Comments

• rogan2915 said:
  

  My mom’s Ford Escape SUV/CUV thingy has that split talgate sort of arangment. The whole hatch opens up, or just the rear glass. It’s very useful just to quickly toss something small in, or if the back is really loaded up, you can just open the glass and not have everything spill out.

  -May 16th, 2008 at 11:23 pm
• jeff k said:
  

  i loved that feature in my old toyota 4-runner. the power window would retract into the tailgate, making it easy to carry around my 9′4″ surfboard. granted it would hang out the back a little, but i liked it much more than using a roof rack.

  -May 17th, 2008 at 1:32 am
• Markac said:
  

  Over 5 metres is pretty big. Hopefully it comes with a bigger and better V6 as an option. Base models are going to need a pretty powerful four to push that around. I trust that like the Insignia, it gets a hatchback version too?

  -May 17th, 2008 at 1:33 am
• Matt said:
  

  Over 5m in length? That puts it longer than the E-Class estate, and I thought that was a whale of a car. Then again, comparing figures shows the E to be 4,888mm - so maybe it just looks like a whale (especially in silver)…

  But anyway, Isn’t 5m going against the trend for smaller cars that manufacturers seem to be threatening us with. So the 9-3 might get a bit smaller and the 9-5 will gain another 200mm, where’s the logic?

  -May 17th, 2008 at 1:35 am
• Markac said:
  

  I thought the Insignia was only about 4900mm. I wasn’t expecting the Saab to be more than 4950mm. The BMW 5 series is only 4841mm, so it could be closer to the 7 series which is 5039mm. It certainly should be large enough for all those that complain that the 9-3 doesn’t have enough room in the back. It’ll be too big for me though.

  -May 17th, 2008 at 1:59 am
• rayman146 said:
  

  concerning the boot - - the new Skoda Superb has a Twinboot … you chose between opening it like a normal Sedan or like a hatch! Take this one and do us a favor as well. 4.90m should be the maximum. I had the new Jaguar XF for a ride and this one is exactly that large. more would be … just too much

  -May 17th, 2008 at 2:15 am
• Kroum said:
  

  In fact, this makes perfect sense. The new 9-3 is unlikely to get any smaller, even if it’s built on a compact platform. It will probably keep its current length, only get more rear leg-room.

  The rumoured 9-3 hatch/coupe will probably resemble the Audi A5 and the 3-series coupe, not so much the NG9-3. Look at the CTS coupe. The convertble will be somewhere in-between, I assume.

  Then under the 9-3, you have the more compact 9-1 - it would be smaller, despite sharing a platform with the 9-3, but more importantly lighter and with less rear leg room.

  A new 9-5 at 5 meters in length slots in perfectly at the top of the model lineup. Large and luxurious, this is what a flagship sedan should be. Think the 9000 Aero back in the day. The new 9-5 Aero will probably come with a 380 hp. V6, and I bet you the bas 4 cylinder will output north of 300 hp, which is perfectly adequate for its class.

  This is a great lineup for Saab. A 3- and 5-door compact 9-1, a 9-3 in four body styles (sedan, coupe, combi and convertible), a 9-4X and a large 9-5, your choice of sedan, wagon or 4-door-coupe. Equipped with the right engine options, Saab all of a sudden gets competitive in most of the premium market segments except roadsters and large SUVs. And this would be done on 3 base platforms, where the best-selling models are all produced in Trollhattan.

  Not bad at all. It can enable Saab to build a Sonett X.

  -May 17th, 2008 at 2:41 am
• PGAero said:
  

  Kroum, I like what you’re proposing (although a 5m 9-5 seems bigger than it needs to be…), but I wonder if GM got the same memo you got. I sure hope so.

  In the mean-time, I’m enjoying my 9000 Aero.

  ~P

  -May 17th, 2008 at 6:30 am
• albert said:
  

  I’m not surprised. Audi A6 is doing 4,93 m. Pedestrian protection rules make for even longer noses at new cars. And to compensate for the longer nose they simple make the rear also a bit longer. there you go. It is in line with the competition.

  -May 17th, 2008 at 7:10 am
• zippy said:
  

  I am really looking forward to seeing what Saab does for the new 9-5. I am expecting something that will look like no other car on the road!

  -May 17th, 2008 at 9:08 am
• Markac said:
  

  I’m thinking the length of the new 9-5 has something to do with the original idea to build both the 9-5 and the 9-3 on the Epsilon II platform. As the Insignia is expected to come in around 4900mm, it was probably decided to make the 9-5 about 10-15cm longer and the 9-3 about 10-15cm shorter so that both cars were strongly differentiated from the Opel.

  When plans changed for the 9-3, I guess the 9-5 was too far along in the planning stage to make it closer to the insignia in size, so it seems we might be left with a very large Saab?

  It is probably desirable to have different models in the range vary 20-30cm in length,
  but if the next 9-3 shrinks marginally from it’s current 4647mm, to say 4595mm, there could end up being over 40cm difference in length.
  Where once we said the 9-3 were too close, perhaps in the future they will be too far apart?

  -May 17th, 2008 at 10:36 am
• Nigel Park said:
  

  I have had cars where just the rear galss opened and found it a waste of time. What would be better is a split rear door like a Range Rover. That way it is easier to load and also somewhere to sit when out in the country.

  I do like the sound of the size of it. It needs to have presence … like the old 9000 Aero ( Oh I miss my Aero…).

  -May 17th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
• ck1x said:
  

  Well I for one just hope that Saab shows the new 9-5 sometime soon. it doesn’t help that this will be the first car coming out the gate and we know virtually nothing about it. Once again, i’ve said it before. Saab has to start showing these cars, that’s how they get free press and marketing. Every other day you hear about something that Audi is doing. It gets people intrigued by your brand and waiting for more. Saab has some fresh ideas but they are just to secretive of a company.

  -May 19th, 2008 at 6:03 am
• Kroum said:
  

  Now Auto Express is reporting the next generation 5 series will also come as a hatchback, Skoda Superb style.

  -May 22nd, 2008 at 8:29 am

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