It will take some creative marketing to revive the Saab brand that has had nothing but bad luck here in Malaysia. With 4 previous owners, now it sits on the fence as we wait to see if Cergazam will revive its sales and marketing here after taking over ‘after sales’ operations in Malaysia from Auto Eurokars some time ago. The all new Saab 9-5 Saloon signals the start of a new era for the Saab brand. Sleek, sophisticated and unmistakably Saab, it combines stand-out looks with advanced technologies and will bring a fresh alternative choice to the premium sedan segment when sales start later this year. The clean, sculpted shape embraces the purity of Scandinavian design and its dramatic wraparound window graphic echoes Saab’s aviation heritage. With frontal styling inspired by the award-winning Aero X concept car and a muscular, low-slung stance, the all new 9-5 heralds the introduction of a bold, more expressive design language. The array of high-tech features on offer includes: an aircraft-like head-up information display (HUD); adaptive lighting (Bi-Xenon Smart Beam); adaptive cruise control; DriveSense adaptive chassis with real-time damping control; keyless entry and starting; dual-zone air conditioning; dynamic parking assistance and XWD with electronic LSD, the industry-leading all-wheel-drive system. The all-turbo powertrain line-up starts at 1.6 litres and carries forward Saab’s rightsizing engine strategy, which focuses on responsible performance through the development of highly efficient and relatively small four cylinder turbo engines. There is a choice of three fuels – petrol, diesel and E85 bioethanol – and with diesel power, the all new 9-5 offers CO2emissions as low as 139 g/km.
The engine line-up starts with this powerful four-cylinder motor giving 180 hp/132 kW and excellent torque of 230 Nm available from 2,200 rpm to 5,500 rpm. It includes an ‘overboost’ function, which raises torque to 266 Nm for up to five seconds on a wide open throttle. Rated among the most powerful series production engines in its displacement class, this ‘rightsized’ powertrain gives the all new 9-5 strong performance: 0 – 62 mph in 9.5 seconds, with impressive fuel consumption and CO2 emissions projected to be 37.2mpg and 179 g/km. The performance stakes are raised with this all-aluminium engine, which is also available in BioPower specification, enabling it to run on gasoline and/or E85 fuel (85%
bioethanol, 15% petrol) in any blends. In both configurations, it delivers peak power of 220 hp/162 kW and plentiful torque of 350 Nm from just 2,500 rpm.
Available exclusively in Aero specification with XWD and a 6-speed automatic transmission, this engine has a classic 60° angle between the cylinder banks to give optimum balance for vibration-free running to match its smooth power delivery. It delivers 300 hp/221 kW and an impressive 400 Nm of torque between 2,000 and 5,000 rpm, giving 0 – 62 mph acceleration in just 6.9 seconds.
