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Saab 9-7X

10K views 83 replies 25 participants last post by  tawdry 
#1 ·
Here are some pics of the new 9-7X from the NY auto show. Also a bit of info about it:
"the 9-7x will be positioned in the $37,000 to $45,000 price range, and will be powered by a choice of two all-aluminum engines -- a 275-hp/4.2-liter inline six, or a 300-hp/5.3-liter V-8 -- mated to a standard electronically controlled four-speed automatic transmission with on-demand all-wheel drive. Because Saab expects its buyers to pursue an outgoing and active lifestyle, the 9-7x includes a standard trailer hitch receiver and is rated to tow up to 6500 pounds when equipped with the V-8 engine. Standard equipment includes leather-trimmed seats, 18-inch aluminum alloy wheels, and upscale sound system. Built on the General Motors GMT360 architecture, the dynamic 2005 Saab 9-7x is expected to go on sale in the first quarter of 2005."

Kyle
 
#2 ·
gmc envoy anyone?

wow, gm should just stop being stupid and give the car company back to sweeden!

i bet mr. saab would kill himself before he would ever endorse a saab that looks like the 9-2x and the 9-7x

and what ever happened to the idea of the 9-7x having like 400 something hp???

~justin
 
#3 ·
seriously...gm is getting out of hand with this sh*t. Im already not to fond of the 9-2x i came out of the subaru world and its basically a wrx with a little body work...i mean cmon saab with a hoodscoop? i think guys like us tuning the good original saab platfors are slowly dying off as gm ruins our cars.
 
#4 ·
I personally don't see it as an issue, I mean the design couldv'e used a little work, but you have to say we're a little late to be coming into the SUV market.

I do have to give GM props for at least trying, and not just shutting Saab down. They made the NG900, which wasn't a bad design, and the new 9-3s are definately extremely nice, not to mention they've had the best sells this past year.
 
#5 ·
GM saved Saab, end of story.

When the NG9-3 debuted, my local dealer sold more of them in the first MONTH than he'd sold OG9-3's in the entire year prior. Sure, the new 9-3 is based on the same platform as the Malibu, but it's about as similar to the Malibu as the 9000 was to it's siblings in 1986.

The 9-2 and 9-7 aren't "ideal" Saabs, but they're not the first time Saab has collaborated, and they're not the end-product for either badge - they're stopgap cars, and I'm confident that we'll see more saab-like versions in the near future.

I don't blame GM one bit for what they're doing. Both of the new models are borrowing from great vehicles - it's not like they're rebadging a Daewoo Leganza here or something. The WRX is easily the most impressive compact car in a long long time, and the GMCT360 is a very robust and well-proven truck platform. At least Saab is doing things "right" with their SUV and building it off a proper truck platform, unlike the vast majority of the car-based luxury SUV's it'll be competing against.

i think guys like us tuning the good original saab platfors are slowly dying off as gm ruins our cars
If by "original Saab" you mean a car that was 100% designed and built by Saab, then *none* of us are "original Saab" unless someone here has a 92 or an early 96 collecting dust in their garage. Every Saab from the V4 powered vehicles onward has had some major component (if not an entire chassis) borrowed or outsourced from another manufacturer.
 
#6 ·
yeah i know those are nice, but i'm talking about the 92x and 97x, they just suck horribly

late coming into the suv market?? how about jaguar, they don't have any suv's.
what about gmc or izuzu, they don't have any cars.
it's not about every vehicle manufacturer trying to cover every type of vehicle, sure, this sells them, but i'd rather buy from a good company that specializes in certain things, for example subaru=awd, gmc=trucks, saab=pleasureful driving. when gmc took over saab, they are trying to do what ford does with all their companies, in making the vehicle line up consist of every type of vehicle. gmc has tried this before with oldsmobile, by trying to make it cover vans and suvs, wonder why they don't make oldsmobiles anymore?? because their newer models started to suck, and would break, so people wouldn't buy them, and this in turn made the oldsmobile division be shut down, if gm makes saabs go into suv's and vans and trucks and crap, then eventually saab will be shut down too, and the predominating gm divisions that specialize in types of things will still prevail, going back to the subaru and gmc as examples.

~justin
 
#7 ·
saabguy said:
if gm makes saabs go into suv's and vans and trucks and crap, then eventually saab will be shut down too, and the predominating gm divisions that specialize in types of things will still prevail, going back to the subaru and gmc as examples.

