IIHS

First off the bat, is svd.se which now features a review comparing the 9-5 to the A6. They deduct points for interior quality but comment on the 9-5’s road holding qualities as “best in class”. I am a little surprised that they compare fuel economy seeing as the 9-5 comes equipped with more horsies and torque. That is the only category where the 9-5 loses, yet they only reward it a score of three (Audi gets five) in their summary. Nice interior apparently beats the nice feeling you get from piloting the car through the ‘twisties.

Thanks Thomas for the tip

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Pam, our on the spot IIHS spotter, let us know that IIHS has completed another test of the 9-5. This time they have put a poor unsuspecting 9-5 through a heavy side-impact. Designed to test what happens if a car gets struck by a SUV, the 9-5 holds up nicely, though IIHS notes there is a possible chance of rib fractures. Adding side curtain airbags in the rear helps the new 9-5 improve upon the score set by its predecessor.

It will be interesting to see the 9-5’s rollover score. That test only provided the Audi A6 with an ‘Average’ score and that is one event where Saab have a long history of success thanks to “on the roof” Carlsson. Which will bring to question those reviews that typically award the A6 the same safety score as the 9-5.

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On the lighter side of things, a nice classic Saab 900 Turbo makes a cameo appearance in the Beastie Boys Fight for Your Right (Revistied) video. Jamie, who provided us with the link calls the cameo “unlikely”, but I am not sure what he meant by that. (BTW: That video is probably not safe for work. Public urination is frowned upon in the workplace I believe — proceed at your own risk)