2011 Saab 9-5 Aero

The 9000 started life as the least Saab-y Saab. Wanting an entry into what is referred to as the "Executive Car" market in Europe... "Midsize" to us Yanks ...the Swedes partnered up with Fiat and went in on something new for the the brand: A car with a transverse front engine layout.

Roomy and still having a distinctly Saab interior and powertrain, the 9000 sold here in the US from '85 through '97 before getting replaced by its successor, the all-new Saab 9-5. By this time the Swedish carmaker was half-owned by General Motors and so the new sedan relied heavily on a platform and mechanicals shared with both Opels and the US-market Saturn L-series sedans.

The first generation of the 9-5 remained in production for over a decade itself before being replaced for 2010 with the second, and final, generation of the model. By this time the auto manufacturing world was still reeling from the effects of the Great Recession and GM had been looking for a buyer for Saab for a while.

Spyker bought the company, and with it the new 9-5. The new car shared little of the essential quirkiness that made a Saab a Saab. Built on the same long wheelbase variant of the GM Epsilon II platform as rental fleet stalwarts like the Chevy Malibu and Buick LaCrosse, its Swede-ness was only badge-deep.

A 2011 Arctic White 9-5 Aero, like the one in the picture, had the 2.8L turbocharged General Motors LAU V-6 making 300hp. The crew at Car and Driver tested a 2011 9-5 Aero XWD and recorded a 6.3 second zero to sixty run and a 14.9 second quarter at 97mph. The fun continued until the governor kicked in at 158mph.

At the same time, the testers noted "Awfully expensive for a Buick LaCrosse, could use more power for the money." It didn't matter, though, because in a year, Spyker/Saab would stop paying vendors, declare bankruptcy, and Saab automobiles would be no more after 2012.

This one was photographed with a Nikon D7100 and the excellent 16-80mm f/2.8-4E VR zoom lens in July of 2022.