Lesson One: Be careful when you drive through the woods at dusk

Yesterday I decided to take a drive at dusk. I was going around 100 km/h on a winding road through the woods. Then suddenly: BAM! And there was a crack in the grille...

I thought the barbecue season was over, but a big bird obviously disagreed and decided to end it's life on my grill(e).

The remains of the bird:

Now I'm just happy I hit a bird and not a 500 kg moose!

Tomorrow I will call ANA Begagnade delar, the brilliant Saab company which sells almost new parts taken from crashed cars and Saab test cars.


About crashing with a 500 kg heavy and two meter tall moose. Did you know that Saab and Volvo are possibly the only car manufacturers who actually do crash tests against moose? Another reason for sticking to Saab.

Saab 9-5 in the dark

On Carl-Henrik's request, here are some pictures of the exterior lighting.

Some more pictures, incl of the Ambient interior lighting, will follow.

Which wheels to choose?

18" carve

 

19" edge

19" turbine 

19" black turbine

 

Update: 

 19" Black edge

Pictures of my new Saab 9-5

Here's some pictures of my new Saab 9-5. Enjoy.

Pilot Head-Up display

Signature lights

Bedtime reading to get to know the Saab 9-5

I got a couple of new books for some bedtime reading for the next.... eeeh.... month?

 

This car is packed with technology and I have no idea how to take advantage of it all. So now I need to read up on my new car! For instance, in theory I can control the audio and navigation system by voice commands. But how does it work? And what commands does the car want to hear?

After several minutes talking to my car (I hope nobody heard me :), I was disappointed to learn that voice commands don't work in my native language, i.e. Norwegian, so now I need to speak Swedish or English to my car. And my stupid Norwegian accent is no good!

Here's a transcript of the conversation I just had with my car:

Me: "Destination"
Car: "Navigation".
Me: "No! DESTINATION"
Car: "Navigation" 
Me: Grrrrr!

Well, I guess getting mad at a car is kinda stupid. And on the positive side: The car's female voice was crystal clear and the she did sound very charming. I guess I'm falling in love with my car! ;)

Finally here's my new Saab 9-5!

I picked it up this afternoon. What a thrill! Here's the very first pictures. I'm sending this from my phone so more will follow later. Now I'm gonna do some more driving! :D

Today is the day!

Today I will get my new car!
But what exactly am I getting? Or what am I supposed to get?


This is what I ordered:


2011 Saab 9-5 Sedan Vector
Engine: 2.0 TiD 118kw/350Nm, 6-speed manual transmission, FWD
Color: Oak metallic with parchment interior


Standard features:
Sports chassis
17 inch 5-spoke Blade (will upgrade to 18 or 19 inch soon!)
Integrated front foglights
Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
Cornering Brake Control (CBC)
Electronic Brake-Force Distribution (EBD)
Electronic Stability Programme (ESP®)
Emergency Brake Assist (EBA)
Traction Control System (TCS)
Ventilated brake discs
12 V Power outlets, cabin
Adjustable front armrest
Ambient lighting
Attitude indicator
Brushed metal decor trim
Carpet floor mats
Cooled glove box
Cup holders, front and rear
Electrical parking brake
Electronic climate control (dual zone)
Heated front seats
Illuminated vanity mirrors
Keyless start
Leather steering wheel
Leather/textile comfort upholstery, Parchment. / Cabin: Jet Black/Parchment
Manual passenger's seat /electrically adjustable
Night Panel
On Board computer
Reading lights front and rear
Rear centre armrest
Steering wheel adjustable for reach and rake
Audio steering wheel controls
USB connection
12-volt connector, luggage compartment
60/40 Split-fold rear seat with ski hatch
Cruise control
Electrically adjustable and heated exterior mirrors
Heat absorbing window glass
Hill Start Assist
Parking assist (front and rear)
Remote power door locks
Tyre repair kit
Front airbags
Front seat side airbags
Passanger airbag deactivation
Roll-over sensing system
Saab Active Head Restraints (SAHR 3)
Seat belt pretensioners/load-limiters
Seatbelt reminder, front and rear seat
Side curtain airbags
Three-point rear seatbelts, all seats
Ultrasonic alarm & immobiliser


Packages:
Vector active package (includes Bi-xenon SmartBeam, electric folding mirrors, auto dimming exterior and interior mirrors, rain censor, U-rail CargoTrack)
Pilot package (includes keyless entry, pilot head-up display, traffic sign recognition)


Audi and communication:
harman/kardon® Surround lydsystem
Saab Infotainment Navigation


Comfort:
Dark tinted side and rear windows


But a picture is of course worth a thousand words:

 

Getting prepared

Tomorrow I will pick up my brand new Saab 9-5. Thankfully the dealer is taking care of most of the paperworks and he will get the car registered and get the number plates. What I need to do today is getting the car insured and transfer the agreed purchase price to the seller. Since this is Norway, the purchase price is equal to something like a year's salary (before tax) or a small house! 


