The 2011 Saab 9-5 Was the End of Saab
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The 2010-2011 Saab 9-5 was the end of the line for Saab. Today I'm reviewing a 2010 Saab 9-5 to show you what happened at the end for the Saab brand -- and I'm telling you what I think about the final 9-5.
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You people are the lighted speedometer in the night panel of my life. ;)
Thank you, Doug. Very cool!
The lamp to my moth you mean?
We need a "More more Doug DeMuro" channel
Doug DeMuro your the pollution to my global warming
So we're showing you how slowly you're going forwards?
As a former worker at Saab's factory in Trollhättan, sweden.
I can say that Saab's fight to stay alive in 2009-2011 was absolutely heartbreaking.
GM, who had been actively trying to kill the brand for years, was absolutely determined to do everything in their power to bury the company for good rather than sell it.
There were no shortage of interested buyers, and the swedish government sent several ministers to GM in order to guarantee payment.
Still GM refused.
The Unions at Saab removed limits on overtime, and even allowed lowered salaries AT THE WORKERS REQUEST!
Such was the pride and determination of those who built these cars.
They could have just moved on, and found another job.
But NO!
They wanted to fight with everything they had to save the brand!
At that time, if a GM official would be dumb enough to show himself in Trollhättan, he would be dipped in tar, rolled in feathers and thrown in the canal quicker than he could say the word "capitalism".
There are still lots of people in sweden that would only buy a GM vehicle for the sole reason of setting it on fire and crash it into the closest GM office.
Oh, I didn't it was that bad. And here am I, a Dane who loves his Saabs. I had an old and battered 1986 9000i from 2000 to 2005. It wasn't the quickest car, but it was reliable and handled ridiculously well. It was just so easy and benign to drive. I was very sad when I had to scrap it due to too much rust.
Then I didn't have a car for 12 years because I lived in Copenhagen where everything was inside cycling distance, but after I moved back to my native island I bought a 2004 9-3 Sport Sedan in 2017. It's a nice car but it's not a 9000, so I started looking for one and three weeks ago I found a 1998 2.0 CST with only 163.000 Km on the clock!
And so the 9-3 goes back on the market.
Okay, the 9000 has it's issues, but I still think it's worth it. It gets new engine suspensions in two weeks, it needs to get a cruise control refitted, the NoName alloys with the all-season tires need to be replaced by two sets of decent wheels, and the central locking is acting up. A spare relay, however, seems to work.
The engine is silky smooth and the car just churns mile after mile. the outlook is better than in the 9-3 because you are higher up, and the cabin in the 9-3 feels small compared to the 9000 cabin.
But the big issue is the front fenders; they were always the weak spot on the 9000, and I'm struggling ro find new or replacement fenders. Do you have any suggestions?
@@sneakyfox4651 There should be fenders out there.
Im not sure about the older models.
But when it comes to the later ones, it shouldn't be an issue finding factory new ones.
Top Gear's Clarkson and May have a heart-wrenching "Goodbye Saab" episode. At one point they talk about when the GM pencil pushers came to tell Saab how to build cheaper, the Saab engineers would smile and nod and then go back to building the cars the RIGHT way once the GM'ers were gone. Worth watching. I loved the two I had.
They may never will come back, but as a Volvo and now proud Saab 9-3X owner from Germany: Long live Saab in our hearts
Thankfully Saabs's live on thanks to the many owners, and we have probably the greatest and biggest community forums for advice on owning and maintaining your Saab... 2007 93 Aero convertible in Cerulean blue..
General Motors: killing good brands since forever.
They make Chevy. Duh.
@@RainbowVibes1708 chevy became shit after the 90s
@@cherrypepsi2815 You Americans didn't see what Europe had after GM purchased Daewoo - e.g. Chevrolet Matiz. It's still bad.
@@ArtificialFertilizer You talking to me or him?
Such a great car company Saab. What a crying shame 😟
"Every Saab owner has a Saab story to go with it."
Facts 😂
😂😂😂😂
🤣🤣🤣
fucking facts lmao my saab story is a great one my bitch was a beast lmaooooo got rear ended and got more money than i paid for it hahaha
And thats a fact XD
This car has aged wonderfully. Still looks uniquely cool.
i mean, it cant be more ugly over the years than it already is
@@ksawiprod9140 wtf is a beautiful car.
Kinda looks like a Scion TC 2 if it were a sedan
@@ksawiprod9140 you need glasses lmao
Abaolutely gorgeous, I'll own 1 today if i was in the market for another car
2:30 The green dial needles are meant to resemble the radium glow in old-timey planes, another shoutout to their aviation experience.
Wow very interesting
Of course, anyone who is even slightly into cars knows this. Doug is a typical American, what'd you expect? His channel and his reviews are a joke
@@Steyr001 I find his reviews more entertaining than informational and all about the specs. I don't mind, because there are a lot of other people that can be informational and be all about the specs, and not have that charm, or that entertaining personality that doug has. depends on what you are looking for.
Dreamspace Database These things are not very fast in a straight line but in the passing lane they are a fucking rocket ship
@@tome8373 Ive read from owners that between 50-90 mph mark is where the engine really impressed. Although 9-5s have always been that way.
I am waiting for Doug to wear 3 t-shirts
Maybe for the winter
Tobin Sparfeld he lives in San deiego
He might ascend to another plane of existence
😂😂😂
lmao
I love how the car has a push-button start but Saab still honored tradition and put it in the center console.
