Saab Reviews
About Saab
Born from an aerospace and defense company, Saab was a pioneering automaker. It offered its vehicles with cutting-edge safety features for the time, including a three-point seatbelt and side-impact protection for passengers in the back. The Swedish automaker also made numerous advancements in turbocharging. All of Saab’s vehicles have emphasized aerodynamics and had a design element that could be traced back to its aerospace history.
Saab underwent a major change when General Motors decided to purchase the company in 2000. Under GM, Saab introduced new vehicles such as the 9-5 and the 9-3. For the 9-2X wagon, GM provided Saab with a platform from Subaru, another brand in its portfolio, making the car nearly identical to the Impreza. GM then used the Chevrolet TrailBlazer as the basis for the Saab 9-7X. The last new vehicle that Saab introduced was the 9-4X compact SUV that was based on the Cadillac SRX. Unfortunately, all this platform sharing did nothing to help maintain Saab’s identity as a quirky, independant automaker, and its sales continued to fall throughout the 2000s.
In 2011, GM sold Saab to Dutch manufacturer Spyker. The next year was Saab’s final year selling vehicles in America, with the automaker’s lineup consisting of just the 9-3, 9-5, and 9-4X.