Let’s cap off our little Saab-fest with a snow-capped 9-5 wagon. When the 9-5 wagon appeared for the 1999 MY, it marked the first time a Saab wagon was available since the venerable 95 (CC here) was last sold in the US in 1973. Of course, many folks felt that the big hatchbacks on the 99, 900 and 9000 made them the functional equivalent of wagons, but it’s not exactly the same.
Although the 9-5 shared essentially the same name as the 95, it didn’t offer a third seat in the back, despite being a substantially-larger car.
The last 9-5 wagon rolled off the lines almost exactly four years ago. The tooling was sold to BAIC in China, but there’s no indications that there’s a wagon in the line-up.
I can’t remember if it came before or after the 9-5 but aren’t you forgetting the 9-3 Estate there Brendan?
That’s my fault; I edited this post some, and added the “last” part, having totally forgotten about the 9-3 wagon.
I rode to lunch in this car’s twin yesterday. It is actually a pretty nice car. Its owner picked it up very reasonably, and it has been good, comfy and reliable transportation.
Bought an ’03 9-5 wagon in December, reasonably enough price that I’m not bothering carrying collision insurance (but liability, oh, hell yes!). Very nicely appointed with all the gee-haws but the heated seats and high-end audio. Of course my Tacoma 4WD would get through higher snow drifts, but the Saab hasn’t met anything that has stopped it during this awful winter.
Much as I like the car — I bought it to haul the furniture I build under cover from the weather — it’s not really a “true” Saab. The last of those was the 900 series but they are becoming ever more scarce.
Always liked the 9-5 wagons. The design and proportions are really well done and I think they’ve aged well. Its scheduled replacement was also a looker.
The last 9-5 looked great in light colours accentuating the concealed A pillar trick. I’m sorry there are not more about. There are few new cars I’d look at twice, the SAAB was one. Like most fans I could never afford to buy the thing new and don’t like my chances of keeping an older one going.
There does exist the NEW 9-5 wagon. It was never officially sold but the prototypes were auctioned off along with most of the rest of Saab. Several owners who bought at auction were able to get theirs registered and now drive them regularly, notably in Germany and Norway. There was a very good first-hand account posted on Jalopnik of the difficulties faced by one owner in getting it registered but he did eventually prevail.
If I remember correctly, there are less than 30 of them, so they are incredibly rare. I would imagine breaking a rear window in one wold be the end of the road, as I can’t imagine there is much available (if any?) supply of pieces like that. I actually saw one in the flesh at the Mpls Auto Show back before all the Saab drama, and it is an achingly beautiful automobile in the flesh. Such a pitty it never hit the ground running…
If they were saleable pilots, I can’t see why they could not be registered (they’re built to be sold after engineers are done with them).
If they were non-saleable pilots it’s another matter. There’s no proper VIN there as they’re meant to be crushed after testing is done.
It seems like most of them have been registered, but the process was a huge headache: http://9-5sc2012.com/
When they were auctioning those off I was kicking myself so hard for not either living in Europe or being filthy rich enough to just buy one on a whim. I like the last generation 9-5 sedan a lot, but the SpotCombi is something else entirely.
Yeah those really are something else, very nice looking, a great evolution of the Saab design.
SportCombi… I’m Drooling
they looked so good with the bbs rim package.
Both the 9-5 and 9-3 tourers are beautiful vehicles. I am seriously thinking about replacing my car with one of these.
With the strong sun here, a tourer longer roof provides an almost perfect cover for babies in the backseat.
The boot on the 9-5 is massive. Even in sedan form.
I have to agree that these cars have aged gracefully.
And before I forget: thanks 🙂
I thought that kid in the rear seat was playing with his cell phone before I realized it was a toy car- the pose is identical. Funny how kids throughout all ages have a way of going off into their own world.
Though the last 9-5 was short lived, the one thing that impressed me was the side profile view, It was/is distinctly “Saab”. I could see the heritage in the design and shape.
It’s kind of amazing to think that the first generation 9-5 was built for TWELVE years. If I ever see a later one (and they are pretty rare) 9 times out of 10 it’s a wagon, which was still holding down a very small niche. The sedans were pretty much outclassed by that point, but still good cars. They have the distinction of being the last vehicles to use a legit Saab B-series engine; which, only a few short years ago, was seen as a dinosaur amongst 300HP V6s. It’s kind of ironic, then, that turbo four-powered sedans started making a huge comeback right around the same time Saab was going belly up.
I took a picture of this ’00 2.3t because it was one of the few 5-speed 9-5 wagons I’d ever seen. I would love to have one of them!
Those wheels look better in person than in pictures.
Those kids could be me and my sister in 1969 or 70, except the girl is a little too old. Well, that and the car’s the wrong color (our was tan). Well, that and the European license plate (vs. Pennsylvania).
I feel privileged because for the first time I own the same model car as featured on CC. Except mine is dark blue and is an earlier model to the one shown.
Yesterday a bus did an illegal u turn in front of me and I had no choice except to run into it.
One less Saab in the world
The 9-5 wagon is rare among wagons in that all the tell tale lines of the sedan from which it was made are clearly visible, yet it is a coherent design considered on its own.