~justin
The 99 was a groundbreaking vehicle for Saab. It was larger than anything they'd ever built before, and it laid the framework for every car they've produced since.

The jump they made when they designed the 99 was similar in scale to the jump they're making now with the 9-7. Would you rather they hadn't made the plunge into "large cars" with the 99? If they hadn't, they wouldn't exist today.

Who knows what they'll be doing in 20 years? Do we mere mortals have enough foresight to rightfully claim that Saab shouldn't be expanding their product line today? Or should we have at least a little bit of trust - in both our "favorite" marque, and in one of the world's largest car manufacturing conglomerates?

Sure, GM's messed up with some brands, but they've also turned others around with amazing results - with just the sort of badge-engineering that they're now applying to Saab.
 
#8 ·
I have to say, I think this 9-7x is really, really pathetic. I was excited to see it until now. I knew it was gonna share components, but it doesn't have to look EXACTLY like the GMC except for the grill and headlights! :shock: At least make it "look" different on the outside for crying out loud! :evil: It is even worse than the 9-2x. I actually wouldn't mind the 9-2x so much if the interior were redone and it had the key on the floor. But this??? I mean, come on, it is just so not Saab looking. I would never ideintify it as a Saab if it weren't for the grille and badges. It is dead GMC envoy. It just is priced way more. And for what? leather interior and more prestigious badge? :roll: big deal!

I agree the new 9-3 is a great example of how you can still share a platform with another vehicle yet make it look (and perform) totally different. This 9-7 is just plain WRONG! It's like, why buy the Caddy escalade when you can get a GMC Yukon Denali with leather for WAY LESS??? I just don't get it.... I am starting to wonder if I will have to go back to German cars... :roll:
 
#9 ·
OK, I take some of that back. I found some pics that show it in a better color and light. BUT, I still wish they could do more to set it apart from the crowd. i still wouldn't buy it. The back is no good. But, like I said, these pics show the features better.

On a side note, I heard rumors of a new 9-3 sport hatch in 2005 with a 3.? liter V6 with turbo, all wheel drive and 300 HP!!!!!! :shock: Will be called Aero 2 or Aero3 or something like that, and lesser models will have FWD and much less HP.... ANyone got any more info on that???
 
#11 ·
yeah sorry i flamed a little bit...im just aggravated. i agree with driver found on some points...gm did save saab...but then justin made a good point about how maybe they should leave saab to cars. the 9-2x isnt horrible i mean i like the wagon idea my mom has the 9-5 wagon and i love it...but sport compact car mag did a comparison in a small section...put pics of the interiors and exteriors next to each other...there EXACT! i mean change it a little even if the wrx is one of the best selling compacts (i came out of the suby world). but the 9-7x is just ridiculous...i agree with abduckted they should have changed more than just the lights and grille and badge...but im done lol it doesnt affect me cuz ill never be able to afford one...
 
#12 ·
Ok, I have to weigh in on this one. First of all the comment about GMC or Izuzu not having any cars . . . they don't need to! GMC is a parent company and they have other divisions such as chevrolet, pontiac, buick, etc to make those for them and they have always been nothing but a parent company. There is NO MARKET for GM besides trucks, the same with Izuzu. It's all about your market and which segments you can get into. Subaru does specialize in AWD, but their cars run the gamut also, I mean whats a forrester but a small SUV. Oldsmobile died because they have no market segment and their name was synonymous with older people. Problem is the older generation ie "baby boomers" now have a lot of money and when GM tried to make oldsmobile and every-persons car with European flavor they screwed up, plain and simple. Have you ever heard of the Volvo XC90?? It was only motor trends SUV of the year in 2003. Volvo saw a niche in the marketplace and it went for it, saab is late in coming. There is no doubt in my mind that GM has screwed a lot of things up, but look at their concepts and their new cars! They are starting to compete again because they are making better quality vehicles with some soul to them, something that can't be said about them in god knows how long. Saab has no share of the smaller car market nor do they have a share of the SUV market which they need again refering to the Volvo XC90 and how many people coming out of college can afford a brand new saab?? Hardly any! Platform sharing is needed now when car companies don’t have a lot of money to spend on developing brand new cars from the ground up. These new Saab vehicles give them a hold of those new markets and in my humble opinion just might save the car company a few of us have come to love.

Kyle
 
#13 ·
The 99 opened up a new market for Saab, the one about family cars, instead of economy cars.

