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Saab 9-5 Wagon debuts

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Old 02-24-11, 08:40 AM
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GFerg
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Default Saab 9-5 Wagon debuts







Hello, gorgeous.

Truth be told, we're usually smitten with any new wagon-shaped design, but there's something about the 2012 9-5 SportCombi that's just particularly eye-catching. Perhaps its the rakish rear window, or how the sleek front end of the new-for-2010 9-5 sedan works so well with the more cargo-friendly body. Maybe it's the big dual exhausts out back, or the blade-like 19-inch ten-spoke alloy wheels.

In any case, Saab will officially reveal its 2012 9-5 SportCombi at the Geneva Motor Show next week, and we now have our first video glance at the road-ready car. We don't yet have the full details about the 9-5 SportCombi, but the safe bet is that powertrains, transmissions and interior amenities will be carried over from the sedan.
source: Autoblog
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Old 02-24-11, 08:45 AM
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mmarshall
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From what I understand, the new 9-5 is not a Spyker-influenced design...Saab hasn't (yet) been owned by them long enough. This is primarily a GM-based Saab design.....future Saabs, of course, will have been more-influenced by Spyker.

And this, BTW, is the first true 9-5 SportCombi I can remember. Previous SportCombis (wagons) were done on the smaller 9-3 platform, which was a GM world-car platform shared with Opel, Saturn, Pontiac, and Chevy.
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Old 02-24-11, 09:41 AM
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pbm317
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There were 9-5 wagons before, Saab just didn't use the term SportCombi until recently I believe


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Old 02-24-11, 11:05 AM
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Gorgeous! Best looking wagon I've ever laid eyes on.
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Old 02-24-11, 11:22 AM
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looks great!

I really like the new 9-5
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Old 02-24-11, 06:21 PM
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Originally Posted by MPLexus301
Gorgeous! Best looking wagon I've ever laid eyes on.
Originally Posted by whoster
looks great!

I really like the new 9-5
You guys don't think the thick, swept-forward C-Pillar is awkward-looking? The impression I get is that the designers are trying to give the visual impression of a sedan, while still retaining the versatility/space-efficiency of a wagon. The problem, at least as I as I see it, is that wagons aren't supposed to look like sedans.

Last edited by mmarshall; 02-24-11 at 06:26 PM.
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Old 02-24-11, 06:36 PM
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Great looking wagon. Hope they don't go under.
 
Old 02-25-11, 12:32 AM
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Originally Posted by mmarshall
You guys don't think the thick, swept-forward C-Pillar is awkward-looking? The impression I get is that the designers are trying to give the visual impression of a sedan, while still retaining the versatility/space-efficiency of a wagon. The problem, at least as I as I see it, is that wagons aren't supposed to look like sedans.
so?
are you one of those 'purists' who think a porsche isn't supposed to be anything but a air cooled 911?

Off topic a bit but I dont think this looks that great....but then again, I think the side profile of the 9-3 Sportcombi is beautiful.
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Old 02-25-11, 12:50 AM
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Originally Posted by mmarshall
You guys don't think the thick, swept-forward C-Pillar is awkward-looking? The impression I get is that the designers are trying to give the visual impression of a sedan, while still retaining the versatility/space-efficiency of a wagon. The problem, at least as I as I see it, is that wagons aren't supposed to look like sedans.
I'd say that this 9-5 is pretty obviously a blatant wagon no matter what the designers do.

Considering that a wagon begins the life as a sedan and has the basic structure of the sedan, I think the swoopy pillar may also have to do with maybe a more efficient manufacturing process--i.e., the ability to use the same door on the sedan as the wagon.

Having spent a brief moment of my heavily influential years in Australia where the wagons are on the streets in droves, I personally just very like them--regardless of whether the car looks sedan-ish from the C-pillar forward or not.
It's more of the general profile that appeals to me.
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Old 02-25-11, 06:09 AM
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I'm all about the new Saab. I just hope that they can get off the ground...not seeing too many new 9-5s.
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Old 02-25-11, 08:27 AM
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mmarshall
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Originally Posted by Coco-bun
so?
are you one of those 'purists' who think a porsche isn't supposed to be anything but a air cooled 911?
Not necessarily a purist, but I believe that it you have a good design, stick with it and don't mess with it only for change's sake. We see too much of that in the automotive world. If you change a design, there should be a good reason for it.

And the 911 that you mention, BTW, is an great example. Porsche came out with a winning design in 1964, and the stylists have kept the same basic shape going on 50 years now, though the mechanicals underneath, of course, are quite different. And th Boxster seems to be the only other Porsche, through the years, that has had the 911's popularity.

Off topic a bit but I dont think this looks that great.
What's your beef with the new 9-5 wagon? Do you agree with me that the C-Pillar shape is awkward?
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