Spy Shots: Saab 9-4X, almost naked

Filed under: Spy Photos, Crossovers/CUVs, Saab

The Saab 9-4X has been caught in these new spy shots without the Keith Haring tape job it was wearing the last time we saw it. Features like the converging window lines on the side, the rear lights, and the Saab grille, give away its lineage. From the side, especially from the A-pillar back, you could be forgiven for confusing the Saab with a lot of other CUVs, while lines that are quite distinctive on the smaller 9-3 and 9-5 look to have been stretched into rather bland expanses on the 9-4X. It’s still early, so we look forward to seeing the fully Saab-ified retail version. If Saab’s managing director is to be believed, what won’t be bland is one of the engine choices: a diesel with 250 hp and 406 lb-ft. That’s the kind of quirky we can get behind.

[Source: Left Lane News]

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New Saab 9-5 sketch is less quirky, more badass

Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, GM, Saab

A Saab owner attending the 2008 Saab Owner’s Convention posted a recap of the events at Trollhattan Saab (which we thought was defunct, but if not, we’re glad it’s back). One of the most noteworthy events was something on which he barely commented: a sketch of the new 9-5. Saab has been threatening for a while to start incorporating Aero X cues into its vehicles, and this could be it.

The text around the car says it will have “aircraft heritage,” “fuselage bodysides,” a “wraparound winshield,” and a “grille inspired by a J21.” We find the J21 bit and the fuselage sides a stretch, but it’s still a good looking place to start. The sketch also hints that the tech in the new 9-5 is already being used in the Turbo X.

While other Saabs are supposed to be downsizing, the 9-5 will actually grow since it’s based on the Epsilon II platform along with the Opel Insignia and next-gen versions of the Saturn Aura and Chevy Malibu. The car’s engine will be shrinking, though, down to a 1.6-liter turbocharged unit. And could this be the Saab that Wagoner said will be built in North America?

[Source: Trollhattan Saab via Motor Authority]

 

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Saab 9-5 packing 1.6-liter turbo in Europe

Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, Wagons/Estates, Saab

Saab’s rumored decision to downsize its engines gets some confirmation today, as reports indicate that the Swedish brand’s next 9-5 will get just 1.6-liters of displacement for its base engine. However, power should still be up to par, as the mill will get a high-pressure turbocharger to boost output. Despite the small-bore engine, the next 9-5 will be built atop the Epsilon II platform which underpins the latest Opel Insignia and which will cause the new 9-5 to grow in size compared to the current car. The 9-3 will move down to the Delta platform, shared with the Chevy Cruze and other mid-size derivatives.

In addition to the little 1.6, the up-level Saab will get at least one diesel engine along with the 2.8-liter V6 from the GM parts bin. Its Swedish heritage will remain intact thanks to the continued usage of Saab’s BioPower engines, which combine high-pressure turbocharging with small, E85-fueled four-cylinder engines and an all-wheel drive system similar to the one just released on the latest 9-3.

[Source: Channel 4]

 

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Saab 9-3X, 9-3 concept coming to Paris?

Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, Wagons/Estates, Euro, Paris Motor Show, Crossovers/CUVs, Saab

The Saab 9-3X will be a soft-roading version of the Swedish brand’s bread-and-butter sedan and wagon, a.k.a. SportCombi, and word has it that the all-wheel-drive wonders will be making their debut at the Paris Motor Show in October. Unlike the performance-oriented Turbo X, the 9-3X will use its Haldex AWD system for tackling particularly deep potholes, traversing heavily packed snow and otherwise offering its owners the sure footedness that comes with all four wheels turning at once. Based on our previous spy photos, we expect the 9-3X to look the part with fender flares, a lifted suspension and faux skid plates. Seriously though, adding AWD to the 9-3 in a mini-SUV package is a smart move right now and one that’s been paying Subaru dividends for some time.

Also on the docket for a Paris debut is a new 9-3 concept that should preview what the next iteration of the sedan and wagon will look like. Our flights are booked, hotel rooms reserved and appetite for pasta at a fever pitch, so we’ll bring you live coverage of these two reveals as they happen from Italy in early October.

[Source: Channel4]

 

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GM cuts Saab powertrain warranty down to four years/50,000 miles

Filed under: Car Buying, Maintenance, Saab

As if selling a quirky Swedish brand wasn’t hard enough, Saab dealers will now have to do it with a smaller powertrain warranty. Effective immediately for 2009 models, all powertrain warranties on Saab vehicles will be reduced to four-years or 50,000 miles. Most media outlets, including Automotive News, are reporting that Saab’s current warranty is seven-years and 100,000 miles for its powertrains, but that’s inaccurate. Saab’s powertrain warranty has the been the same as the rest of GM’s brands since they were all increased in September, 2006 to five-years or 100,000 miles. So the new Saab powertrain warranty lops one year and 50,000 miles off the old one. The brand will keep its free scheduled maintenance offer for three-years or 36,000 miles, however, to remain somewhat competitive with other entry-level luxury marques. GM noted that no other brands are reducing their warranties, just Saab, so you better hope your brand new 9-3 was built on a Wednesday.

[Source: All Cars, All the Time]

 

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