Old habits die hard
I always LOVED the night panel on Saabs. Note, it was actually an intelligent night panel. If you'd be running low on gas, the gas gauge would turn on, same for check engine or other abnormalities. Night panel would actually a safety feature as it would let you see better at night, without the residual lights in the car. Remember Saabs also make Gripen, and a bunch of features it inherited from fighter jets (same for the green gauge needles btw)
As usual, he did NO research and can't be bothered to actually look at the manual.
That was actually the reason for the green needles, too. It was used at the time on (aircraft) Saab’s jets. It was better for flying at night, because it reduces eye strain.
I asked around and we all want more Saab videos
victoreem2
Do the 97X with the corvette v8
YES
Do the 2008 turbo x
93 aero
If you watch Autoautopsy he has a turbo x and he had begged Doug to do a video
I’ve got a Saab 95, just like this but the Aero version with a V6 and 330 horses. It’s an absolute spaceship. No problems at all. Amazing driving experience and now they are just going up in price. I had the 95 diesel version and it’s one of the best cars you could get for under 10k
What’s that button under the volume knob for?
@@JasonZakrajsek back in the infotainment screen
I had 9-3 2.8 turbo v6 (280hp)
Not Isuzu engine
Under 10k?! Bars of gold? What?
I owned several SAABs One cool thing about night panel is that if any guage went to a dangerous position it would individually light up and display For example if the fuel level went Below 1/4 the fuel guage alone would come to life and light up
I loved my 9-5 Reliable to 300k
I had a 99 9-3 se convertible. Had around 150k on it. The top didn't work and leaked when it rained, a/c didn't work. The radio kinda sucked but it was an eye catcher and I absolutely loved driving it even if it did have issues. The front struts were very bad too unfortunately. Ended up getting rear ended which totaled it. I plan on buying another one eventually, got more money for it then what was paid for it. It was an absolute blast to drive that's for sure.
@@joshg4953 I'm really not sure what hes talking about for performance. I'm pretty sure no everyday person car has ever or will ever drive like a saab. Also they have the most comfortable seats ever made. Saab owners are sweater wearing architects because sweater wearing architects are the highest IQ americans
The night panel was an intelligent feature, it wasn’t just a lights out option. Yes it switched off all the gauges and lights on the dash, so there was nothing to distract the driver. But the real cle
ver bit is that the deactivated gauges would automatically come to life if needed. If you revved close to the redline, the tachometer would like up. Likewise if you started running low on gas the fuel gauge would light up and activate, as would the temp gauge if the engine got too hot. If you touched the radio controls or climate controls, they’d also light up for a few seconds while you used them. Very clever.
My 8 year old, cheap, base Citroen C4 knows that with a button on the steering wheel. I'm NOT taking a shot at Saab, but I'm surprised why don't more cars have this.
György Mayer agreed, we’re surrounded by screens and lights in today. Less is more! The driver should focus on the outside of the car.
You just reminded me on my 02 9-5 the speedometer would shut off a proton of it in night mode and once you got close to that speed it turned on the full speedo.
And unnecessarily expensive.
This feature was inherited from Saab fighter plane department/company back in time when Saab was still a Swedish company and not partially (car department) sold to GM
This car makes me sad, i do wish Saab lived on, even with the struggles the Saab character was still evident in this car.
Makes you sad eh? Guess you could call it a Saab story
@@JAHamilton77 u sir are a jackass lol
imac846 if he is a jackass, why you calling him that then saying lol, its almost like you are trying to fit in
@@samyar6800 I think he was just poking fun bro.
Twitchy ok
"I can't believe that's what they were charging"
*"They couldn't figure out why Saab cost so much until you crashed them"*
So if the 4 cylinder turbo was $40-$44k, was the 6 cylinder a $50-$56k Grand Touring sport sedan?
I'm not here to knock the car brand. I really miss Saab being an option to Audi, Subaru, or Volkswagen. I owned a 9-3 as a teenager and a 9-5 turbo in my 20's. Both were very reliable and a absolute blast to drive in the snow packed roads of Colorado...
@@p.michaelpell6540 Not really, the V-6 was a final desperate attempt from GM to lift Saab into the Mercedes/BMW class of luxury cars.
The thing that made wealthy people lift their noses at Saab was that they only offered a 4 cylinder turbo, whereas its competitors Mercedes and BMW offered 6, 8 and even 12 cylinder engines. To them a 4 cylinder just lacked class. By the time the V-6 version finally arrived it was already too late.
@@tjroelsma I totally agree with you, but I remember when I was a older teen into my early 20's Saab was right in the middle of their sweet spot. As I was living in Colorado and everyone had 4 wheel drives Audi and Land Rover was Saab's main competition. GM pretty much ruined the Scandinavian dream. Hell our town Police dept was Saab's and Jeep Cherokee's...Lol
@@tjroelsma There are plenty of expensive 4 cylinder luxury cars from The lack of cylinders isn’t what killed the brand.
@@ilogos8124 Partly it was. Saab was trying to contend against the likes of Mercedes and BMW, but failed because of it's engines. People who wanted a high-end luxury car wanted that car to have at least a V-8. BMW held on to it's 6-in-line engines for a long time, but ultimately realised that in order to be a serious competitor to Mercedes they had to build at least V-8 engines as well.
