Saab 9-4x concept VS Saab 9-4x
GM released a small-ish and disproportional image of the Saab 9-4x last week. Small-ish and disproportional it may be, but it gives us that all-important point of comparison against the vehicle we have seen for real - the Saab 9-4x concept.
Turbin’s given the new image a little nudge to get it back into perspective and he’s also dug out a concept picture with the vehicle set at a similar angle.
Here they are. Click.
Bear in mind that this is most likely an Aero version of the production vehicle that we’re seeing here. The base model will probably be dressed down a little and I can tell you know that the base version will have 18-inch wheels whilst the Aero will have 20-inch wheels as standard.
This image of the production vehicle shows Aero-X style turbines, which even the concept vehicle didn’t have. I’d be very surprised if it turned up with these wheels. The wheels on the 9-4x concept have been seen on several test vehicles and I’d suggest that these are more likely to be the wheels seen on the production model.
This Aero version is certainly showing plety of bling and muscle. The silver paint on the production version emphasises the bulge of the wheel arches, almost to a point where I’d suggest that a white car might be preferable. Other exterior bling can be found on the foglight surrounds, rear view mirrors and side vents.
Although we never got to see them in action, the concept car featured light pipes that tracked from the external top corner of the light cluster, down the indicator lenses and along the base of the headlamps. It’ll be interesting to see if the production version features this sort of setup, or if it follows the 2008 Saab 9-3 lead and has the light pipe across the top of the lamps.
It’s quite obvious that Saab’s promise of staying very true to the concept vehicle has been realised in this image of the production version. On the outside, at least. We’ll have to wait a little while longer before we see how much of that beautiful interior has made its way into the production version.
My thanks to Turbin for putting those two images together. It’s certainly some good food for thought. Although I find it hard to get excited about SUVs or crossovers in general, I do remember leaving Detroit with good feelings about the Saab 9-4x. I suspect that those who are looking for this type of vehicle will have a lot to look forward to.
For the summary article on the Saab 9-4x concept, including features and specs a ton of pictures, click here. Bear in mind that that’s the concept vehicle, though. The production vehicle will look similar, but will come with V6 petrol engines only in the US, and a combination of petrol or diesel engines in other markets.
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I think it looks very good and stayed true to the concept. My only gripe is is the gawdy fender vent. It looks alright on the Escalade, but not so on the 9-4x. It is non-functioning, and serves no purpose other than to have the body line terminate into the fender vent. I’d much rather see the side repeater there as the concept had it.
It looks as if the side repeater was moved into the side mirror, which will be like most of GM’s applications, an arrow of LED’s within the mirror. These are fine, but I find them rather useless. The idea of the side repeater is to let other drivers that are to the sides of the vehicle you are coming over, in case they are at an angle that they can’t see the rear or front turn signal. In the mirror application, they are only visible from the rear..so its overkill. GM developed side mirrors for the Lambda platform that has side mirrors with the side repeaters built into the actual piece vs. the mirror. They are visible from the front or side, like the kinda Mercedes, VW and others. I think that idea is much better. Yet with each new car unveiling we see GM continue to stick to the in the mirror application, when we know GM can make side mirrors with repeaters correctly. I’d rather have a side repeater such as the 9-3 or the concept than the LED arrow in the mirror. Talk about a ramble, hope that makes sense.
Check out these shots that swade has linked to previously. They show the repeaters on the guards and no evidence of them on the mirrors. Likewise no clear evidence of a fender-vent. Go figure.
“I think it looks very good and stayed true to the concept. My only gripe is is the gawdy fender vent.”
I’m fairly sure they developed the fender vent especially for the Aussie market, as Lucky will contest. It’s basically a Koala catcher.
I really was hoping that they’d use the headlights and fog lights from the concept! Dang! Are we going to see those fog lights on a SAAB?
Otherwise the car is pretty nice. I just think those light would look killer on a production vehicle. I hope they managed to use that plexi glass on the interior. If they did, I might not be able to keep my wife from running out to get one. She falls under that soccer mom category they were aiming for. I’m telling you now, the interior is going to sell that car. I know it can’t look just like the concept but it was a really big part of what made that car attractive.
im sure GM will make this close to concept as looking at the camaro concept the 9-4x will be in good hands.
White paint is not doing the car any favours- its is flattening the panels- but- as Swade says, that might help around the wheel arches.
My only gripe is that the nose treatment is heavier and thicker than on the prototype - but again white is not helping there. The area below the headlamps and above the lower panel is thicker.
I cannot help but think how disappointed some people will be when they see it on poverty-spec wheels. Those allloys in the phtoos really add stance and graphic to the design. Imagine thinner jobs- or worse - steel wheel with plastic covers- or alloys that look like that. Mind you, Saab do design the best wheels in the business so there is hope.
Other wise it is true to concept- which is remarkable.
I can’t say I want one, but many will. I bet it looks good in metallic crimson or in steel grey.
I hate to spoil the party, but Saab are going to get a real shock from the Volvo Xc60. It looks so much more modren compared to the Saab. The 94X is going to look staid compared to the Xc60, becasue the Xc 60 is brilliant in every department and above all reeks of DESIGN - that’s design not style for the sake of it…
Saab, you are not out of the woods yet.
I loooove it! Only small changes on the productioncar. Like the foglamp-surroundings (What are they called?). The vents look great to me, although I´d love if Saab would incorporate the C900 rear/side vents on some model. Would be cool to se those on the 9-5.. Let´s hope so.. ??
