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Form the Wheels Section, Sat July 14, 2001:
GOTHENBURG, Sweden - A compelling proposition.
That's what every carmaker hopes to instill in its cars - a trait or characteristic, real or imagined, for which its cars are known by owners and owner-aspirants alike.
BMW and driving pleasure. Volvo and safety. Mercedes-Benz and durability. Jaguar and elegance ...
Arguably, it's what Saab has been missing in its quest to achieve true premium-brand status. Apart perhaps from "quirky," which wouldn't be your first choice, you might not normally consider one.
In its own mind, Saab stands for four brand characteristics - performance, driver control, safety and design. Its marketing plan for the next 10 years will emphasize these traits.
Since General Motors took over the 50 per cent of the company it didn't already own last year, Saab's president and CEO, Peter Augustsson, says it has received the commitment, both financial and otherwise, to pursue an aggressive product strategy which, by the end of 2007, will see no fewer than nine all-new (or mostly new) models.
There will be sedans occupying the strata that the 9-3 and 9-5 do now; there will also be cars smaller than the 9-3 and larger than the 9-5, with a variety of body styles, including coupes, sedans, hatchbacks, wagons and convertibles.
Four-wheel drive will be introduced at some point, although not on either of the current platforms.
A replacement for the 9-3 will be announced in mid-2002, with the rest of the product offensive to come at an average rate of better than one car every year. Meanwhile, Saab will launch a revised version of the large 9-5 sedan and wagon later this fall.
Inside, three new design themes will be offered. "Linear" is basic black. "Arc" is classic wood 'n' leather. "Vector" has a high-tech, satin-aluminum-finished dash panel and new sports seats.
Saab people get a bit cranky over the fact that Volvo "owns" safety in the public mind, because Saabs have scored better than comparable Volvos in crash tests and in real-world results.
The Saab-invented active head restraint has been shown to reduce whiplash injuries by a stunning 75 per cent. In an area where gains of single digits are front-page news, this is a remarkable achievement.
The engine lineup for Canada remains essentially the same: 2.3 litre four-cylinder, in low- (185-horse) and high-pressure turbo variants, and a turbo 3.0 L V6, producing 200 horses.
The high-pressure turbo now generates 250 horsepower, up 10 per cent, and 258 lb-ft of torque at a very low 1,900 rpm.
The optional automatic transmission is now a five-speed. It's still a Japan-built Asin-Warner with dual shift modes and adaptive capability.
The most obvious of chassis upgrades is the addition of ESP - electronic stability control - a four-channel Bosch system that cuts engine power and/or applies one or more individual brakes, should the system detect an incipient skid. ESP is optional on all models.
The Aero cars' ride is still on the firm side, especially on broken road, but that appears to be part of the plan.
Our first mount, an automatic sedan, proved that a turbo and an autobox is a marriage made in engineering heaven. The torque comes in early, and the autobox responds quickly and very smoothly to kickdown requests.
In Sport mode, shifts are a bit harsher; I'd probably leave it in Normal most of the time. I've never been a big fan of manually shifted automatics, but the absence of this feature from this car might be noticed by some. Power delivery is perhaps not quite as linear as, say, a BMW straight-six, and the engine note, while smooth and mellow for a four, doesn't have the luxurious quality of a six or an eight.
Along the way, we stopped at an old air force base to test the ESP system.
The trick to ESP is to calibrate it so it bails you out when you get silly, but doesn't spoil all your fun too soon. Saabs are meant for those who enjoy driving, so they've tuned the system to be fairly mild in its attack severity.
A manual wagon reintroduced me to this versatile and even handsomer-than-the-sedan vehicle. I'm stunned that wagons make up no more than 15 per cent of 9-5 sales; there are lots of alternatives to the 9-5 sedan, but very few wagons that offer this versatility and style.
We also did about 120 km in a V6 diesel. Very minor diesel clatter at idle, dead-nuts silent on the highway, terrific performance, fabulous fuel economy. Until gasoline gets way more expensive back home than it is now, these oil-burners will never make it to our shores. Pity.
Market research suggests that Saab owners are similar to other luxury-brand owners in most ways - age, income, etc., but Saab owners have a much higher degree of college education, a fact that pleases Saab's management no end.
They seem to have the quality on-side now. But-as my co-driver, Éric LeFrançois of Montréal, pointed out from personal knowledge and the results of a CAA Québec parts cost survey-Saab still needs to do some work on things like parts prices, cost of ownership and resale value.
Saab is aware of these issues, and of the need to upgrade dealer facilities to match BMW and Mercedes. That will be tougher in Canada, where Saabs share showroom floor space with Saturns.
As well, the dealers can't be expected to invest huge sums of money in a franchise that had one of its best years ever last year, but still shifted only 1,900 cars.
Prices on the new 9-5 will be released next month.
Shopping for a mid-luxury sedan or wagon will get a lot tougher in October.
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