The car prices in Norway are crazy. We pay 25 per cent VAT, but in addition to that, we also pay a special car tax when the car is registered for the first time. This special tax is calculated on the basis of co2 emission, engine kW and the curb weight of the car. This adds € 22 000 to the price!


Here's a comparison of the price of the Saab 9-5 Sedan Vector 2.0TiD in selected European countries (taken from the build your car feature at Saab online):


Norway: € 63 093
Sweden: € 37 321
Germany: € 38 400
The Netherlands: € 47 000
UK: € 32 786

I live just a few kilometers from the Swedish border so maybe I should move there? I would save a considerable amount when buying the car or I could go for the top of the line Aero instead! Maybe some day...

While we're waiting for the Saab 9-5

Alright, so while we are waiting for the new Saab 9-5 to arrive at my door, why don't we do a musical recap?


Remember the great TV advert for Saab BioPower from a few years back? There was a female singer who sang the song "Release Me". Or to be exact, the singer was female but she was part of a band.


"Release Me" by Oh Laura





After the success with Release Me, Saab used yet another female singer in their next commercial.


"Through Your Eyes" by Nina Kinert



Let's fast forward to 2009. This time it was Swedish singer Asha Ali who provided the Scandinavian musical touch to the advertisement.


"Time Is Now" by Asha Ali





Ok, let's wrap up this Saab musical recap with an introduction of the new Saab 9-5. This time the singer of the commercial song was Sydney Wayser.


"Time for take-off" by Sydney Wayser.

My blog about life with the new Saab 9-5

This is my first entry into blogging. But it will be my third entry into a Saab. My previous two Saabs have been pre-owned cars. Now I'm looking forward to getting into an all new Saab 9-5. My very own Saab. Manufactured and assembled just for me! But delivery won't happen until Tuesday, so first let me tell you a little about my previous two Saabs.


In 2001 I got a job where I had to commute 80 km five days a week. Snow, ice, sleet and rain could make my commute dangerous at times. I soon found out that I wanted to replace my 1991 Mazda 626 with a car that was safer. I narrowed my search down to three cars: Volvo S40, Audi A4 and Saab 9-3. My friend told me that I should avoid the Volvo ("since it was just a Mitsubishi in disguise") and the Audi ("because the quality was so-so"). An August afternoon I went to test drive a 1999 Saab 9-3 two litre turbo with 154hp. It was a thrill! This particular afternoon the rain was drizzling and when I gave the car a little throttle the car spun like crazy. For the first time in my life driving became more than going from one place to another. Suddenly driving was fun. The next year I spent some money to upgrade the car with an Aero trunk spoiler, Aero 17 inch rims and Viggen front spoiler, rear lower spoiler and side skirts.

In the fall of 2002, Saab introduced the Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan. I thought it looked great. But I was still in love with my first Saab. Then in the winter of 2003 I came across a nice looking Saab 9-3 for sale at an online market place. But the pirce was a bit high. A couple of months later the car was still for sale, but now the price was much more appealing! And in January I became the proud owner of a Saab 9-3 Vector 1.8t. The exterior color of the car was called Dolphine grey, and soon I just called my car Dolphie. During the winter I upgraded the car with an original performance spoiler kit by Saab and new Aero rims. And when spring arrived, Hirsch did a little magic on Dolphie.

Me and Dolphie went to Sweden lots of times. We even drove to Trollhättan, the home of Saab. Every time we drove down there I'd pet Dolphie on the dashboard and tell him that I loved him and that he was back home at his birthplace.


I loved my Dolphie because he looked extremely sharp. He had a great engine, great driving characteristics and he was truly unique. And I knew that if I was unfortunate and got involved in a crash, he would guard me with he’s own life and he would do it better than any other car on the market. My little Dolphie had a heart and a soul!


But in June this year it was time to say goodbye. I had decided to replace Dolphie with a new Saab 9-5. In July I finally got to test drive the new car and I placed an order. Now it's been two months of impatient waiting. To quote Tom Petty: "The waiting is the hardest part".