The Bottom Line: This is an excellent car that should be on your list for consideration. Not only will you be pleasantly surprised, but not everyone else is driving one.
The Saab 9-5 is a car that is too-often overlooked, but it is a compelling buy, especially in wagon form. I would advise anyone to at least test drive the Saab before buying something else. You may be pleasantly surprised.
OVERALL
The 9-5 is available as either a sedan or a wagon. Both versions are available in three configurations. The Linear has a 2.3L light-pressure turbocharged engine with 185 HP and 207 lb-ft of torque. The Arc uses the same engine but boosts the output to 220 HP / 228 lb-ft (it also has bigger brake rotors). The Aero uses the same engine, boosted this time to 250 HP / 258 lb-ft (it also has a sportier suspension).
All three versions of the 9-5 are available with a manual or automatic. I would advise the automatic, as it is very well matched to the flat torque curve of the 9-5 engine (a flat torque curve is a very good thing).
The remainder of this review will be specific to my car, which is a 9-5 Linear Wagon with automatic transmission. I purchased this car in August 2004.
The car itself is a pleasure to drive. It is smooth and feels very solid on the road, but it is also responsive. If you want speed, you can certainly get it with the Aero, but for me the Linear is all I need. Road noise is minimal, but maybe a bit higher than you would see in a top-of-the-line luxury marque such as Mercedes or BMW.
The exterior styling is Saab - distinctive and a bit different, but different in a good way. I personally think the styling works better on the wagon than the sedan, but this is a very subjective area, so I'll leave that to your eyes to judge.
The interior is wonderful. The dash is very driver-oriented, with straightforward Scandinavian controls. No BMW i-Drive nested menus here. Again, this is a matter of taste, but I find the Saab controls to be excellent. The dash itself is real wood, very nicely finished. (The Aero uses aluminum or carbon fiber instead of wood).
The seats are, very simply, the most comfortable seats I have ever seen in a car. They are firm and supportive, and stay comfortable for hours on end. There is plenty of legroom for the rear seat passengers.
The cargo area in the wagon is huge, and can be made more huge by folding down one or both rear seat backs. The cargo area includes aircraft-grade aluminum tracks which can be used to safely secure heavy objects. Have you ever noticed the tracks that seats are bolted down to in an airliner? There they are, in the back of your Saab.
The market for used Saabs is not huge, so it is not a car you want to buy new and sell in three years because of its depreciation (but really, you shouldn't do that with any car). It is a great deal to pick up a 2 or 3 year old used Saab or to buy one to use for a long time (as I will). You definitely want to keep your eye out for incentives, including dealer incentives (not a consumer cash rebate).
Build quality for the Saab is very good overall, although I did find a couple of minor issues on my car. The cloth trim on the driver's A-pillar (to the left of the windshield) was not trimmed well and did not completely fit under the weatherstripping. Also, the right rear door fit was not quite perfect. I was able to fix both problems myself. The trim problem was simple to correct, and I was able to fix the door by adjusting the strike plate for the latch.
I have had no problems with the car other than the small detail items I mentioned above.
PERFORMANCE / FUEL ECONOMY
The 2.3L turbo four-cylinder is an amazing engine. In stock factory form, it can be boosted to 350 HP! All it needs is a high output turbo, a low restriction exhaust, and a new computer calibration. This fact alone says quite a bit about how tough the engine is.
Not only is the engine tough, it is smooth. Not everyone may like the idea of a four cylinder in a near-luxury car, but you should try it before you judge. The Saab engine is extremely well balanced and smooth. Power comes on very smoothly with the turbo, with minimal turbo lag.
The 9-5 Linear is not an off-the-line acceleration rocket, although I find it to be plenty powerful for city driving. Where it really comes into its own is on the highway. Press the pedal to pass, and the 9-5 smoothly, forcefully accelerates.
Fuel economy is extremely good for a car of this size and power. I average around 27 MPG in mixed driving (actually more city than highway). I can easily get over 30 MPG on the highway if I keep the speed at 70. The car is rated at 19 city / 28 highway, but frankly Saab is being far too modest.
Note that because the Saab 2.3L is a high output turbo engine, you MUST use fully synthetic motor oil to avoid sludge. Oil changes are $60 using synthetic, but Saab covers the first two oil changes. Also, the oil change interval is 15,000 miles, so the $60 is not a big deal. People have had problems with turbo engines (especially the VW/Audi 1.8L Turbo), but that is largely because they used dino oil instead of synthetic, and then made matters worse by not changing the oil regularly.
SAFETY
Saab doesn't have the same safety reputation as Volvo, but Saab does build a very safe car. The 9-5 comes standard with vehicle stability control and side airbags for front passengers.
The front side airbags are the torso/head combo style and are seat mounted. They are very effective for the front seat passengers, as demonstrated by IIHS testing in the US and by NCAP testing in Europe. However, the 9-5 does not have head curtain airbags, which means that rear seat passengers are somewhat vulnerable.
SUMMARY
The Saab is an excellent if sometimes overlooked car in a competitive field. It is verrrry comfortable, very solid feeling, smooth, reasonably powerful, and economical. For more power, you can always bump up to an Arc or Aero.
As I said in the intro, if you are in the market for a car, you should do yourself a favor and test drive the Saab. If you want a wagon, then this goes double.
NOTE: The price I paid includes the destination fee and sales tax. I was able to obtain the employee discount for the Saab, which helped a lot. On top of that, Saab was running a special $7,000 rebate last August to clear out 2004's. I bought the car for $10,700 below sticker (excluding tax).
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 28130
Condition: New Model Year: 2004 Model and Options: 9-5 Linear Wagon Automatic, Sunroof, Leather
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
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