But, it was the first 1979 900 model, that really put Saab where it is now, since this was the first Saab near-luxury car. 99 turbos were indeed costly, and the 900 turbo even more, but the 900 as a whole really put the name on the map, specifically in the United States. (since Saab was very well known elsewhere, particularly in Scandanavia (obviously) and the UK).
 
#14 ·
GMC is a parent company
wrong, gmc is a car company, gm is a parent company, thats like saying jeep is a parent compant instead of dymler-chrysler

There is NO MARKET for GM besides trucks, the same with Izuzu.
gm doesn't make vehicles, they own the companies that do, gmc makes vehicles, first of all. second, with izuzu, they only make suv's right, well, saab only makes cars, saab making an suv that looks exactly like a gmc envoy except the front end, is like izuzu making a lamborghini with a different badge, it's f'ing pointless!!!! market or no market!

Have you ever heard of the Volvo XC90?? It was only motor trends SUV of the year in 2003. Volvo saw a niche in the marketplace and it went for it
no shit, but ford owns volvo, right? well, they do! does the xc90 look anything at all like any ford at all? plain and simple no. does it still look like a volvo and isn't just a vehicle with a badge and grill? yes it does. now saab is owned by gm right? yeah, does the saab look like a gm vehicle, yeah it does, the gmc envoy, will this make it sell better, no, this is the same as the first gen escalade and the gmc yukon denali, same parent company, and same looks, now, i see a lot more yukon denali's than i do escalades, why? because they are the same fricken vehicle, just a different badge. now i ask you, why are you compairing a completely original xc90 to a copied 9-7x??

Saab has no share of the smaller car market nor do they have a share of the SUV market which they need again refering to the Volvo XC90 and how many people coming out of college can afford a brand new saab?? Hardly any! Platform sharing is needed now when car companies don't have a lot of money to spend on developing brand new cars from the ground up.
omg... do you really think that because the xc90 was designed from the ground up that it costs more? uh, no, marketing 101, design something that is unique, and even though it'll cost more to make it originally, more people will want it, thus benefiting in the end. people that don't know that, think, that platform sharing is good because it's cheaper, but when there is a cheaper car that looks the same, no one will want it.

These new Saab vehicles give them a hold of those new markets and in my humble opinion just might save the car company a few of us have come to love.
"save the company"?!?! what are you talking about??? i know out by cedric there aren't many saabs, or in texas, or in other areas, but i see about 30 saabs daily, and that's not counting the 2 or 3 dealerships i pass. when burnsside42 gets back from his trip, you ask him how many saabs there are in maine, new hampshire, massachusettes, and all over new england, there are tons!!!!! i know a guy that has 5, i pass at least 10-15 houses that have 2 or 3 saabs in the driveways, heck, bs42 and i passed one that had 5, another with a 99 vig. and a 9-5, there are tons of them, so about saving them, i don't know what you are talking about.

now to appologize,

i'm sorry i had to flame the hell out of you like that, but serriously get your facts straight before you post, also, i am just sharing my opinion, as i know you are, our opinions are clashing, and we're both trying to get our good points out, yours are good, i'll admit, but i think i fought them all, now your turn to show me why the 9-7x and 9-2x are good for saab...

at least the 9-7x has the center start, that's good.

~justin

maybe they should leave saab to cars
 
#15 ·
GM and GMC are synonymous, they can be used interchangably moron. No offense but don't talk to me about marketing, its my minor in COLLEGE, so I think I'd know! If you really believe what you said about the escalade, I'd have you know we have had 2, an escalade and an EXT, and both sold for more than we bought it for . . . wow that means people actually buy them!!! Have you seen the sales for saabs recently??? Before the new 9-3 they were going down dumbass. Now that GM has put out the new 9-3 and some others they are starting to slowly make a comeback. GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT!

Kyle
 
#16 ·
Jesus...what happened to a friendly discussion? Its almost like every discussion is turning into a slaughter and argument about who's right and who's wrong :roll:

Now maybe im reading it incorrectly (because I am only skimming), but how bout people slow their roll and not get all worked up over a car or SUV that you're not forced to purchase, and just realize that everyone is entitled to their opinions?