Saab couldn't do that because they lacked the money to develop a brand new engine, be it a V-8 or even a V-6. It didn't matter that their 4 cylinder engines performed very well and with their combination of 16V, direct ignition, turbo and Trionic engine management were almost delivering the same torque as a V-6 or even a V-8, ultimately it had "just a 4 cylinder" and therefore was "just a Saab." This was something that GM completely misunderstood when they bought Saab to be their European luxury brand. The GM V-6 came too late to turn the tide for Saab, as it's reputation as a direct alternative for Mercedes and BMW was already ruined.
The chipped off middle button is for going back in the infotainment system. It says "
It seems to have been used often, and/or aggressively.
The wagon version concept is 🔥
Vehicle Virals i watch you
Definitely looks better than the sedan, which is so awkward looking I can't stand it.
I heard they actually made a few. But by the time they came off the assembly line, Saab was officially sold/discontinued, so they never got VIN numbers and were ineligible to be sold. They’re probably sitting in a Swedish museum, junkyard or an abandoned garage somewhere by now.
Actually, some of the prototype wagons were actually sold at the Saab liquidation auction. Despite the fact that they had a plate in the engine bay stating that they were impossible to re-register, some people have managed to register them for road use. There's an article on Jalopnik about how one owner managed to make his road legal.
It's not a concept; they're out there!
That wagon concept looks absolutely gorgeous
There are like 30 around if you want one ;) But they are not cheap lol
@@CrazyCat935 100% with you on that.....a few went through Auction in Sweden but that's it.....still gutted they went under.😢
Sweden knows how to make good wagons, Volvo currently makes the most beautiful wagon on the market imo, drop dead gorgeous in fact.
Too bad they didn't have the money to design a wagon with wagon specific back doors... Thanks for nothing GM!... And who would have thought that GM would Chapter 11? Oh... That's right... Just about everyone...
@@angela1984a I think GM is still the US's worst manufacturer, though Chrysler is giving them some heavy competition...
I’ve been a big fan of Doug and have been for the last few years. I watch everything he puts out weekly. In fact I look forward to it. Looking back at this video is bothersome. Saab was a great company that improved and strategized many new implementations to cars as we know. I wish he gave a bit more credit to what this company was and the history of why and how Saab became what it was.
So then enlighten us with some facts-including citations, since you're not a known authority on cars-instead of just complaining and making vague declarations.
@@oasean Saab was the first company to bring front wheel drive and transverse engines.
They were the first car company to have seat belts as standard in their vehicles.
They were the first motor company to have driving lights automatically shut off with the ignition switch.
First company to have electrically heated seats.
First company to introduce reinforcement members in doors for crash protection.
First car company to have cabin air filters standard in their vehicles.
First car company to introduce direct injection.
First company to bring forth the light pressure turbo charger.
First car to introduce ventilated seats.
They were incredibly well built and forward thinking.
Google Saabs history. It’s very interesting.
@@morganwesterholt245: Please, cite your sources. Anyone can make any claim.
It shows he wasn’t familiar with Saab’s turbos, or how their designs were actually so good-the core design stuck around in GM’s later turbos. Saab had some of the most powerful, efficient, *and* reliable turbochargers for their entire run.
Which is arguably what GM bought them for in the first place, because, well, they’re sucked.
The Spyker era showed what Saab could be, and the 9-5 was set to compete with BMW’s M badges and Audi’s R and S lineup, with Caddy going more toward competing with Mercedes’ luxury driving experience.
The execution just wasn’t there because GM had ALSO wanted that for Pontiac, but at a lower price point.
Saabs were brilliant machines. They’re remembered for their quirks, but their balance of reliability, tech, and driveability was hard to beat in their day.
@@oasean He doesn't need to provide a source. It's common knowledge. I guess youre REALLY not an expert. Im gonna assume you drive a Ford lol
“sold their factory and then leased it to themselves”
saab: mmmm yes *b i z n i s s*
McLaren just did this too.
That's a common way to mortgage an asset without listing it as a debt on the balance sheet. If they forefit on the lease payments, the bank takes ownership by simply terminating the lease, no fighting with other creditors over the foreclosure value.
This Halloween I'm going to cosplay as Doug.
Two t-shirts
Khaki shorts
White ankle socks
Prosthetic chin
Great comment haha
😂😂😂
Haha hilarious!
don't forget the mole
Dat Jay Leno chin tho
Love Saab. I hope they return one day...
They did, but under new brand NEVS...
SimCo SK Yeah, I was aware of that. I’m in the real company releasing Kahrs under the original brand-name in the United States. Highly doubtful, but maybe one day.
@@simonpoko4274 I didn't know, wow
Do you mean the Saab story might continue?
💖
Night panel worked really well. I had it on the original 9-5, and it made a huge difference to they eyes' night adaption when driving on very lonely Swedish roads.
Press "F" for Saab, lads.
F
F
F
Y
F
This actual model saved are son’s life only just last week, a head on collision with another car with a combined speed of over 100 mph . We owe it to Saab on their attention to safety
De Bacca combined speed? Who the fuck says combined speed lol
@@XDiZzYX911 One who understand that is not the same to hit non moving target at 50 mph and target that travels 50 mph towards you. Hitting a car that goes 50 mph towards you is more comparable to hitting a deformable target at 100 mph (it's not just about speed but about mass and angle).
AdrianoCROST he/she said head on collision so that means they were hit at opposite directions which automatically means hitting a car coming towards you. Don’t need to say combined speed for that cause you automatically assume both cars are going at 50 mph
@@AdrianoCROST Actually that is not correct. It was tested on Mythbusters. Two cars hitting head on going 50 is the same as hitting a wall at 50. Newton's 3rd law.
