R

  24. As a few people have surmised, I think the different tailgate designs are for USA and ROW versions. USA is the one without the faired-in bumper treatment – i.e. this car is USA version…

  26. this is a gmc terrain in saab sheetmetal.If saab can price it right it will be a big seller,my wife just purchased the gmc and its a nice car, thats coming from a 02 93 se driver .I believe this is the car to get people interested in the brand again and become a real player.

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