Initial Thoughts
It was just the latest crazy decision in a string of crazy decisions from Saab. The newly independent company decided to take their flagship 9-5 luxury sedan to the Monticello Motor Club in New York and hand the keys to a gaggle of journalists. The new car weighs nearly 2,000 kg. It belongs in the hands of modern Mad-Men advertising creatives or in the parking lots of avant-garde architectural firms - certainly not on the track.

But, Saab has been full of surprises lately. The company, which began as a manufacturer of airplanes in 1937, was to be quietly liquidated by GM in the giant’s darkest hour. To everyones’ surprise, fans protested and organized and signed petitions. “Save Saab,” they shouted. Unpronounceably eccentric carmaker Koenigsegg tried to buy the company, but the deal fell through. “Save Saab!” fans shouted louder. When it all seemed hopeless, boutique Dutch supercar maker Spyker came out of nowhere and rescued the company.

Like all of Saab’s recent history, bringing a flagship luxury car to a race track would either be a brilliant idea or a devastating one.

Performance
The moose test is an important stage in the development of any Swedish vehicle. The goal is to approach an obstacle at high speed and swerve around it without braking, or crucially, soiling your pants. Jerk the steering wheel left then right and the 9-5 flicks itself around the orange-pylon-shaped moose with ease. It handles the test with more poise and confidence than such a large car has any right to. The steering feels artificially weighted, but perfectly pointy thanks in part to the clever HiPer strut front suspension and torque vectoring all-wheel drive system. Body-roll is minimal and the overall effect is of driving a much smaller car.

However, the 300 horsepower, 2.8-litre turbocharged V6 can’t hide the car’s bulk, even with 295 lb-ft of torque at 2,000 rpm. With that much power, you’d expect it to feel faster. Instead the car builds speed steadily rather than shoving you back. The engine itself is no slouch but it doesn’t make the car feel particularly quick with 0-100 km/h taking a claimed 6.6 seconds. Mid-range models from the BMW 5 Series and A6 lineups are slightly faster.

Fuel economy is acceptable in the city, using about 13.5 L/100km, but on the highway it’ll cruise along sipping just 6.1 L/100km.

There will be a cheaper 2.0-litre turbocharged engine available on the front-wheel drive model. It looses out on horsepower to the V6 but it’s also significantly lighter. There wasn’t one available for the test, but it will be interesting to see how they compare.

Ergonomics/Comfort/Quality
The fear with such a sharp handling car on the track is always that it will be too stiff for the road. Saab admit they were aiming to build the sportiest car in its segment, a bold statement when you consider the opposition: BMW’s 5 Series and Audi’s A6. On crumbling back roads, with the DriveSense chassis settings on “comfort,” the ride is excellent. If you’re used to the wallow-y luxury cars of old, then it may seem stiff, bumps and joints are still perceptible, but the compromise is a good one. Sport mode sharpens things slightly and sends more torque to the rear wheels but under normal driving conditions the effect is minimal.

The seats are excellent, even the rear ones, with plenty of room for adults to sit comfortably. There are all the usual electronic seat adjustments and climate controls you would expect, but the interior is a bit dull for a car of its class. The steering wheel is well done, and some will appreciate the black slate minimalism of the dash, but it doesn’t live up to Saab’s long tradition of clever interior design.

Although it was designed under GM, the new 9-5 will be built in Saab’s hometown of Trollhättan, Sweden. The ultra-modern facility was one of the main selling points of the company, according to new owner Victor Muller.

Functionality/Usability
There is a nifty little umbrella holder on the roof of the big 515-litre trunk. It’s thoughtful details like that the 'liberal elites' Saab is aiming for with the 9-5 will appreciate.

Similarly, the High Beam Assist system adjusts the headlights based on how much light it senses around the car. Approaching another vehicle or oncoming traffic, it’ll switch off the high-beams automatically. One less thing to fiddle with on dark, empty roads.

The big eight-inch touchscreen mounted high on the dash displays a huge amount of information, but for those not familiar with such a system it will take some time fiddling to sort it out. It’s not immediately intuitive.

The best gimmick but far is also one of the silliest. In fact, it’s totally useless. In the centre of the speedometre there’s a circular screen which can display fuel economy, range, and other boring stats. Flick it into altimeter mode though, and you’ll want to leave it there. It’s an extra speedometre that behaves like a gauge from an airplane, with km/h rolling up and down behind a horizontal needle fixed in the centre.

Conclusion
Victor Muller, the new chairman of Saab, arrived to make his presentation in cream-coloured trousers, a navy blazer with gold buttons and thick-rimmed black glasses. The collar of his baby-blue polo shirt was properly popped. He spoke about “Saab Saabs” and “Saabishness” in his Dutch accent. He told stories about doing the Mille Miglia in a classic Saab 92 and the importance of the company’s rallying and engineering history.

Jason Castriota, the new design director at Saab, is also easily recognizable from the journalists and PR people. He was brought in after GM sold the company to Spyker. “I’m kind of the un-expectant father, you know there’s this beautiful big baby there and I knew nothing about it. I didn’t have anything to do with it, but I can definitely say that I’m proud to stand near it.” He has an impressive knowledge of the brand’s history and “Saab DNA” and is clearly excited about the prospect of getting to design a family of cars for the storied marque rather than his usual ultra-rare bespoke supercars.

The fact that these two arrived for the North American press launch says a lot about how important this car is for Saab. It needs to bring loyal buyers back and turn the “Save Saab” petitioners into customers.

It comes down to style with a flagship luxury car like this. All of it’s German rivals are excellent cars, and frankly the Saab is their equal - with the one caveat being the uninteresting interior.

Overall though Saab’s style makes the Germans look even more conservative than usual. As Castriota said, it’s not a design for everyone and it isn’t meant to be. You will love it or hate it, but you will notice it. Have a look for yourself, but we think it’s cool.

So far, the crazy decisions have been the correct ones.

The 9-5 will be available as a 2011 model from 20 dealerships around the country starting sometime in October. Official pricing for Canada has yet to be announced, but in the States it’ll cost US$ 49,165.