@@edweagle Yes that's true i made a mistake because i was confuse. I wanted to say that hitting another car going towards you is much higher impact than hitting parked car.
I live in Trollhättan Sweden and used to work at the SAAB factory. The city is almost dead due to SAAB’s non existance. 😢
At least they went out of business, unlike Volvo which was sold to chinese communists who will keep the brand name and close all Swedish factories.
I think you have bigger problems then empty Saab plants,sadly merica is dealing with the same issues. These globalist turd stacks are dead set on genocide.
Saab va långt före sin tid, älskar Saab❤️
It's not dead at all, stop lying.
@@armink9686 What a load of BS.....!
I noticed saab for the first time in movie TENET. It still looks gorgeous after a decade.
True
Most Americans: "I didn't know GM even owned Saab."
Australian: *cries in Holden*
Saab killed itself, in fact it was going to go bankrupt until GM bought it and gave it a few more years of survival.
No one knew why they cost so much, until they crashed it.
That was from Jeremy Clarkson when they did a tribute to SAAB.
Rip
More like cashed it
i once rear ended someone , completely pushed in their trunk and sent then sliding in circles , my license plate holder cracked .
Got tboned in my saab by a driver driving on the wrong side of the road, his car was demolished, I needed a fender and strut. Its still on the road.
This car still looks good, I think it was ahead of its time.
No it's not. A brand new 2005 Jaguar xtype awd looks way better and with better options than this 2011 saab. Smh.
I respectfully have to disagree. Take a look at, for instance, an F10 BMW 5 series from 2010. Easily looks just as good. Not to speak of the interior, where Saab really wasn't up to the standards of the time. This looks more like a 2005-ish interior than one from 2011.
@@ratmtbola You need your eyes tested, yeh the F10 LOOKS GOOD however what am saying is that the saab "looks ahead of its time".....
@@BDMEDIAUK I don't know. I mean sure, the Saab looks really, really good for a sedan. But part of that conception might also be that it's just so damn rare. If we saw this 9-5 on the street every day you might not say that it looks ahead of it's time.
It looks like a G8 that had a European haircut.
10:58 Doug's finest moment
In Night Panel mode, the gauge(s) will turn back on if anyone needed attention. Example, Low Fuel.
You'd have to crash a Saab to understand why they were so expensive
So true
One of the reasons Saab and GM constantly fell out was that everything GM gave to Saab to use, they tore it apart and re-engineered (over-engineered) it because they always thought GM stuff was not good enough for the Saab products and ethos.
Do they appreciate in value after a good crash???
@@johnj3577 Well GM has never been the paragon of a well run ship to say the least...is why I will never buy GM, Ford or FCA again in my life. I was never a huge fan of Swedish cars and having Ford own Volvo and GM owning SAAB was not the best for the two marques IMO. SAAB sure made quirky looking cars...my friend has a 9 3 that seized up...i wont bore you with the details.
@@christianronn5301 this isn't really accurate at all. Sharing a platform and your comment are very different things.
GM- Why can’t you be normal?
Saab- *Screams uncontrollably*
Saab was a breath of fresh air in the auto industry, but thanks to idiotic GM its no more.
@@waifuracer6516 OK, what does that have to do with his comment?
Zephyrus what does your stupid question have to do with anything?
@@waifuracer6516 It was the Swedish goverment that put the final nail in the coffin not GM. Trust me. You should watch the documentary.
Mike Castellon i dont remember asking for a response.. oh well.
Parts are actually super easy to find and pretty affordable, just as long as you do your own work ;)
Never had any problem with a used Saab 95 for 6 years till I handed over .
Beautiful interior and elegant.
SAAB was never interested in 0-60 acceleration, it was all about overtaking other cars as quickly as possible at highway speed. The acceleration of a SAAB with the larger turbo is brutal at third and fourth gear.
exactly, i drive a 9-3 aero with 270 whp and it really hauls ass on the highway. I've taken some v8s a number of times
How did they make them good at high speed pulls?
Got a ride in my friends 9-3 2006 making 320whp he easily eat anything on the highway unless it's a AMG,M,RS etc even in my old 900S 2.0T from 97 that thing eats a 911 carrea,Corvette C4 and pushing a vw golf 7 + chip 200bhp i don't think the "released" the whole turbo pressure in 1,2 gear in my friends 9-3 he have to turn of Traction control to unlock the boost in 1 and 2 gear if he don't take it off it get's all the bhp in 3-4-5-6 gear
@@AVI.D big turbocharger that spools up best at higher speeds
lol, maybe the 911 not intrested racing you grandpa.
Doug: "the car is unusually quick I would say" Acceleration score: 1
Maybe Doug score is 1 for best, 10 for worst?
taintagimme 10 is best
Doug can be moronic...
That means it is slow, not super slow
yea 7 second 0-60 is slow my guy
Please don’t hate me but the roof looks like a GTR😂
i just bought a used 2004 Saab 9-3 Arc FWD...very happy with it.Seems to have a constant coolant leak.
What a great-looking 4-door. I totally forgot about those, and when I hear the price, I remember why.
And when you crash in one... you know why...
Saab's have always been expensive to make that is one of the reasons why GM decided to get rid of them when they bought the company they tried to keep the cost down but they would dealing with the swedes and they did things their own way when this video first started first thing came to mind was the sticker price I knew it was like 47- 48k even then when we had them on the showroom floor I said hell no I rather get a BMW even today I want one but 10k for a used one is still to much
@@who919me I got a 99 93 hatch for 1700, saw a turbo x (best saab) for 7k, just need to know what you're looking for.
