2010 Saab 9-5 Aero Priced From $49,990
Mere months after escaping a seemingly certain death at the hands of General Motors, Saab is back, under the ownership of Dutch supercar outfit Spyker, and taking aim at rival European luxury sedans with their new 9-5 sedan.
At the outset of the 9-5’s July launch, the only trim level available will be the flagship Aero model, priced at a not-so-modest $49,990. While this may seem steep, the Aero features a 300 horsepower 2.8L twin-turbo V6, all-wheel drive and the quintessential air-conditioned gearbox. Other high tech options include a heads-up display, Harmon/Kardon stereo and a lane-departure warning system.
The 9-5 Aero will be joined later on by an entry-level model featuring a 2.0L four-cylinder turbo engine and will start at “under $40,000” according to Saab.
More by Derek Kreindler
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I'm glad that Spyker saved Saab from extinction, and that the new 9-5 is arriving very soon. The announced price of "at least" $50k for a V6 powered XWD Aero may establish the new 9-5 as an upper level premium sports sedan and may attract some new and existing customers who have such money and appreciation for cars so equipped. It's of more concern to me that Saab continues to offer the hot 4 cylinder engine in FWD 9-5 Aeros cars brought to the U.S., particularly for those of us who enjoy such powerful environmentally friendly alternatives. I hope Saab remembers its earlier experiences with V6 engines, beginning with the new generation 900 in 1994, the 9-5 in 1999 and later the 9-3s. Except for the 9-3 Aeros, available only with the V6, V6 offerings were discontinued in other cars. So it seems that the V6 only competed with the very excellent four cylinder engine when the four cylinder engine was not offered in cars otherwise identically equipped. Thus the V6 has to be mandatory to be continued. I feel this has been a disservice to some loyal Saab buyers who are attracted to Saab because of its prior emphasis on powerful efficiency. At the Aero Academy in 2008, I drove both the V6 9-3 Aeros and I4 9-5 Aeros. Based on my experiences, the V6 has a bit of smoothness and is a little quicker off the line than the I4, and is a tad quiter on the road. However, I'd pick the four again for its lower initial and maintenance costs and higher environmental responsibility. I say, Saab, let's keep developing and offering 4 cylinder engines, even in $80k cars.