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NG9-5 First Impressions Posted by Randy Thatcher [Email]  (#22)  [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Randy Thatcher) on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 19:45:46
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I was at Dirito SAAB in Walnut Creek, California yesterday for a quick service visit, and did a doubletake at the new 9-5 in the lot. I thought there were none on our shores for next few months. Apparently Victor Muller has a Spyker display at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, and he included some 9-5's this year. Four of those demo 9-5's ended up at Dirito SAAB - 2 Grey, 1 White, 1 Blue. When I was done with the service writer, I asked a salesman if I could go for a test drive. He threw a plate in it and let me go. Who is going to be the first to own one in the USA - now you know where to buy one!
I drove the white Aero V6 Turbo XWD. I assume at this point they have every available option, the dash certainly appeared that way. It is a big car, huge trunk and lots of rear legroom.
What I liked:
The seats - fantastic! Better than expected, and we all know how great SAAB seats are.
XWD/Powertrain/Handling - smooth, confident, and feels very well planted. Tight handling. I actually fear some coming from non-euro brands may find it too tight.
Head's up display, speed and nav's "next move" are right there in the perfect spot.
Classy, modern interior.
What I'm not so fond of - and most of this simply doesn't jive with my tastes/needs:
Too big/heavy
No manual gearbox. Paddles are not the same as 3 pedals - period. 3 pedals will come on a 4-cyl version later.
Every gizmo under the sun is on the car. I know this is what is needed to compete in the luxury market. I personally don't need all of these features.
While the interior is very spacious, the height of the windows seems a tad small. In other words a small greenhouse area.
Exterior design doesn't stand out from the pack as much as I'd like.
Overall, it's a very nice offering. I hope it sells like hotcakes so the revenues can help bring smaller models successfully to market. Like the NG Viggen or SPG.
Randy
, Tue, 17 Aug 2010 19:45:46 <-- Viewing This Message
, Tue, 24 Aug 2010 09:02:04, Tue, 24 Aug 2010 09:05:12, Sun, 22 Aug 2010 06:02:03, Tue, 24 Aug 2010 08:58:02, Fri, 20 Aug 2010 08:09:19
, Thu, 19 Aug 2010 12:25:07
, Thu, 19 Aug 2010 12:07:08
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