Very few sold NEW for more than $30,000 US because of the orphan bankruptcy. Warranties had to be purchased separately. They were actually a better looking, better built, Buick LaCrosse and share many parts.
The cluster has green guages because SAAB fighterjets use monochrome green in the cockpit for being kind to the eyes at nightfligt. Its not unusual for SAAB to do this with their models.
Yep. And I don't get how green is so weird and quirky...
Its just a color. Not all cars have the same color, they just chose green instead of red, blue, hvite, amber, yellow and so on...
Green isn’t used in huds and night vision because it’s easy on the eyes, rather because it’s the color that’s easiest for the human eye to see (hence its use in NV optics).
Red is the color that’s easiest on the eyes, which is why it’s also used in the military when one needs to see but doesn’t want to destroy their night vision or broadcast their position.
My 9-7x has all green in the dash and other controls.
looks like we've got ourselves a saab nerd on our hands
Red is the night vision cockpit color...it least affects your night vision. Aviation charts are specifically designed to be readable under red cockpit lighting. Green was very common for instrumentation/dashboard lighting in 1970's and 1980's US domestic cars.
I saw one last week, broke my neck.
I own a 2002 Saab 9-3 2.0 turbo convertible. Love it! It handles great and has great acceleration. I'm always complimented on how beautiful it looks. Never had a problem finding parts and my son is an excellent mechanic and he does all the work on it. It's a blast to drive. I will never get rid of it.
You failed to recognize that GM
bought SAAB for its patented engine and safety tech (turbo engine expertise, Trionic engine management system, active head restraints, etc). SAAB was the first major brand with mass market turbocharging, heated seats, vented seats, active head restraints, etc that GM took and rebranded in their own homegrown models. Look at Cadillac and Buick today (the Lacrosse for example) and basically one could argue that GM stole SAABs design cues even down to the wing shaped grill insert to make that car. SAAB was at the forefront when everyone scoffed at turbocharged, 4 cylinder engine sedans with luxury touches like heated/vented seats, etc. Now *everyone* including BMW and even Honda have mainstreamed that which SAAB pioneered over 40 years ago. Too bad you didn’t test a 9-5 Aero but that’s the equivalent to a unicorn even in SAAB circles. Your review was not off the mark but failed to show how SAAB revolutionized the auto industry and the 9-5 nearly 10 years ago offered what 2018 Honda Accord Touring has now.
Ron Hernandez Thank You for setting the record straight.
All facts.
Doug your review of the Saab 9-5 is trash.
You showed a complete ignorance biased to every feature that you first praised.
SAAB isnt really dead cause they now in the the hearts of majority of cars lol. Makes sense becayse Ford loves to look at the europeans for ideas and now we have Ecoboost and direct injection in the whole fleet. I believe they were one of the first to jump on the turbocharging bandwagon. Problem is most of the consumers who buy them dont realize theres things you are not supposed to do in a turbo car. Great for mechanics though who have to replace blown turbos.
Hey guys, we found the SAAB enthusiast.
I bought that very car when Saab went bankrupt. The sticker was 45,000 but they were selling them for 26,500. BTW....That button was a 'back' button.
If that's your car, congratulations.
If they look a little better on the Saab, they will enjoy it for many more years.
still too much for this thing.
I'd be worried about part availability on the SUV that was only available for a few months. Anytime you have a production that limited parts are going to be an issue (especially if the company itself goes belly up like they did).
Just worked on one of these yesterday. Completely forgot how beautiful these cars were. Couldn't stop looking at it
The button in the middle of the center console is the "Back" button.
GM was definitely on a mission to be the biggest, not the best. They bought, then killed, every niche brand they could.
Now they are killing themselves.
@@rixille How?
Hmm. GM is the EA of cars.
Yeah they killed Pontiac and Saab. Hope they won't kill opel and chevrolet too
@@faruktta3151 they sold Opel to Peugeot-Citroen last year
Finally, a Saab!!
Rayshanto 2701 your profil picture makes me unconfortable
@@samybenchikhelhocine8419 it's very appropriate for the video
Saab.., never heard of that! 🤔☺️
@@TheKnowledgeChannelTKC it was before your time son. Back in the olden days we rode carriages and Saab.
doesn't get much quirkier than that
Saab was the first European car I ever owned, I owned three Saab’s and now drive a BMW and I still miss the Saab. It was expensive to fix, hard to fix and parts were expensive and still are, but I still miss my Saab, it was just a cool car that average people didn’t know what it was.
Same. I had a 99 9-3 se convertible. It had tons of issues in the end though. The top never worked and leaked when it rained, a/c didn't work. The rear windows would always get off track when used, the radio was horrible plus the front struts were bad. I know a guy who works on them though so I didn't have much issues. Even though the car had troubles, it was an amazing car to own and drive, plus the heated seats were amazing lol
2018: THIS is the Saab 9-5
2020: 5-9 baaS eth si SIHT
Sounds about right ngl
@@LessDougDeMuro ah, Yes you are very much correct
I don't get the joke?
R.I.P SAAB... sad to see the potential they had disappear...
Luke Wilcock they still exist just not in the car bussiness they sell Saab jas gripen to south Africa and hungary
Gm ruined them
It’s GMs fault!
Nah. Pontiac had potential.
