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Having seen the new 9-5 escape merrily onto the interweb a few weeks ago, Saab has now released official photos of its Ford Mondeo rival for careful perusal by your own eyes.
The 9-5 arrives in the UK next spring to replace the current model, which has reached a geriatric 12 years of age. It is based heavily on Insignia underpinnings, and will be powered by a range of GM-sourced engines fettled for a little extra power.
Expect 1.6- and 2.0-litre turbo petrols, along with a 300bhp V6 and a pair of 2.0-litre turbodiesels developing 160bhp and 190bhp.
Inevitably, the new 9-5 is considerably bigger than the outgoing car, growing in length by around 15cm, though only gaining around 50kg in weight.
Saab says it will not offer the 9-5 in hatchback form - the Insignia, remember, is available as a five-door - but has confirmed that an estate version will arrive later next year, expected to account for around 40 per cent of sales.
The 9-5 gets plenty of traditional Saab styling cues, from the egg-crate vents and green-hued instruments on the inside to the faux-wraparound windscreen and ‘hockey stick' kink to the rear pillar on the outside.
We particularly like those ‘ice effect' rear light clusters, and we're delighted to see the 9-5's traditional chrome sunglasses have been toned down a little, if not removed completely.
The 9-5 saloon will go on sale in two- and four-wheel-drive flavour early next year. Expect prices to be expressed in pound and also Euros.
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What do you think?
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PetrolheadViper commented on this article
at 05:11 pm on 27 August 2009
Nice interior and nice back end. Front still needs a bit of work though.
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The_Monk commented on this article
at 05:40 pm on 27 August 2009
I think if I had £20-25,000 to spend on a new 4-door saloon, and judged purely based on looks alone, I would avoid the Saab dealership at all costs. I'm slightly ambivalent about the 9-3 but with this there is no question as to how much I dislike this car's looks.
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slayaz commented on this article
at 05:46 pm on 27 August 2009
I like the front. Awful wheels. The rear overhang is a bit large for my liking.
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JOHNJOE commented on this article
at 06:08 pm on 27 August 2009
i looked at an old 9000 parked beside the 9-5 (not this one) and there were plenty of similarities it really made the 9-5 look old this should spruce things up for saab nicely. it is far better than the insignia because i dont like the soft styling of the insignia. i also hope saabs 1980's build quality comes back because under gm ownership they were not as tough as old models.
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TennantsLager commented on this article
at 06:58 pm on 27 August 2009
I think it's a handsome thing. I like it in the same way as I like an A5 - a fairly anonymous, even plain, but very smart suit of a car. The interior looks particularly good too. It's big problem? You would have to get it in that silver because of the Dame Edna specs. They REALLY need to bin them altogether.......
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