Car Reviws |
| 2010 Saab 9-5 Aero Sedan: What I drove last night: Posted: 01 Dec 2010 08:35 AM PST        
This is hands-down the best Saab I've ever driven. For more than 25 years I've been a fan of Saabs, especially the wagon variants. I love the way they heat up, how quickly the seat heaters work on a frigid morning, and how well they plow through the snow. I liked the turbo motors, hated the gawd-awful torque steer, and yes, I even liked the ignition switch on the console. Well, the ignition switch--in this case, the start/stop button--is still on the console, but a lot of the quirkiness that was Saab, including the torque steer, is thankfully gone. This car can compete with just about anything else in the midsize-luxury class for sale in the market today. It's not a flat-out sports sedan in the mold of a BMW or even an Audi, but it is a reasonable, less-expensive alternative for those who maybe don't care all that much about carving corners. The V6 is plenty strong, and while a six-speed manual might have been more fun, the six-speed automatic in our test car was more than adequate. The turbo spools up quickly and provides the extra punch needed for making a pass on a two-lane or getting up to speed on a freeway ramp. The interior lives up to what a luxury-car interior should be. The information screen in the center of the dash is nice and big, with easy-to-read numbers and letters. All the controls are simple and straight-forward, no need to wade through the owner's manual to figure out how to adjust the radio volume or turn up the heat. The seats are supportive and highly adjustable and the car is quiet going down the road. The suspension is tuned for touring, meaning it's a bit more compliant, than for any sort of hard, sports-car action. Which is a good thing. This car was developed while Saab was still part of General Motors, and the Epsilon platform on which the 9-5 rides is a proven, solid piece. While Saab was just a flea on the rear end of the GM elephant, one can understand why the company was hell-bent to toss it overboard when the big ship was sinking. But if there's any sort of silver lining in the aftermath, one could say that GM did Saab a favor as it tossed its Swedish child to the wolves: This new 9-5 is a damn good car with which to begin to rebuild the new Saab. 2010 Saab 9-5 Aero Sedan Base Price: $48,390 As Tested: $52,530 Drivetrain: 2.8-liter V6; AWD, six-speed automatic Output: 300 hp @ 5,500 rpm, 295 lb-ft @ 2,000 rpm Curb Weight: 4,354 lb Fuel Economy (city/highway): 16/27 mpg |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Car Reviws To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
No comments:
Post a Comment