When my dad switched from Volvo (also a nice car, 5 cylinder) to Saab, I really appreciated Saab. He didn't use it all that much so I could take it on holidays. Driving on French mountain-road with the roof down, hearing the whistle of the turbo reflecting off the rock-walls was amazing. The suprising acceleration was also very nice. Saab had a way of coupling right sized turbos to engines, decimating turbo-lag as much as possible and still providing the feeling you can put your foot down and just smoke some of the more aggressive BMW and Audi drivers who couldn't bear driving behind a car some grey-suited dentist would drive.
Saabs really could give a comfortable feeling you were able to test it's limits without feeling you would die instantly. A very good grand-tourer.
Dougs just the type of guy to drive a Saab 9-5.
V Tuned Doug the type of guy to check for a green light before shoving it in
Haha
You take that back!
Gotem
Nah, he is not nearly cool enough.
Doug the type of guy to be a successful CZcamsr and test drive cool cars. What a guy!
This makes me smile, thinking of all the good memories I had with my 9-3 Turbo back before it all went sour. That was a fun car when it behaved, and very quirky.
10:55 Imagine being the owner of this car and seeing this video...
I think the Doug score was quite accurate for a 7 year old car. I'm pleased with my 9-5, but of course it's getting old.
André Bye Tollefsen pleased with your 9-5? Where do you work?
@@SFbayArea94121 i bet he's a dentist!
I live in Sweden lol, and I have one too. I have the V6 model I installed a big Gareth turbo in it, I runed it on the dyno last week, it go 498hp to the wheels
@@SFbayArea94121 I'm a Norwegian living in Hungary. I am pleased with my 9-5 NG. This is my second NG and my fifth Saab. I'm not an architect :)
Who here also loves that TopGear segment remembering Saab... 😔
Drop it on the roof and you'll see why it's so expensive :-)
Hey Doug, I wonder if you've considered reviewing a second gen Saab 9000 ('94-'98) Turbo? It was my highschool car, and for all it's weird electronics, leaky gaskets, and periodic loss of cabin power, I loved the thing. There was some stat about it being faster than a Ferrari in the 60-90mph range. Great videos!
Had a 2000 9-5 as my first car in HS till I was 20 in 2018. Great car but you have to love them to pay for some repairs. Luckily had found an old Saab Dealer mechanic who would do all the work for cheap. Great vid Douglas.
How do you find a good saab mechanic who will do it for cheap?
@@freeffree4133 he left a card on my saab at our town rec center. You in colorado? He probably still works on saab
Doug the type of guy to say SAAB when testing a microphone.
the incandescent bulb next to the reverse light is also supposed to come on with the turn signal, that is why there is hyper flash. There is actually a bulb out.
also, finding parts and maintenance for this car should really not be that complicated or expensive considering that is is essentially an opel insignia/buick regal and therefore uses the GM parts bin. “bio power” is swedish for “ecotec” lol. However, the 2.8 turbo v6 was designed by saab and then used in the insignia OPC!
The engine is a Cadillac/Holden design manufactured by Holden in Aus.
GM powertrain(Saab-ish) designed the turbocharger package and assembled
it in sweden for Saab and some Cadillac/Opel/Vauxhall cars. Cadillac and Holden
still uses the same engine layout in updated versions.
So not really a Saab product.
Fun fact, in Mexico, Saabs were sold at Cadillac dealerships. My brother-in-law owned one.
The rear turn signal does actually have a bulb out. It’s a combo between an incandescent bulb and LED light. The red bulb above the LED part is what’s out. The LED part is working but the incandescent bulbs are out. That’s why it’s flashing fast.
The end of Saab Automobile, you mean. They're still around as an aerospace and defence company. (And a truck company, if you count Scania.)
Just like Microsoft killed Nokia phones but not the whole Nokia. GM killed Saab. U.S companies do that a lot to non-U.S. companies. Suck them dry (like patents) and leave them to rot.
Not really. The aerospace company and Scania were not owned by GM. They had split and GM was just using the name.
It was expensive to buy because saabs were expensive to manufacture. None of it shows outside, you'd have to crash a saab to figure out why the hell it was so expensive. Most likely you'd walk away from the crash.
This was probably the finest GM sedan ever made.
@@777jones the hell? GM made this?! Wow
Can confirm
@@angelgjr1999 well it is the GM Epsilon II platform same as the Malibu.Impala Buick Lacrosse
Bad Drivers Montreal north shore,Laurentians it’s just that GM makes the most boring cars in the US. Didn’t expect Saab to be built by GM.
Love my 2008 Saab 9-3 2.0 T dependable never left me stranded and runs like a dream. Only regular serviced and a fuel pump in 14 years love it hate that Saab brand is no longer being made
I'm sure it's already been said, but the 'trunk-mounted slot cars' (!) are the bases for the Saab telescoping cargo divider fence that inserts into the 'cars' and slides into whatever position you want to divide the trunk into to corral luggage or whatnot. The trunk is HUGE at 18.2 cubic feet, bigger than most cars, but unlike most cars, the seats split 60/40 and fold down to create an even more massive useful space. Nice review! (Btw, most parts ARE available - body parts not so much - and dash button stickers can be found on AliExpress :)
FINALLY A SAAB VIDEO. SHOUT OUT TO ALL MY SAAB OWNERS WE WILL KEEP SAAB ALIVE (2009 2.0T 9-3 OWNER)
Yes we will! Never let the memory die!
nah
David saab is ugly af
All along fellow saab lover. UK is here and keep saab alive.
fuck yea fwd 4 cyl turbo baby skooowop
Doug, the type of guy to consistently expose your car's secret compartments to the entire internet
Can't hide my weed if the cops watch Doug's reviews
Judging by your user name I assume you use them to store your video tapes
I love how Doug waits on other cars to review specifically the best versions of them, but reviews a base model saab. The full option aero is a completely different beast!
