New Car Review of the 2004 Saab 9-5 Mid-Size Sedan and Wagon

Description: Mid-Size Near Luxury Sedan and Wagon
Base MSRP Range: $32,360 - $40,370
Invoice Price Range: $30,431 - $37,758

Saab's mid-size cars in the flagship series include a luxurious sedan and the SportWagon with elegant appointments aboard and performance gear on the top edition.

The SportWagon for 2004 appears in Linear and Arc trims, while 9-5 as a sedan is available in Arc and Aero issues.

The SportWagon Linear has soft leather upholstery, heated front seats and twin automatic climate zones. It also carries more standard mechanical assets now, such as an anti-lock brake system (ABS), electronic traction control (TCS) and Saab's electronic stability program (ESP).

Arc editions get standard perforated leather with ventilated front seats and heaters in front and back plus five-spoke 16-inch BBS wheels.

Aero brings the look of metal surrounding the instrument panel and has bolstered sport bucket seats, standard front and rear heated seats and ten-spoke 17-inch BBS wheels.

The engine for 9-5 Aero -- a high-output turbo-charged 2.3-liter four-cylinder plant -- pushes 250 hp and comes with either a manual five-speed or the automatic Sentronic five-speed with control tabs on the steering wheel for thumb and finger shifting.

9-5 SportWagon Linear stocks a 2.3-liter light-pressure turbo four that achieves 185 hp with standard manual shifter or optional automatic. 9-5 Arc has a new powertrain in 2004, thanks to the Saab 2.3-liter turbo scored up to 220 hp and mated to the manual or automatic shifter.