Saab 9-5July 2010

It's intriguing times at Saab at the moment. The company has emerged from the quagmire of GM's ownership with the fresh-faced optimism that Spyker, the Dutch sports car maker, can return the Swedish brand to the idiosyncratic roots that made it such a popular niche choice with people tired of the standard executive fare.

Saab's head of marketing equated the process to starting a car company with a blank sheet of paper. But before the 'blue sky thinking' can begin, the manufacturer has the critical job of launching its new 9-5 - the final legacy of the GM era, and the most important Saab in over a decade.

The new car has been a long time coming (its predecessor is 13 years old) and looked like it may not make it onto the road at all when the axe hung precariously over Saab's head, but it's here now, and, boy, is it big.

The 9-5 uses the long-wheelbase version of the platform that underpins the Insignia and it lends the car some serious heft. The saloon lines up against the BMW 5-Series and the Audi A6 in terms of price, but is significantly larger than both.

This gives the 9-5 an old fashioned, 'bigger is better' kind of presence. The styling is chunkier and less delicate than its competitors, and should earn some admirers prepared to forgive its slightly awkward proportions.

Inside there is the usual Saab dash, square-jawed like a boxer, and beneath it enough matt black plastic to shame a Curry's superstore. It's presentable enough and feels hardy to touch, but the 9-5 falls short of the premium quality exuded by the Germans. The 9-5 will be available in Vector SE and Aero trim levels, the latter adding extras like electrically adjustable leather seats, 19-inch wheels and sports suspension as standard.

Stabbing the new starter button on the centre console fires up either a 157bhp 2.0-litre diesel, a 216bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol or the top-spec 296bhp 2.8-litre V6 lump. There's also a 1.6-litre petrol engine and twin-turbo diesel to come.

A cursory summation of the car's performance on the road might lazily conclude that the 9-5 is a big Insignia with better sound deadening, but that would be cruelly understating Saab's efforts with the car. The engineers have succeeded in disguising the saloon's substantial kerbweight with neat body control, and retuned the suspension for a slightly more pliant ride. The 9-5 is also marginally more refined, and has the unique trait of being big inside without feeling unwieldy on the road.

Without worrying the class leaders, the new Saab is a credible alternative to the mainstream and should prove to be a solid sales foundation on which to build. There's far too much GM DNA in the blood to make the 9-5 feel special in the way the brand's diehard fans yearn for it to, but this is certainly the best car the manufacturer could be expected to produce as it emerges from its American hangover.

Where does Saab go from here? Over to you, Spyker.