Maybe the issue was there were no Aero versions on Turo he could find nearby. It's not like these cars are rented by Hertz anymore. Plus I bet they made a lot more base models than the Aero version. Plus anyone with a Aero version probably doesn't want to rent their car on Turo to get ruined.
Marcus Damberger but he doesn't always use Turo for all his car reviews 🙄
This popped up in my feed, and it's...interesting. Both for the car and to see how Doug's presentation has changed over the years. At first I thought it was a new video and was like "is Doug okay? He seems down for some reason."
Screw it, I just bought a ‘09 9-3 Aero 6MT and It’s my 4th Saab to date. I’m still not gonna let these awesome cars rust away. And to hell with the haters, because as a BMW enthusiast, Saabs are different and awesome. Thanks Doug for finally doing a Saab. Amazing brand that still amazes me with all their innovative ideas.
You're allowed to buy whatever you want. Have fun! :)
BimmerMann saabs are awesome
I was going to buy a Saab until i test drove one and literally the entire car was falling apart. Emblems were rubbed off, plastic buttons broke, sun roof didnt work, creaked and rattled as you drove it.. Looked at a few of em and they all had similar problems. Its no wonder they went out of business.
It's strange how most of us Saab owners also like the bimmers
BimmerMann
It seems like a lot of us BMW fans are also attracted to SAAB.
Doug making a statement showing so much undershirt.
Probably likes thag shirt ive seen him wear it before. Its genius to do so. You protect youre nice shirt thats over it more from your body, the oils, your sweat, the deoderant etc. I did it with my work T shirts. They smalled great and didnt have to wash them as often. Just do a load of white for that white undershirt.
I have a 2011 9-5. The reason the blinkers are flashing so quickly is because they have a bulb beside the LED blinker that are notorious for blowing out. I’ve put at least 6 in the past two years.
There is a kit you can purchase to convert to led. I had the same problem and only takes about 30min to fix. There is a video on CZcams. Also, there is another kit for the light bar on the back (on the trunk). This take a bit longer and need a few more tools but it’s worth fixing
The button under the dial that is faded away is the back button
Doug is the type of guy who still plays with action figures
DOG BARK you mean toy cars?
Doug is the type of guy who washes his hands bfore he uses the bathroom and doesn't wash them after
To me he looks like he plays with action figures but when people see him do it they join him because he looks like it’s supposed to be like that
I talked to a dealer that sold Saabs in 2012. They could no longer honor the warranty, so they gave a 50% discount off the sticker price. So you could get a fully loaded V6 Turbo awd Aero 9-5 for only $25k brand new.
I noticed the infotainment screen said DVD under it. I assume you can put DVDs into the cd player and watch them on the screen. I know DVDs are pretty outdated but still a nice feature
When the geniuses at GM take over, they simply discontinue cars...smh👎
Well they had instructions for Saab to do (change the body and the badge), and Saab simply ignored them multiple times. Plus it's not like Saab was doing well financially before GM bought them.
Saab was taken out back by the Obama administration and shot in the head just like Pontiac (as a precondition of the bailout). They just took a year longer to bleed out and die. To be fair GM had mismanaged them for years, and there had been some legitimate business reasons for offloading them. On the other hand the sale/spin-off was driven by the same type of pseudo-math selling wheeler-dealers that caused the 08 recession in the first place, and GM had started correcting course.
More Saabs or we riot.
Adam Scholz amen sir!!
9-3 turbox, that thing is his fancy. It has More quirks, more performance. Or a 9-3 aero (fwd) so he can experience the torque steer and reAxs.
Go to the junk yard if you want to see more Saabs😂.
Well buy the China made 9-3 electric one! 😬
www.saabplanet.com/nevs-9-3-ev-more-than-60-of-the-car-is-new/
@@jm-hb9tl There are still plenty of good used ones for sale.
Nice review and interesting car! The first sedan with led rear lights I think was the Lancia Thesis.
Back in high school, 1967?, a friend took me for a spin in her dad's 93. It had the 3 cylinder, 2 cycle engine requiring oil to be added to the gas tank, no automatic oil mix that I think became available in later models. I got the chance to work on one 93 a couple of times when I worked for the local Saab dealer. The service manager got me great deals a couple of times on very used model 96's, the ones with a V4 under the hood. The fellow who moved into my bay when I moved into the parts department has his own Saab repair service now but has been talking about retiring. Sadly, that could bring about the retiring of the 2006 9-3 in the driveway. There's been a Saab in the family for some 44 years.
No way a Saab I’ve been waiting...
me too!
Same
I actually worked at SAAB dealership and went to Trollhattan factory and test track shortly before this was launched to get good view and drive it too. This car was and still is ultra-cool, a bit leftfield and certainly not mainstream. Elegant and discreet yet so far from being boring, with really good quality and features. I miss SAAB :(
Right. US gov isnt able to do any succesful business because as they have nothing good to offer. Only guns and overpriced faulty aircrafts. Even the
chinese whou bought the whole 1st gen production line made them only for two years. I think the chinese have still no plan how engeneering works but the transfer of technology have been succeeded.
