GM Epsilon II – SAABSUNITED

WooDz is a site regular and occasional articler (one who writes articles, according to the Swade dictionary) and he’s been busy taking a look at the Saab 9-5 spyshots we’ve recently seen and comparing them to the Buick Lacrosse.
Both vehicles are, of course, based on a common architecture: GM’s Epsilon II architecture. This is also the basis for the Opel Insignia and I’ve already done a comparo of the Insignia and Lacrosse.
WooDz – take it away!
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Seeing Buick’s new 2010 LaCrosse again has sparked me into considering whether there is going to be more then just the odd similarity between it and the 2010 Saab 9-5. The recent photos of the 9-5 supplied by AMS seem to add a bit more detail and with the help of a few indicators I think we may be able to get an idea of what the new 9-5 will look like by using our design study vehicle.
PROFILE:
Just by doing a quick overlay we can see the two vehicles are pretty evenly matched in length; even though the picture of the 9-5 isn’t exactly a side-on view.
HL1 – they both use the same GPS antenna.
HL2 – Shows that the rear bumper has the same attachment point.
The vehicles also have the same belt line too.

And here’s some other points of similarity.
Lacrosse first, followed by the 9-5…….

The latest vehicle to come along on the new Epsilon midsize architecture has just been revealed prior to the Detroit Motor Show. It’s the Buick Lacrosse.
I’m not really keen on doing this, but people are going to be talking about the comparison anyway, so we may as well do it here.
The trap, of course, is that people will start thinking that the Saab 9-5 is going to follow directly within the footsteps of these two cars. I am NOT willing to accept that that’s a fait accompli. Yes, the Saab 9-5 will be built on this architecture. Yes, it’ll feature XWD just like the Lacrosse does (though they don’t use that name) and yes, it may even end up with one of the V6 engines.
But I am willing to hold out. I’ve heard from people who have seen it saying that the car looks awesome. That it’s going to be a killer. I know that they can take these basic architectures and apply much different driving characteristics to each model. I know that the 9-5 will be worth waiting for.
So with that said, here are the comparison photos of the Opel Insignia and Buick Lacrosse. There’s no doubt there’s more in common here than just the name of the architecture they were built on.
There’s some more notes at the end.
Click the photos to enlarge. Buick shots from Autoblog. Opel shots from GM.
Buick first, Opel second.
Front quarter view:

2010 Saab 9-5 and Buick Lacrosse – as compared as they can be

Epsilon II: Buick Lacrosse vs Opel Insignia