A brief history about the Saab 9-5.

A brief look at the Saab 9-5 and the history behind the vehicle.

The Saab 9-5 was developed in the late 1990s with the intention of offering executives a more luxurious vehicle to travel around in following on from the Saab 9000. When it was first released Saab produced cars which were powered by the B205 and B235 straight engines, which came in a variety of sizes, from the 1.9 litre engine through to the 3.0 litre engine. These are supported by four and five speed automatic transmission from the beginning, although the car now also comes with five speed manual transmission.

Saab was developed as a four or five door saloon car with a body which has gradually increased in length over the previous fourteen years whilst still using the same FF layout that has characterised the model. The 9-5 vehicle has been produced since the start as both a four door sedan model and a five door station wagon. The body’s principal design has not deviated from the two models despite Saab’s sale to Dutch firm Spyker in 2010.

Following on from the first model of Saab 9-5, the second generation was launched in 2010 following its successful unveiling at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany. A month after its global unveiling, the Saab 9-5 second generation had its North American première when it made an appearance at the South Florida Auto Show in Miami. Spyker, keen to show off their investment ensured that the second generation Saab was promoted even though it had been released in the months leading up to the sale by Saab. The sedan version of the second generation Saab 9-5 won the ‘Car of the Year’ award in Asia.

As would be expected from a Swedish company, safety is of paramount importance and the Saab 9-5 is not an exception to the rule. The car is fitted out with top of the range safety features and as an additional extra also offers Active Head Restraints (AHR) to prevent whiplash from occurring if the car was shunted from behind.

Also developed for the Saab 9-5 was the Nightpanel which allowed all except essential equipment across the dashboard to be dimmed when driving in the dark in order to avoid distracting the driver. If there was a problem with a part of the Saab 9-5, for example low petrol, then the light would automatically come on relating to the problem that was occurring in the car.