Ey de mi! Que pasa con todas personas!? :roll:
 
#20 ·
how are gm and gmc synonymous???? gm is the main company, they own all the smaller companies, like saab, gmc, chevy... gmc is the make of the car, if someone asks you what type of car you have, you don't say "oh i got a gm" no you say "i've got a gmc..." so i don't see how they are synonymous.

don't talk to me about marketing, its my minor in COLLEGE
so because you minored in it, that means i can't talk to you? wow, that's not very nice, just cause i haven't minored in it or majored in it, doesn't mean i don't know anything. i'm just saying, that some companies, although helped by gm, have improved in sales i.e. saab, that doesn't mean that since they've helped the improvement of sales that they should go ahead and fool around with it and experiment, why make suv's, engines that aren't turbo, awd cars with hood scoops, and other little aspects that they aren't good at. they are good at one thing, so why can't they just stay good at that?? you know why the subaru sti is selling more than the mitsubishi evo 8?? because subaru is a better company for that type of performance, why? because they have been doing it longer. saab, they've been making little turbo sport sedans and converts for a while, so why are they going all random like this? that's the simple question i'm trying to get across. i know i know, marketing blah blah blah, cover all markets to please all audiences, but i think every audience can be pleased with what they've got now

sorry it seems like i'm flaming you, but you are all about marketing and covering them all, and i'm all about certain companies sticking with certain aspects. thats all

~justin
 
#21 ·
Aight..this is the last time I'm going to say this...chill out. End the whole beef about who's right and wrong, or I will. :evil:
 
#22 ·
hey driver found, and more importantly turbosb, i'm sorry, i didn't really respect your opinions on the matter, and i kinda blew it way out proportion, you guys are right, gm did save saab, and in this aspect i guess they can do whatever they want with them and we can only be happy with what we've got, right? i can see where you're both coming from with your opinions about how they should cover every type of vehicle, but i guess that does play along with my opinions about how each company should be specialized in one area, but i can see how some car companies are keeping their "specialties" and broadening this market, one example would be the new subaru baja, still has the awd technologies that subaru is good at, but expands into the truck world. i'dunno, i guess i'm just upset that saab is making an suv that looks almost exactly like the gmc envoy, i really wished they would've changed the design, and not altered the engineness, like, i'm sure the v6 engine with maybe a twin turbo set up would be much better in that vehicle. i don't know what else to say, i'm sorry guys, i went a little haywire with my opinions instead of respecting yours, sorry.

~justin
 
#23 ·
No problem, I got out of hand too . . . I was a bit crabby the other night and took it out on the forum, lol. This is where I need that smiley that says "doh!" . Anyways, we'll see how sales go and I would like to see one in person. Happy Saabing all!

Kylw
 
#24 ·
I wish that SAAB/GM had chosen a route with the 9-7x that was more sleek SUV rather than tow-a-mountain SUV. The GMC Envoy is a great truck, expecially the XUV variant with the top that opens up to the passenger compartment (or thereabouts), but I would have prefered something more sporty looking, along the lines of the BMX X5, Volvo XC90, or Porsche Cayenne, or even the Ifinity FX 350/450.

GM doesn't have anything in its portfolio that competes along those lines, and SAAB would not only be a good fit from a name perspective, since people tend to associate SAAB's as being competitive with BMW and Volvo, but it would also fit the SAAB style - the 9-7x looks like the proverbial red-headed stepchild of the SAAB family, not because the styling is bad, but because it doesn't really fit in.
 
#25 ·
The details:

2004 New York: 9-7x a mix of Saab details, GM engineering

By K.C. CRAIN | Automotive News


Saab's 9-7x is a based on the Chevy TrailBlazer.

Saab will enter the SUV market next spring with the 9-7x.

Prices for the 2005 9-7x, unveiled Wednesday at the New York International Auto Show, will range from $37,000 to $45,000.

The 9-7x will be assembled in Moraine, Ohio, and shares General Motors' mid-sized SUV platform with the Chevrolet Trailblazer and Buick Rainier.

The SUV will have the traditional Saab center console ignition switch, Saab exterior styling, and other Saab touches. But the rest of the vehicle is pure GM.

The 9-7x will come with two engine options: A 4.2-liter inline-six with 275 hp and a 5.3-liter V-8 with 300 hp.

The V-8 version comes with a different wheel design, roof rails and dual exhaust pipe tips. Both versions have standard automatic transmission, all-wheel drive and four-wheel antilock brakes. Saab expects to sell about 70 percent of the vehicles with the V-8.

Options include a rear seat DVD player, navigation system and XM Satellite Radio.

The 9-7x goes on sale in the first quarter of 2005.

Saab will add the 9-2x, a reworked Subaru WRX wagon, to showrooms in the second quarter.
as seen here: http://www.autoweek.com/cat_content...=carnews&loc_code=index&content_code=05433512
 
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