50.000 km in the Saab 9-5 NG - an interim result
At the beginning of September, the bank statement reminded me that I am now driving the Saab 1-9 NG 5 year: the vehicle tax was deducted. I drove this time over 50.000 km - time for an interim balance.
The high mileage will split the blog readers in two camps: Some will say, "How can you scrub such a beautiful and rare car so," the others will say: "Great that someone uses his Saab as an everyday car and intensive "I myself am torn between these opinions as well, but the desire to drive Saab now is greater than the option of getting the low-mileage vehicle for long, then who knows what's going on in 5, 10 or 20 years is?
The discussion about the unpredictable future of Saab and possible alternatives ebbten just in the blog high - there but the youngest descendant from Trollhättan should be considered closer.
How has the 9-5 NG proven itself? Good ! During the first 50 tkm no breakdown, no defect, nothing that would have spoiled the joy of Saab driving.
But I would like to describe the interim results more comprehensively:
1. Body
The 9-5 NG is already stately, with 5.005 mm length. At first the siluette took some getting used to, a limousine that drops slightly behind the coupe (supposedly to remind you of the 900 I ...). When the 9-5 NG stood next to a "classic" Mercedes sedan in a park row, it turned out that the rear looks just as high as the Mercedes: the coupé-type is just an optical illusion! Of course, the length offers immense space in the interior and trunk - which is why the 9-5 NG got the name "Presidential Sedan" from us. Conversely, the length is also a hindrance - at the latest when parking in and out of a parking garage is cursed once quietly. Luckily there are beeps in front and in the back ...
2. landing gear
To put it in a nutshell: I am a bit disappointed with the chassis, because the front axle is simply poltrig. Bad road surfaces, manhole covers, etc. let one clearly hear and also feel where one drives. The area of the 9-5 NG is clearly the highway.
3. Engine / gear
The highlight is the 2-liter turbo gasoline engine with 220 PS. Always wide awake, acoustically in the background and power without end. Average fuel consumption has leveled off at 8,6 liters / 100km, with a driving share of approximately 50% motorway, 40% highway and 10% city traffic.
In the transmission you can always find the right gear, the 6. Gear is translated extremely long, the engine turns at 200 just '3.600 rpm.
Nevertheless, there are a few little things that annoy:
The sun visor: Why in the 9-5 NG the ingenious double sun visor of 9-5 I was abandoned, I am a mystery. Sometimes, with an aperture you are constantly flipping back and forth, in addition, the aperture is too narrow, right and left the sun shines "blindingly" through the window.
The dashboard lighting: There is a daytime operation with constant bright illumination and a nighttime operation which is dimmable. The car shuts down automatically, but it's enough to drive under a bridge to make the lights flicker.
The glove compartment: tiny for such a big car; with the on-board folder and a CD bag, the compartment is almost full.
The seats: they are big and comfortable, but why does a double seam have to be right in the middle of the leather upholstery? There I actually want to press my spine comfortably in the back, and feel no seam!
And there is already a flaw:
The steering wheel: There, where the thumb accesses for a long time, the top coating of the (obvious) artificial leather separates, meanwhile it also starts in other places. If necessary, this will be a case for the autosattler.
And finally ...
The evolutionary step from 9-5 I to 9-5 II (or NG) is certainly as big as it was from 9000er to 9-5 I. In the 9-5 NG you have to get used to various changes, such as the electric parking brake (like do you drive it on the mountain? very easy, because the brake works as hill start assist at the same time) or the start-stop-button (how do you just push the ignition button? without pushing the clutch).
How long the electric helpers will work trouble-free will be shown.
But hand on the heart: not everything new is better. If there were currently the 9-5 I and the 9-5 NG as new cars to buy: I would choose 9-5 I! He is big enough, comfortable and much more manageable like "the presidential limousine".
PS:
Our 9-5 NG was allowed to be the wedding car in May when my niece married:
The big wedding dress with train naturally fit loosely in the back ...
Thanks to Thomas for his Saab story! Do you also have something to tell about Saab?
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Thanks for the nice report! What do the specialists from the car dealerships mean for the suspension tuning of the first few months: can we improve something there? By installing new shock absorbers? Or is enough synonymous a small software update (as in VW? :-)), so he elastic springs?
@ GP362: The green one was still unchanged at Redox 3 weeks ago. It was simply “moved” with the help of a forklift. Astonishingly little has changed there during the summer. But the many vehicles still offer a pathetic picture of horror - not just for a 9-5 NG driver ...
Incidentally, I use my everyday life as well. I too often get torn. But since I am also a pleasure person when it comes to driving, I just want to drive it.
I'm looking forward to a swift trip to Sweden. At the end of October he is allowed to return to his home country for a long weekend and will transport me about 1300 kilometers through southern and central Sweden. Just for fun 😉
When it comes to “problems”, my V6 is also extremely cautious. His speedometer now shows 80.000 km.
