Saab 9-5 (2010) revealed

Saab has released details of the new 201 Saab 9-5 that will debut at Frankfurt

We got a leak last month of the new Saab 9-5, but Saab has now bitten the bullet and decided to release details of the new 9-5 ahead of its launch next month at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

The new 9-5 is a very big deal for Saab. In the midst of a takeover by Koenigsegg, the new 9-5 needs to excite at least a section of the car buying public to give Saab the chance to rebuild. And it looks promising. Very promising.

Christian von Koenigsegg (CEO of Koenigsegg – putative Saab owners) has gone on record as saying the new 9-5 is a very good car. Obviously he has a vested interest in talking the 9-5 up, but certainly on the face of it the new 9-5 does seem to bring something extra to the party.

Based, as all Saabs will be for some time at least, on a GM platform – Epsilon II – the Saab does conspire to be very ‘Saab’ in the way we expect. The styling is current but traditional; lots of high-tech bits and bobs and a quality interior with a modern Saab twist.

On the tech front, the new 9-5 has a heads-up display (Saab has always pushed its aircraft heritage), adaptive headlights (Bi-Xenon Smart Beam); adaptive cruise control; Saab DriveSense adaptive chassis with real-time damping control; keyless entry and starting; dual-zone climate control; dynamic parking assistance, and Saab XWD with eLSD. A virtual plethora of Saab tech.

The interior gets a high quality finish with premium features like Harmon Kardon, rear seat entertainment and 10gb hard drive nav with USB and MP3 connectivity. The interior also feature more room than the old 9-5 and we’re pretty impressed with this modern interpretation of a Saab design interior.

Engine choices include wall to wall turbos (a Saab speciality) and run from a 1.6T with 180bhp to a 2.8T with 300bhp. Also in the mix is a biofuel 2.0 litre turbo that will run on E85 (just like the Koenigsegg CCXR Edition!). Also on offer will be a 2.0 litre diesel turbo and a 2.0 litre petrol turbo. Four wheel drive is available initially on the 2.0 litre and 2.8 litre petrol, and adaptive chassis control comes as standard.

No word on prices yet, but we will get more detail probably at Frankfurt. You can read all the details in the Saab 9-5 (2010) Press Release.