Originally posted by Zoot
the ignition is in a normal saab place! why couldn't they do that for the 9-2x?
http://new9-7x.saabusa.com/images/gallery2.html

http://new9-7x.saabusa.com/images/gallery4.html

Originally posted by chris3240929
Built off the Equinox platform prolly...

Looks a bit smaller than the Blazer body.

Originally posted by Ashburner
It's the first Saab I have ever liked.

Originally posted by gavriil


Spy Shots: ?5 Saab SUV
Sharing in GM’s truck profits.
by Hans Lehmann/Hidden Image (2003-12-15)

Owned by General Motors, Saab has been one of only a couple of GM brands to be left out of the light-truck boom. According to statistics, about 25 percent of Saab buyers have left the brand in order to buy an SUV - which so far has never been available from Saab.

This will change in 2005, when the company will offer for the first time in its history a mid-size SUV, which will be called 9-7X. Based on the platform of the Chevrolet TrailBlazer, the 9-7X's exterior design and handling is going to be significantly different from the TrailBlazer and other GM trucks. This was already positively confirmed by a selected number of dealers who have been introduced to the new model and who were amazed by its styling.

No prototypes have so far been sighted, but our computer image is an artist's impression made from insider information. The TrailBlazer's power comes from six- and eight-cylinder engines. Nothing is yet known whether Saab will use similar powerplants for the new model.

Hans G. Lehmann/ Hidden Image

Source: The Car Connection

February 24, 2005


Tuesday’s New York Times featured a story about the “Saab-ness” of the new Saab 9-7X SUV that raised a lot more questions than it answered. Let me see if I can’t clarify the issue here.

As you may know, the vehicle is based on GM’s midsize SUV (GMT360) platform. This practice is no different from many Toyota-to-Lexus, or Nissan-to-Infiniti transformations, particularly in utilities.

No one should have the impression that this is nothing but a re-ornamented TrailBlazer — especially after driving it. I can assure you we made certain the 9-7X both looks and acts like a Saab, with plenty of mechanical changes as well as cosmetic ones.

Although produced in Moraine, Ohio, along with TrailBlazers, Envoys, Rainiers and Ascenders, the 9-7X is by far the most differentiated, with special focus on making it an authentic driver’s vehicle.

The 9-7X underwent extensive suspension modifications to give it a more responsive, “European” feel. It has stiffer springs and bushings, a larger front stabilizer bar, and revised shock valving, all of which required beefing up the frame and control arms to handle the increased loads. A quicker 18.5:1 steering gear reduces steering friction, and increases on-center feel. We also stiffened the front part of the frame with additional braces to boost steering response. High-speed stability was enhanced by a limited slip differential, coupled with Saab-specific 18-inch tires and suspension tuning, which included lowering the vehicle one inch. Larger diameter ventilated disc brakes in the front provide better brake pedal feedback.

It not only feels like a Saab, but looks like one too. We focused on fits and broke the mold in designing the front-end appearance. An integrated fascia on all-new front end sheet metal gives the truck a clean look with tight gaps and flush fits. A new chrome roof rack accepts existing accessories from the Saab portfolio.

Inside the cockpit, you’ll notice the zero gap skin-to-trim fits, low gloss surfaces, and beautiful graining created using cast-skin processing. We paid a lot of attention to interior details, even moving the controls to their “trademark” Saab locations. Dual stalk controls on the steering column include a new left-side control stalk for the headlights and the fog lamps and front wiper controls were moved to the new right-side stalk. The center console is not only 1OO% Saab in design and execution, but also features the famed ignition in the area where the Golden Retriever can turn it off.

The effort, which took nearly 2 1/2 years to complete, was to create a silent, refined, European-feeling sports-ute BASED ON the GMT 36O. I’m confident we have created a great Saab.

You have to feel sorry for Saab engineers. The firm that built its reputation on safe, environmentally friendly cars has endured some tough times of late.

Absorbed by General Motors, and charged with piling on sales, Saab has been forced to embrace a future which is not entirely of its own making. First came the 9-2X five-door, using Subaru Impreza underpinnings. Now, that is followed by a huge new SUV based on the US-only Buick Rainier.

On first sight, it is clear designers at the company have worked hard to give the Yank tank more of a European identity. There is an unmistakably Saab nose, along with an upmarket interior. Under the skin, the new 9-7X features revised mechanicals, including suspension that's tuned to improve road comfort at the expense of some off-tarmac ability.

At present, two petrol engines are available: a 290bhp in-line 4.2-litre six-cylinder and a torquier 300bhp 5.3 V8. Both promise to combine decent performance with reasonable economy, thanks to the US giant's 'displacement on demand' technology. This works by shutting off the fuel flow to two of the cylinders when the SUV is cruising at motorway speeds, reducing consumption on the combined cycle to 18mpg.

So far so good, but scratch the thin veneer and the newcomer's GM roots come shining through. The 9-7X we drove weighs in at a hefty 2.2 tonnes, and the V8 powerplant emits a raspy howl that resonates in the cabin, despite ample sound deadening. What's more, even though improvements have been made to the suspension, it is clear over the first few miles at the wheel that the Saab is still every inch the American off-roader on which it is based.

Car-like handling is a holy grail for SUV engineers, and sadly, in the development of the 9-7X, it has remained out of reach. Although the steering is tighter than in the Rainier, the Swedish model thumps over even small bumps. Through corners, its big anti-roll bar proves effective, but it becomes clear there was only so much Saab could do to improve the chassis responses.

It is not all bad news, though, and the company can be proud of the fact that this is the most handsome GM SUV money can buy. The good looks continue inside, with the two-tone leather and wood trim livening up the standard plastic. And in a bid to woo unconvinced Saab buyers, GM is piling on the equipment. The 9-7X is on sale now in the US, and for $40,000 (£22,300), the entry-level edition comes with stability control, leather seats, curtain airbags and a 275-watt Bose stereo complete with a six-CD multichanger. There is even a choice of a power sunroof or a rear seat DVD entertainment system.

Nevertheless, it is difficult to see the 9-7X as much more than a stop-gap measure. Saab is destined to sell a version of the new Subaru Tribeca in the US, and this car will not only offer a diesel, but better road manners, too.

However, the powers-that-be at GM say the 9-7X will prevent buyers from defecting to Japanese luxury brands - and prepare fans of the marque for the arrival of a better developed successor.