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(Mon 01 Mar 10) The point about the latest-generation Saab 9-5's appearance at Geneva this week is not so much that it hasn't been seen before (it made its world debut at Frankfurt in September last year) but that the company's future seems to have become far more secure in the interim.
Following the purchase of Saab from General Motors by Spyker, it is now considerably more likely than it was before that the 9-5 will reach production and go on sale later this year. Assuming that happens, the 9-5 will be available with four engines, all turbocharged: a 180bhp 1.6 petrol, a 220bhp two-litre unit called Biopower and capable of running on either petrol or bioethanol, a 2.8-litre V6 petrol (conceivably not the number one choice for most buyers) and a two-litre diesel in 160bhp and 190bhp forms. All come with a choice of six-speed manual or automatic transmission, while four-wheel drive is standard on the 2.8 V6 and optional on the BioPower and the 190bhp diesel. Also on Saab's stand at Geneva are the 9-3 Convertible and 9-3X (an estate with extra ground clearance and modest off-roading ability), but not the 9-5 Sport Wagon or the 9-4X, both of which are due to appear within the next 16 months. |