Is the productioncar in the picture an Aeromodel or other? Buyers should be given a choice of spoiler, rims etc. Don´t tell me that that´s a jap thing.. Saab is a brand among the best euros like BMW, Merc and Audi (Ok, Volvo but not the new ones.. those smell Ford Escort) and those competitors all have an aray of extras… and so should Saab. To personalize the vehicle. Yeah, yeah, Saab is personal enough you say.. But Saab can´t live on as the dentist or Rocket scientists choice.. Saab must broden it´s “fanbase”.
Cheers/ Tom
Lance, it’s all personal taste of course, but to me the XC60 is a derivative Hyundai/Kia mess of styles. The only real fresh face on the block is the Ford Kuga.
Mark
That’s an interesting perspective.
I concede that the Xc60 is a a bit ‘coke - bottle-esque’ - but that is because we expect a Volvo to be squaroid. And the Hyundai Kia (Yuk) curves thing can be cross correlated if you are of that view- which you are - and I am not.
Wait ’till you see an Xc60 sport in elcric green or metal bronze up close with the green leather seats and mega alloys- for a Volvoid- it is DESIGN.
“Squaroid” ….. LOL.
I have mixed feelings about this. I think they went a bit too squarish in my opinion. Too many hard lines. Don’t get me wrong i think it still looks great and it will probably be the interior that will pull customers towards it, that is if they keep it very similar to the concept. It’s just that in my eyes it looks very similar to the Chevy Captiva.
Suspicious as always: are you sure that the new CGI everyone is referring to as the ‘production car’ really represents the production version ?
To me, the car in the spyshots looks closer to the concept in stance and proportions than this recently published image (and I’m not referring to small details as side repeaters in mirrors, which in test vehicles often may be sourced from St.Anywhere).
Lance, I take it you have seen the xc60 in the flesh, I have and it´s just like any other china rice cooker BUT even worse, it looks like it got caught in.. erm I don´t know,.. maybe like the thing that was used in the old days to press the water out of your washed clothes, it´s all flatten in a strange way in the front and looks like a bad prepped FIS slope, or if you want to compare with something a bit closer than that, get your cheese out of the refrigerator and you all know what i mean, the slope that occurs in it when you use the cheese (grader/cutter?) sloppy XD . Now you can spot the similarities between cheese and the xc60, woaw what a stupid sidestep, but yeah that´s my idea about the xc60 =)
P.s Isn´t cheese a synonym for booring
250 bhp Diesel 9-4x is THE next car, looks stunning!
Might be able to convince my mother to turn in her Toyota Land Cruiser for one of these. As long as it comes out sooner rather than later.
I 100% agree with riku1100s on this one.. I think that the CGI we see here is old news. It actually looks like someone did a mishmash of two images and came up with this one. The front definitely isn’t fresh looking and yeah those fender vents gotta go period.
Conor: The 9-4X is only a ’softroader’ CUV for so called ’soccer moms (mums)’. In fact in Swade’s home state it would probably be called a ‘Toorak Taxi’, not a serious a serious off roader like a Toyota Land Cruiser, Land Rover Discovery or a Nissan Patrol etc.. A modest amount of mud or snow is likely all it will handle. I’m sure it will be a lot more comfortable than a Land Cruiser, but I’m not sure I’d like to be stuck in the middle of the outback with one.
Markac, you’d have to be a dipstick to take a Saab anywhere off the main roads here in Oz. Getting Cruiser parts to anywhere can be hard enough. We’ve taken a Saab interstate but heaven help you if anything goes wrong. A 4hour drive turned into a 2day drama in an old Holden, and I had my family get stuck in a country town on an interstate highway for three days manually reprofiling transfer-case cogs for an old Cruiser as it was faster than waiting for parts to be shipped in.
turbin: I agree entirely. That was part of the point I was trying to make. I don’t mind serious off road users buying SUVs and such, but I fail to understand the attraction that some people have to them, especially those that never take them out of the city. The 9-4X isn’t a serious 4WD. In fact it’s off road ability will probably be inferior to it’s Chevy Trailblazer predecessor (9-7X).
SUVs and CUVs are often about as aerodynamic as a house brick and their fuel consumption and safety figures are hardly commendable. Anyone comtemplating one should read this article.
When the Aussie government raised the luxury car tax recently, there was a strong call to introduce an SUV tax instead. I must say I thought this was by far the most preferable option. Unfortunately the thick-heads in Canberra didn’t listen.
Markac, if there was a SUV tax then you’d need to provide “cocky” postcode discounts. You’d then probably have a bunch of city nobs register their car at the holiday house.
The LCT has been roundly criticised because it hurts familes that require larger vehicles for growing families. I am in that boat and will have no issues if the 9-4x’s overall bulk is reflected in a cavernous interior. This would be some incentive to lose the 9000 and turn our 9-3SC into a second car with a 9-4 as the family hack. Otherwise we’ll keep the 9000 as the second car (being 4th safest medium used car in OZ according to the latest MUARC report).
turbin: I agree with you about the “cocky” postcode discount thing. The govenment would have to find a way around that. Perhaps a rebate if you could prove your circumstances? Anyway most SUV buyers wouldn’t be in that boat and I’m sure an SUV tax would discourage some buyers.
I dislike the LCT because if Saab ever introduce a new car that I want to buy, I’m probably going to get hit with it. I don’t think the 9-4X will have much more carrying capacity than say a Mazda CX-7. You’d probably find a lot more room in an old C900 hatch, definitely more in a 9000 CS!
BTW I once took a 99 EMS to the Flinders Ranges. I broke a synchro ring and whilst I managed to get most of the bits out by draining the gearbox, I had to have the car towed back to Adelaide.
Unfortunately it did a reasonable amount of damage and it always had a howl in the differential gears after that.
Ugh, it’s just a GMC Arcadia with Saab badges on it.
I fail to see one tiny little resemblance between it and a GMC Acadia? - Interior or Exterior