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2001 Detroit Show: Trucks and Stuff
The North American Truck of the Year is typical of today's truck - better at handling than hauling... Read More
2001 Detroit Show: Trucks and Stuff
The North American Truck of the Year is typical of today's truck - better at handling than hauling... Read More
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Aircraft-inspired, real-life tested, and test-track proven, the 1999 Saab 9-5 is a car that has prompted this Swedish car company to claim, matter-of-factly, This is a car we are proud of.
And proud they should be.
Saab designers, remaining true to their aircraft-design heritage of functionality and quality, have created a Scandinavian bank vault with clean, conservative styling that delivers tasteful performance. In the new 9-5, scheduled to hit showroom floors in April, drivers who love to drive and hate to be driven will find a spirit of sophistication without stodginess, performance without punchiness, and fun without frivolity that is equally at home in the soft rains of a New England spring as it is in the warming sunshine of the California coast.
Boasting the industry’s first asymmetrically-opposed turbo-charged V-6, superior design details, and safety features that integrate seamlessly into the overall concept of the car, the Saab 9-5 is a showcase for innovative traditionalism.
Gone is the bottle-nosed dolphin front end and the rear hatchback of Saab’s past. From the outside, sculpted glass, extra wide mirrors, and the integration of bumper and sheet metal with an overwrap hood and a concave rear end create a sensual, streamlined profile that is a real stand-out in today’s crowd of wind-cheating clones and a real stand-out in Saab design history.
Borrowing design cues from the Saab 99, the new 9-5 carries over a curved windscreen and a wrap-around band of lighting. Prominent bumpers play an active role with both safety and design sporting increased lighting output and a standard headlamp washer/wiper system pioneered by Saab in 1970. An emphasis on aerodynamic lines, developed in the pursuit of blending traditional design with innovative engineering, has resulted in a lower drag coefficient (Cd value 2.9, one of the best values ever recorded for a sedan-entry luxury vehicle) and a clean wedge shape that is unmistakably Saab, and at the same time, unmistakably new.
