Saab 9-7x?
 

Saab seems to pushing its entry into the SAV/SUV market pretty hard, given their new "built from jets" campaign

I just did a quick build out on a 4.2 liter 9-7x....has 290 HP....and saab gives XM (plus 3 month subscription) and On Star as a standard feature...they have "prestige package" and then an optional nav system...The top of line model I built came in at 42K and change

Anybody driven one?

It's about 15 inches longer and maybe 700 lbs heavier than an x3....but does have the additional horses.

The lines aren't nearly as nice as the x3, esp from the side (the saab look like an Explorer from that angle) and the moonroof is tiny in comparison

No comments on the rebadged Trailblazer/Envoy, but can a truck built by GM in Ohio be called a SAAB? I drove a 99, and later a 900, many years ago. Those were SAABS.

GM's last forays into 'built like jets' were the Firebird showcars from the 50s. Now those were interesting.

I guess just as easily as one built in South Carolina can be a BMW, right?

Advantage Statdoc. :)

If, however, it was GM that was building the truck in South Carolina, it wouldn't be a BMW. Given the recent news, though, it might be a Nissan or a Renault.

GM has owned Saab for years, just as Ford owns Volvo, etc. One could argue that Saab's have been GM products for a long time, regardless of factory site.

I don't think that ownership of the brand is as important as the design, and manufacturing. When the SAABs first went to the shared Opel platform (right after GM bought SAAB) they were still SAABs. I don't think that is the same as changing shock valving on an Envoy and calling it a SAAB.

Ford bought Jag and Aston, and proceeded to value their heritage (OK, AWD X type aside). Same for Volvo. Great reviews for many of the new models, which have the benefit of Ford $$, better supplier deals, and yet remain true to their brand promise. Compare that to SAAB (or Lotus, under GM's ownership for awhile). I don't think that Ford has everything sorted out, but I do think that with their Premium Auto Group they have shown that buying a foreign brand doesn't have to mean killing it off.

And, as we know, the Daimler Chrysler situation has made many feel ambivalent about DC products....styling is better for Chrysler, but production quality of MB seems to be falling. The "merger" seems to be toward mediocrity, rather than the best of both.

When I was looking to get an SUV I drove one. The interior didn't look to bad, compared to the Trailblazer/Envoy, but you could still tell it was a rebadged typical American truck with poor build quality. Drove like a typical American SUV also. No where near the X3. The dichotomy was very strange and I came away thinking there was no way I would buy one.

Its just a trailblazer which is in opinion the worst suv on the road (and I've rented them) the Saab is ok, but without chest/thorax side airbags, a marginal crash test rating and semi-decent brakes its no winner and for 42k I'd rather drive a Tahoe if i'm going american or a 4runner Limited V8 4x4 if I'm going by price, just my 2 cents

Saab as a brand has lost it's momentum. They had their own philosophy but now all that is left from it is design and even that is not quite there anymore. In my opinion SAAB became a victim of multibranding on a deeper scale that might not be as noticable as with other manufacturers (like Chrysler, Plymouth, Dodge etc.).

In addition their internal development budget has been taken away or reduced significantly. If you look at the models, 9-5 is really old with only uplifts to keep it alive, 9-2X is just a Subaru, 9-7X is Envoy. 9-3 is probably the best of their lineup.

I think Saab is not going to be around for much longer unless GM will really invest in the brand. It takes more than just the ignition key in center console.

- p