Saab 9-5 Business Class - RP Online tests the Saab 9-5
RP Online tested the Saab 9-5. Here are the impressions:
Saab uses aircraft systems for the new top-of-the-range model. Can the giant save the Swedish brand from the crash?
Body
"Man, is the fat," says the neighbor when he examines the new Saab 9-5 Aero. Does it even fit in the garage? Yes, but only barely. With a length of 5,1 meters, the Swedish flagship is longer than a Mercedes E-Class. A really chubby giant. Admittedly, love at first sight feels different.
mileage
Under the hood of the test car, the four-cylinder 220-PS machine awaits take-off, which is also available in the Opel Insignia. The driver can set in the adaptive suspension "Drive Sense" (1160 Euro) how comfortable the passengers should experience the journey. The automatic with six gears works quickly and smoothly. The Saab 9-5 shines on the long distance. Then you feel like you're in business class - only the stewardess who brings drinks is missing. The seats in the rear are equipped with an entertainment system as in the airplane. The cinema program must be started by the skipper before departure and is not interrupted by traffic information.
Comfort / operation
Now to the weaknesses of the jumbo jet from Sweden. The bosses should remove dull co-pilots immediately the license. The discussions with the electronic speech recognition system about where to go now are hard to bear. Since you type in the course rather like a hand in the Navi. It is annoying that the screens in the back seat are clatter-prone. The test consumption (13,8 liter) is also not a good advertisement.
Facilities
Saab, preferred upper-class brand of study councils, BMW opponents and intellectuals, wants to start with the model change in a better future. It can only get better. Under the leadership of the US company General Motors, there have been no innovations in the past ten years. The sales slumped in the cellar. At the beginning of 2010, the Dutch sports car manufacturer Spyker took over the majority. With the Saab 9-5, the manufacturer is focusing on its roots in aircraft construction. The edgy fighter-plane look of the earlier versions has bled out of the face of the new XXL model. For the Swede charmed by inner values. Equipment gimmicks delight the child in the man. For example, at the additional cost of 1000 Euro, there is the "Head-Up Display". The system projects information such as driving data into the windscreen, a technique pilots of traffic aircraft value. The tempo display is reminiscent of an altimeter. And with a little imagination, the instruments are reminiscent of an airplane cockpit. One has again "gasoline in the blood", it is said in the Saab advertising vollmundig.
Rating
Subjective rating
Strengthen: technical finesse
Weaknesses: Handling suboptimal, high consumption and price
Conclusion
The Saab Aero is an extraordinary vehicle. He has what it takes to recapture the fans who have become unfaithful to the brand. The passion, however, has its price. The Aero costs in the basic equipment already 51400 Euro. That's why you will not see the giant on every corner.
Source: RP-Online / Gerhard Voogt
Image: Saab automobiles