I am not even complaining or laughing about the 9-5′s considerable age any longer. In fact, I have begun to value it as an asset. In the hysterical inferno of “all-new” model updates that surrounds us (making four-year-old predecessors look very obsolete and un-cool) the 9-5 is still there – basically the same car that was introduced more than eleven years ago, still offering everything I need and want. OK, we have seen two major and significant updates, but not much more.

Of course the 9-5 does show its age in a less fashionable way also. The interior materials are supposedly not on par with the German opposition – but that’s fine with me. This only removes the 9-5 from the tedious nagging about “premium” status, of which I personally couldn’t care less. In a direct comparison with a new Audi, the 9-5 would fall short, but you’re not facing 1988 Nissan Micra plastics either. With a few exceptions, I find the 9-5′s interior components very solid and very well laid out. But I do like the pre-06 green instruments better!

They say the chassis is bad. It understeers and is wallowy, and pushed hard on a race track it is not as fun to drive as many other cars. This might be true also. On the few occasions I have driven on a race track, I would not have chosen a 9-5. And of course I can tell the difference between the 9-5 and a more modern and agile car on normal roads too. But still it is a good, safe, comfortable and entertaining drive on the type of roads it was designed for, ranging from pitch black winding icy roads (where I have to spend quite some time each year) to extended motorway cruises.

Some also note that the 9-5 lacks many of the safety features thad more modern cars have, such as active sensing systems etc. This is true, but the overall safety level of the 9-5 is very high – and it is high not just to sell more vehicles, but because it has always been that way. Safety is something so deeply rooted in the Saab (and may I say Swedish) mentality that neither Saab nor Volvo would probably understand the concept of designing and releasing truly un-safe cars even if they wanted to.

Journalists also often complain about the gearbox, and here I agree fully. It feels like the engine mounts were made of chewing gum, and shifting gears is like moving around logs connected by rubber bands. Sometimes I think this completely ruins the impression of the fantastic engine. Was it really that difficult to come up with something better than this? Just imagine if the 9-5 had the solid feel of the 9-3 gear shift!

So the current 9-5 is a car I have come to genuinely like, regardless of where it would end up in a magazine comparison test. But of course I will salute the new generation 9-5 when it appears. It will probably be a far better and more desirable car both for us Saab nuts as well as for non-Saabers. In the meantime, I guess those of us who wish we’d bought a new black 99 Turbo in the seventies and preserved it in pristine condition should go take a serious look at the MY09 9-5…

Cheers,
Johnny