Saab 9-5 MY 2004
Comfort and Convenience
Highlights:
* Separate ‘dual-zone’ climate control for driver and
passengers
* Generous on-board storage, including air conditioned
glovebox
* Unique double sun-visors for dazzle-free driving
* Saab ‘Night Panel’ feature removes visual fascia
clutter
* First to offer ventilated front seats
* Compressed scale speedometer for more accurate
reading
* Adaptable load-carrying for sedan and wagon
* User-friendly tailgate and sliding floor for wagon
* Advanced anti-theft protection system
Both the sedan and wagon offer high levels of comfort
and a number of convenience features that make for
enjoyable and practical everyday motoring. These
benefits range from superb interior climate and air
quality control to an excellent load-carrying
capability and innovative design features to make the
driving experience more pleasant.
Advanced climate
control
The ‘dual zone’ automatic climate control
system (ACC) separates the driving position from the
combined front and rear passenger area, allowing
different temperatures to be selected
No less than seven vents are provided in the cabin,
three for the driver, two for the front passenger and
two for rear passengers in the back of the centre
console. For optimised defroster/demister control there
are two outlets on each side of the fascia , one
directed to the middle and the other to the lower part
of the windscreen. Four dedicated demister vents are
also provided on the fascia and in the B-pillars, one
immediately ahead of each side window.
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) were used to
optimise the system’s performance, including the
analysis of the complex motion of gases, lubricants and
coolants inside the engine, as well the prediction of
aerodynamic flow patterns and pressure gradients over
internal surfaces.
“The simulation program is so complex that we have 1.2
million computational cells for the passenger cabin
alone,” says Anders M. Knutson, project manager of new
car climate control systems at Saab. “Each
three-dimensional cell has to keep track of its own
temperature, pressure, air flow speed and direction, as
well as how it all influences each neighbouring cell.
We have to model every piece of interior trim
mathematically for its shape and its thermal
properties.”
Readings from five separate sensors are used to
optimise temperature, air distribution, air
recirculation and fan speed settings. These provide the
ambient outside air temperature, interior cabin roof
temperature and left and right zone temperatures, also
closing the control loop by checking that the system
has obeyed its instructions and produced the desired
effect.
A sensor on top of the fascia measures the sun’s
position and the intensity of the sunlight entering the
cabin. Using a Saab-patented algorithm, a processor
then calculates how much left/right or upper/lower
compensation is needed by the air distribution system
to provide the selected cabin temperature balance. The
air conditioning compressor can then vary the quantity
of refrigerant it pumps through the system in order to
achieve the temperature reduction required, using less
energy than a fixed capacity unit.
Green-tinted heat-absorbent glass is standard. It
prevents about 50 per cent of the sun’s thermal
radiation entering the cabin, reducing the energy
required to drive the air conditioning system.
Double
air filtration
Saab cars have been fitted as standard
with a cabin air filter since 1990 and the 9-5 uses a
combined electrostatically-charged and carbon filter
which removes airborne particles as small as 4 microns
(0.004 mm) in size. It collects dust, soot and pollen,
as well as small droplets of oil which can contribute
to that greasy haze that often forms on the inside of
car windows.
The carbon filter element removes chemicals such as
hydrocarbons (benzene, butane, etc.), nitrogen oxides,
sulphur dioxide, ammonia, formaldehyde, acrolein and
ozone, and as well as odours.
Generous storage
The on-board stowage of oddments has
received particular attention. In total, there are 9
storage locations inside the cabin. Conventional
pockets in the lower trim panels of the front doors are
supplemented by stowage pouches on the front edge of
both front seats, map pockets in the front seat backs
and cubby holes in both the front and rear center
armrests.
The generously-sized glove box is linked to the air
conditioning to provide a cool box at around the
temperature of a domestic fridge (6°C.). Ideal for
stowing chocolate or a cold drink!
Four cup-holders are provided. One is elegantly
designed to fold out from a slot in the instrument
panel adjacent to the driver, cleverly twisting to form
a horizontal support ring. Another can be deployed in
the centre console, while two more are under the padded
lid of the folding rear center armrest.
Adaptable
load-carrying
Versatility has always been part of the
multi-dynamic appeal of the Saab brand and both the 9-5
sedan and, of course, the wagon offer considerable
scope for carrying loads.
In the sedan, either or both sections of the 60/40
split-fold rear seat-back can be folded down so the
trunk can accept objects up to 1655 mm long. To
facilitate this process, the adjustable rear head
restraints can be folded flat on their mountings. There
is also a ski hatch behind the folding center armrest.
The wagon offers extremely adaptable load-carrying
configurations that are easy and safe to use. Attention
to detail is characterised by the design of the
tailgate. Careful counter-balancing makes it very
light, almost ‘weightless’, to raise and lower. It also
opens extremely high, arcing up through 91*, to 1865 mm
in height, allowing tall people to stand under it
without banging their heads. The gas struts are
integrated into the hinges, helping to keep the loading
area as clear and uncluttered as possible.
