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October 1, 1998............For Immediate Release......................Contact: Kevin Smith

SAAB FOR 1999:  9-5 WAGON SUMMARY

NORCROSS, Ga. - In every sense, the Saab 9-5 Wagon is an extremely sporting and dynamic car. As with any Saab, it combines an inspiring driving experience with high levels of safety.  Additionally, it's useful for the everyday needs of both families and people who enjoy being active and want a car that reflects their lifestyle.

Unlike many wagon versions of cars, the Saab 9-5 Wagon is not just an add-on design. Even though it shares many components with the Saab 9-5 Sedan, the Saab 9-5 Wagon was planned, conceived and styled separately as a wagon from the very beginning. It features a roof and rear doors that are different from the sedan model. This relative clean-sheet approach is why the design works as a whole. There are no awkward shapes or strange add-on solutions. The new car offers everything that a Wagon in the segment needs - delivered in a Saab package.

Driver in Control

The Saab 9-5 Wagon driving characteristics and driver/car interaction are superb. Even though it is a large car, it drives like a premium sports sedan from behind the wheel. It handles easily, smoothly and predictably. High speed and directional stability are extremely good and the steering response is very precise, even with a maximum payload.

The Saab 9-5 chassis features isolated front and rear sub-frames, MacPherson front struts and a multi-link independent rear
suspension. The springs, roll bars and shock absorbers have been calibrated to retain good handling with an adaptation to the effects of weight, center of gravity and inertia.

Typical of the aeronautical inspiration in all Saab designs, the new Saab 9-5 Wagon has a drag coefficient of only 0.31, among the best in its segment.

Saab Ecopower Turbo Engines

One of the most interesting aspects of the Saab 9-5 Wagon is that it offers the loading capacity and versatility of a wagon together with the interior feeling of a sedan. The levels of noise, vibration and harshness are low, in line with that expected of a premium sedan. This makes for excellent ride comfort and very low interior noise levels. Wind noise is so low that only a few wind tunnels could be used for measurement because the operational noise levels of others were too loud.

Flexible Cargo Capacity

The cargo loading area is flexible to meet varying needs. Either one or both sides of the split fold-down rear seat can be folded or removed to make room for cargo. Loading cargo is easy thanks to the low loading height and, available as an option, the sturdy sliding floor that can be rolled out almost 20 inches. Fully extended, the sliding floor can support up to 440 lbs.

The cargo area features an innovation from the aircraft industry that Saab calls CargoTracksTM. In aircraft, they are used to secure seats as well as cargo. In the Saab 9-5 Wagon, CargoTracks^TM is a standard feature for securing cargo. CargoTracksTM is a system of rails with one-grip locks and special belts to make sure that the cargo doesn't shift under emergency braking or in an accident.  CargoTracks^TM is a crucial feature to help insure a high level of in-car safety.

A lot of attention has been given to providing practical and versatile loading. The tailgate opens high enough for an average adult to stand beneath it. It is designed to operate smoothly - requiring very little effort. Furthermore, the tailgate illumination is highly effective and lights up both the entire loading area in the car and the ground behind it.

A number of cargo handling accessories, such as straps, elastic nets, cargo guards and a complete roof rack system are available for the car. They cater to the active lifestyles of likely Saab 9-5 Wagon owners, whether loading the back or putting cargo on the standard roof rails.

Cockpit Interior

The interior of the Saab 9-5 Wagon is very clean, functional and spacious with sufficient room for tall drivers. The driver's
environment is thoroughly Saab with the traditional cockpit interior and special attention to ergonomics and driver control. The hard, foldable parcel shelf adds to the sedan-like refinement of the Saab 9-5 Wagon and contributes to theft protection by concealing the loading area from outside view.

The Automatic Climate Control system offers two temperature zones, one for the driver and one for the passengers. An
electrostatically charged pollen filter comes standard as well as an additional charcoal filter for removing odors and annoying fumes from the incoming air.

The state-of-the-art theft protection systems introduced in the Saab 9-5 Sedan are also standard equipment in the Saab 9-5 Wagon. In essence, this means that the Saab 9-5 Wagon meets the very stringent 2-minute 'attack' requirements set by the Swedish Theft Protection Agency. The Saab 9-5 Sedan was the first car to meet these rigorous standards and now the Saab 9-5 Wagon is the first wagon to do the same.

Real-life Safety

The Saab 9-5 Wagon is fully in line with the renowned Saab Real-life Safety philosophy. This means that the car is designed for optimised safety on the roads, not just for laboratory testing. The new wagon has been taken through 40 different crash test configurations, though only 11 of them are required by law.

The front and rear structures of the Saab 9-5 Wagon, like the sedan model, incorporate three robust load paths on each side of the chassis that distribute crash energy over a broad area to lessen the force of an impact on the passenger compartment. The Saab 9-5 Wagon's side impact protection systems are also the same as those found on the sedan. The pendulum design "B" pillar is integrated into the safety cage construction to dissipate side-impact crash energy downward, where the human body is stronger and less susceptible to injury. Saab's head and torso protecting dual-stage side airbags are mounted in the outside bolsters of the front seatbacks to complement the protection provided by the pendulum "B" pillar design. Additional protection is provided by Saab's new force-reducing front seat-belt and pre-tensioner design. These allow for gentler restraint of the occupant's forward motion to reduce the risk of belt-induced injuries in collisions.

The Saab 9-5 Wagon also features the Saab Active Head Restraint (SAHR) system as standard equipment to reduce the risk
of whiplash injuries. This world-first safety feature effectively limits the front seat occupants' head movement during a rear-end collision. Since the SAHR system is fully mechanical, it can function time and again as needed and there are no specific parts that have to be replaced after its use in an accident.

Copyright © 1997-1998 Steve Manning. All Rights Reserved
Information in this document is subject to change without notice.
Other products and companies referred to herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies or mark holders.

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