@@junkman6456 Overpriced faulty aircraft?....I dont know what aircraft you are talking about but the F22 Raptor is considered the best fighter jet ever developed plus it has stealth capability and hasnt been replaced in 20 yrs. The F35 is the future next generation multiuse jet and yes it had many bugs when it first came out but every aircraft has things wrong with them before they are fully mass produced and the F35 is being fixed and ready to go now.
Quit your SAABing
Bästa bilarna jag ägt.
@@tjk9263 Yeah, the F22 and the F35... Are you aware of the fact that neither of the two is being used, because of their electric problems. The F22 is still in service, yes, but it is not in use since 2012. And the F35, don't get me started on that load of bullshit.
If you find a fully loaded aero with the screen in the back, v6 and xwd will love it if you do a review of that and see the difference in trim
My son just bought one this week (2nd car, 1st time buying himself). He loves older cars, and he almost chose a Saab 5spd wagon. It’s in great condition for 13 years old. Thanks for the video!!!
SAAB's were made my engineers who didn't give a cat's arse about what the trend or market needs were. They were great.
same as Lancia, although they were aiming to ''poor's man luxury car'' theory
I love that
A group of brilliant Swedish efficient engineers making the absolute best car with Scandinavian style and simplicity.
They didn't really give a cat's arse when GM lended their Vectra and Insignia only to do some 'cosmatic' changes to make it a SAAB. Instead they just stripped the car to the bone and made their own SAAB out of it using GM parts where they want it to be. GM just basically saw it all hapening....
Also with SAAB is really that the car picks up the driver .... not the driver picks up the car. I mean if you are a hardcore Audi, BMW, Merc or even Volvo driver you wouldn't pick up a SAAB.
But if you are in for a experience of just take your time, relax and cruise to A to B in an save enviroment with reasonable comfort, but not over luxurious (yet decent and simply usable) or something screaming look at me. ...(outside the safety thing, ofcourse) .... that is where Saab excells and find you. Some may find it boring others experience it as art of purity, practical , simplicity of what a car should be.
@@007JAKICA sounds like Mazda now
Too bad one of those market trends was "I'm not buying an overpriced G6"
Because this car was built on the same platform as the G6 GTP: 240hp, 6 speed transmission, for half the cost of the Saab. But GM was losing a lot of brands at that point, they're only alive today because of Uncle Sam propping them up then.
I swear GM has sunk so many iconic car brands I swear I will never buy a GM product in my life as protest.
Until the ironic twist of reduced sales leading them to panic and buy up more brands in an attempt to claw back more market share.
Fuck yeah
But do you swear?
So much swearing
RIP Pontiac
The buttons wearing was already present in Saab 9-3 many many years before this car. I test drove a few Saab 9-3 many years ago and every single one of them was missing paint from buttons.Some of them were also missing all paint from mirrors. When i see the 9-5 have the same exact problem, it blows my mind.
Love finding old pre "this car is now for sale on cars and bids" vids I haven't seen!
It’s a shame these cars are not around anymore. Almost makes me want to “SAAB”😢
lolololol
nearly 50 grand for a shitty plastic vehicle from GM...
r/pun
A Glimpse Inside yea many other companies have suffered this way now I want these types of cars more than modern cars that are still sold today.
r/cringe 😂
Doug could review a potato and I would watch it
This potato is absolutely massive.
"There's this wart, and this dent. This potato only comes in brown, but it tastes very good, and is very good in my stomach. If you get the optional bacon bits, that's the life. An interesting quirk is that you can get sour cream. Weird, but I can see it's purpose."
I would go as far as to say i would watch doug review a sheet of paper.
@@cherrypepsi2815 Doug?..... is that you?....
And could still get more views than top gear
Awesome design. I like everything about this car.
These cars are beautiful. I was at the fuel station a few months ago and a high school student pulled up in on in this same color, but it was all banged up and missing trim pieces. It was heartbreaking to see. I've been lucky enough to see a 9-4X in the wild as well.
SAAB ain't dead, they're still making fighter jets.
Or you can wait a bit and buy a NEVS 9-3. Sweden and China only though.
Yeah man, lemmie just trade my Kia for a Gripen E.
Thanks for telling me this, but I think is better for them to continue produce production car.
Prubbs maybe a Gripen D 2 seater for the family lol
Terrible MPG unfortunately.
Never forget the betrayal of GM
Rip Saturn, Saab, and Pontiac
@@themilsurpnerd9896 rip Australian Holden..
@@rickarddt Yep, that just kills me
@@themilsurpnerd9896 and Oldsmobile and Hummer. (Good riddance to the latter.)
Don’t forget Oldsmobile...killed in 2004
you got to remember that this is a swedish car made for swedes. In sweden most common folks want a nice, secure and safe family car. there is a reson why volvo is the most sold car in sweden today. if SAAB would had survived they would be up there competing with the Volvos of the world. but as said in the video, The saabs do still hold up today, even if the cars are over 10 years they still holding on to relevancy.
that saab will be reverted to see the company begin
11:56 Imagine renting this car out to Doug and excitedly waiting for the video to come out, only to see him insult your clothes, job, and intelligence in front of 2 million viewers
LMFAO
It's actually a top gear reference
Are you the guy?
I swear that Doug looks and sounds an awfully lot like Tucker Carlson, in the body language looks and linguistics...
"Saab loving,sweater wearing architect" is actually pillow talk to Saab owners 😍😁