The cargo area is easy to adapt to different needs. For
normal loads, the flat rear floor, without any awkward
corners, offers generous space. To extend the load
area, the 60/40 split rear seat squabs and backrests
can be folded as desired – it is not necessary to
remove the rear head restraints - in order to produce a
completely flat load bed without any upward slope
towards the front.
Whilst load-carrying should be easy and convenient, it
must also be safe. And here the wagon features Saab’s
innovative Cargo Tracks, an example of technology
crossover from the aircraft industry. The two
floor-mounted aluminium rails extend longitudinally
down either side of the load area (in aircraft they are
used to position and secure seats or cargo) and provide
the best load-securing system on the market in terms of
safety, flexibility and user-friendliness.
Four spring-loaded attachments snap into the tracks and
can easily be moved to any desired position. Fitting
two either side offers a strong foundation for securing
cargo in conjunction with the load straps or an elastic
net, provided as accessories. Tests have shown that the
tracks are so strong, the entire car can be suspended
in mid-air from just one of them! When the Cargo Tracks
aren’t in use, two plastic strips cover them up.
Strong
sliding floor
The sliding floor is a useful accessory
for the wagon. As well as making the process of loading
and unloading less strenuous, it can also double as a
bench for sitting on under the shelter of the tailgate.
That is why it is the strongest on the market, able to
carry the weight of two people (max.load 200 kg).
When not in use, the sliding floor is invisible and
leaves the rear floor completely flat and easy to load.
It is deployed by simply pulling the usual floor
release handle. The floor pulls out easily on rollers
and can be extended by almost half a meter, locking out
automatically. In this way, it is easy to load heavy
items at a convenient height without having to lean
forward into the cargo area. Two people can stand
either side of the rolled out floor when loading.
Pushing the sliding floor back in is equally easy. The
lock mechanism is released by pulling the handle, which
allows the floor to roll back without effort. The Cargo
Tracks make it particularly simple to stow and carry
cargo without any risk of the load shifting. When
accommodating a heavy load, the sliding floor cannot be
lowered into the rear floor (otherwise the sliding
floor and the weight of the cargo would have to be
lifted for unloading). The lock mechanism still makes
sure that the floor is safely in place during transit.
Double
sunvisors
The double front sun visors are a unique
feature to reduce the risk of being dazzled by sun
glare. The first hinged flap in front of the driver or
front passenger can be unclipped and swivelled to
shield the upper side window, while a second hinged
flap can then be lowered to cover the top of the
windscreen. This adds to primary safety and makes
driving into a low sun, particularly on a winding road,
much less distracting. While the surface of the outer
visor matches the headlining when folded, its reverse
side and both sides of the second visor are black to
further reduce the anti-glare effects.
Enhanced Saab
‘Night Panel’
Saab introduced an innovative new concept
in instrument displays when ‘Black Panel’ was launched
on the Saab 900 in 1993, allowing the driver to turn
off all supplementary information illumination at
night, except for the speedometer. Any additional
information important to the operation of the vehicle,
such as very high engine revs or a low fuel level,
appeared on a ‘need to know’ basis.
An enhanced version of this system, known as the Saab
‘Night Panel’ is a new feature for the Saab 9-5 and
allows dimming of the instrument illumination, as well
as blacking out.
Ventilated seats
The 9-5 was the first car to offer the
comfort of ventilated front seats. This feature ensures
that cooling air is circulated between the occupant’s
body and the surface of the seat he or she is sitting
on, a function even the most powerful air conditioning
systems cannot achieve. Two small electric fans, one in
the seat squab and another in the backrest, draw air
through small perforations in the leather trim,
expelling it under the seat. Three-speed, thumbwheel
controls are each located adjacent to those for the
heated seats.
Compressed
speedometer scale
The high speed sector of the speedometer
(above 140 km/h) uses a compressed scale that is also
switched off when the Night Panel function is
activated. Compressing the scale in this way allows
extra space for the sector of the dial which is read
more frequently, increasing the accuracy with which the
driver can determine the speed of the car.
Anti-theft security
The Saab 9-5 was the first car to pass the
Swedish Theft Protection Agency’s two-minute ‘attack’
and its state-of-the-art security systems are extremely
effective in preventing theft of and from the car.
The key can only be removed from its lock in the centre
console after reverse gear with manual transmissions,
or ‘park’ with an automatic transmission, has been
selected. This effectively clamps the front wheels to
prevent towing away.
At the same time the engine is immobilised
electronically to prevent it being started illegally.
When the key is inserted into the lock on the centre
console, the control unit in the security system must
recognise the individual digital key code before it
clears the immobiliser logic in the engine management
system and allows the engine to start.
Dead bolts in the doors, isolating the interior and
exterior handles, are fitted as standard. To prevent
tampering, all lock mechanisms are also encapsulated
and sleeved cables, instead of rods, are used to
connect the handles with the locks and latches, making
it virtually impossible to interfere with the locking
systems from outside. Lock cylinders are ‘freewheeling’
and designed to break away if forced, further improving
security.
The alarm system includes a glass break sensor, sensors
for the door, hood and trunk lid and a tilt sensor
which is triggered if either end of the car is hoisted
on to a towing attachment. To deter any attempt to
disconnect the siren, it is automatically activated if
the connection between the siren and the ECU is
interrupted.