Of course there are points here and there that you can complain about (sometimes more, sometimes less) - but on the whole I feel like Thomas.
Moin, Olli!
If you're just going to SChweden for fun:
Could you bring me Vector seats for my 9-5? Of course, against payment!
You can reach me at el - se @ gmx. de
Sesi
my 9-5NG is EZ 06 / 2010, but I have not noticed that the axle rumbles, when the road is bad it switches to comfort and everything is fine. The 9-5NG is already in all situations sovereign, what I really miss is the large trunk flap from the 9000er! otherwise he is more cultured than the 9k and more modern, but not ahead of his time as the 9k was.
I had to smile while reading. My company car, of the brand with the many rings, had so many shortcomings after 50.000 kilometers that it had to be exchanged for a new vehicle. This comes from the same group, has the Problembärdiesel, but is cheaper and a little better and from the Czech Republic.
Envy with anyone who is allowed to drive a 9-5 NG with the problems in everyday life, I'm not lucky. My employer only accepts vehicles from Europe's biggest scandalmaker.
Good morning.
Really a nice article!
I still “cry” a little tear after my old 9-5 SC.
And I also think that you should drive and enjoy the new, last official Saabs in everyday life ... they are far too young and shame to lock them up in dark garages!
(And somehow I can't imagine that the modern “plastic bombers and rolling computers” will age in the same way as earlier cars - and I believe that even across all brands).
I also drive my 2011'er “daily” and am happy about it despite some “smaller” and less really “annoying” quirks (the latter are more of my personal nature or possibly also due to my zodiac sign)! 😉
Thank you for the balanced report on the 9-5NG. I was particularly surprised by the clear statement on the first generation 9-5! I would not have expected that. This means that the (utility) value of this model cannot be overestimated….
PS
If the NG were one of the much rarer ALL NEW SC, I would be pretty appalled by the annual mileage ...
But as? Nice that the NG and its owner show so much flag!
Some of the defects (sun visor, steering wheel cover, dashboard lighting) seem like typical first-series illnesses - this would have been remedied in the following model years. And a central seam on the seat looks a bit sportier than large-area leather - but sporty and comfortable have always rarely matched in cars.
Your 9-5 has one thing in common with my (old) 9-5. When you talk about the “presidential limousine”, my boss mumbled something about the “Swedish state car” 🙂 after a ride in the rear last year
I had a first-generation 9-5 NG and was pretty disappointed with the suspension. After that, a lot must have happened.
The vote was absolutely disappointing at the beginning. Unfortunately, also with the press vehicles. The younger the 9-5 is from the production date, the better tuned the suspension. Saab had done a lot in a very short time.
Tom, on this topic I just remember: Is there really something new to the green 9-5 NG at the Swedish recycler?
There is not any. We lost sight of him, none of us was there in the meantime. He probably goes to the press, just like the other project we wanted to save. We know more in the spring.
It was only breaking the car (for 2 years and 76000km), when the car stopped - is breaking the throttle. The rest is quite reliable car.
Among the few drawbacks of the car with which I agree - it is very noisy suspension (strikes in the cabin at the joints and manholes on the road decides to replace in the shock absorbers of other manufacturers), poor head light (the American version, decides to replace lenses or headlamp assembly) and squeaks salon (solved by special sizing tape absorbs scratches).
Already amazing how little there is to moan. Finally, the 9-5 NG was short-lived and under difficult circumstances. I still cry after him
Cars are vehicles and not standing vehicles! Everyone has to decide for themselves what they are doing - and what makes them happy from an automotive perspective. Many 9-5 NG are now registered for the season, ours also runs in winter with good preservation. Of course carefully and not in the worst weather ...
And an 9-5 NG is certainly not an 9000, which will do its duty after 20 or 25 years without complaints. But what about 20 years?
The rumble on the front axle is reported repeatedly, our drives with over 80.000 kilometers without these noises. The quality has improved in the short production time from week to week, maybe it's because.
I would have the steering wheel re-covered, and I did. At the same time padding, like the aero steering wheels, feels better in the hand. I'm curious about the 100.000 kilometer report ...
An impressively honest report. And of course, why should one spare the NG and drive less with it?
Whether the miles are spread over more or less years, in the end it will stay like either X kilometers and X hours that you have enjoyed, the feeling of safety and comfort.
It even makes sense not to put these miles on the back burner. My experience is that the dear cars age at least as intense as time by distance. So even if you supposedly spare them.
And this applies all the more, the newer a model is, the more plastic, rubber, electrics, electronics and software is part of the package, even without driving itself ages and becomes porous and brittle. And that also applies to SAAB.
The biggest weakness of my 9-5 chrome goggles (MY 08) and several defects (all this year, but then one after the other) are right there. You can easily drive 200.000 or 300.000 Km in 4 years. But 20.000 anno over 10 to 15 years without problems? You can forget that with younger cars.