2007 Saab 9-7X news, pictures, and information

SAAB 9-7X IS A PREMIUM, SPORTY MIDSIZE SUV

The 9-7X's design conveys the sporty refinement of a Saab rather than the ruggedness of a traditional SÚV.

The exterior reflects Saab's sporty, functional character. Key features, such as Saab's signature three-port grille, rear quarter windows that visually appear to wrap around the D-pillars and brand-distinctive wheels, telegraph the 9-7X's heritage even from a distance. Overall, it presents a smooth, aerodynamic, sporty appearance, wîth an excellent body-to-tire relationship derived from the vehicle's low stance and standard 18-inch alloy wheels. The 9-7X's profile is clean and uninterrupted, without any big bumper offsets, body-side moldings or protruding shapes and forms.

The Saab 9-7X's cockpit-inspired interior is highly refined and driver-oriented. The center stack and controls are angled toward the driver. Like the exterior, it features Saab-traditional strong, brand-distinctive design elements and cues, including the distinctive sliding-plate air vents, the famed cupholder found in the Saab 9-5, and the trademark center console ignition key.

Performance: sporty and focused on the driver

Like all Saabs, the 9-7X is designed to be a driver's vehicle, wîth a comfortable, well-controlled ride and responsive handling, as well as a low ride height wîth firm front and rear suspensions, a thick front stabilizer bar and stiff upper control arm bushings at the rear.

Shock absorbers have been tuned to help provide firm body control for confident handling. The P255/55R18 high-performance all-season tires were specially developed by Dunlop for their road-gripping capability. A quick 18.5:1 §teering gear ratio, together wîth stiff mounts, help provide §teering responsiveness and precision. The §teering gear is tuned for on-center feel and smooth operation. The front part of the frame is stiffened to help increase §teering responsiveness and precision.

The Saab 9-7X features standard automatic all-wheel drive. Brakes are large, 4-wheel vented discs wîth front aluminum dual piston calipers and four-wheel ABS. The two all-aluminum engines are mated wîth a standard electronically controlled four-speed automatic transmission. (posted on conceptcarz.com) The 4.2L inline 6-cylinder, named one of the '10 Best Engines' by Ward's AutoWorld Magazine for four consecutive years and upgraded for 2006, delivers 290 horsepower (217 kW), up from 275 horsepower (205 kW), and 277 lb.-ft. (375 Nm) of torque. The 5.3L V-8 engine delivers 302 horsepower (224 kW) and 330 lb.-ft. (447 Nm) of torque.

The vehicle features dual-stage frontal air bags; Passenger Sensing System (PSS); rollover sensing system; head curtain side air bags; front seat belt pretensioners wîth load limiters and a front seat belt buckle-up reminder.

The 9-7X's Active Fuel Management system enables fuel economy gains of up to 5 percent in certain driving conditions by reducing the number of cylinders engaged in the combustion process. A sophisticated engine controller determines when to deactivate cylinders, allowing the engine to maintain vehicle speed in conditions such as highway cruising. When the cylinders are deactivated, the engine effectively operates as a four cylinder, wîth every other cylinder in the firing order disabled. The engine seamlessly returns to V-8 mode the instant the controller determines that vehicle speed or load requires additional power.

Standard StabiliTrak assists the vehicle in maintaining the driver's intended path by applying a brake force at any corner of the vehicle independent of the driver's use of the brake pedal.

StabiliTrak uses an accelerator pedal position sensor, a brake master cylinder pressure sensor and a §teering wheel angle sensor as inputs to interpret the driver's desired path and whether to accelerate or decelerate the vehicle. StabiliTrak also uses these sensors plus a lateral accelerometer and yaw rate sensor to determine the vehicle's actual path.

If the difference between the driver's desired path and the vehicle's actual path becomes great enough, StabiliTrak takes appropriate action to assist the driver wîth maintaining the desired path. If the vehicle begins to 'plow,' or understeer, StabiliTrak applies the inside rear brake to help turn the vehicle. If the vehicle begins to 'fishtail,' or oversteer, StabiliTrak applies the outside front brake to straighten the vehicle. StabiliTrak is integrated wîth the traction control and ABS systems.

Versatile entertainment

With a wheelbase of 2,870 mm ( 113 inches ) and length of 4,908 mm ( 193.2 inches ), the vehicle offers ample room for friends and family. It holds up to 1,127 liters ( 39.8 cubic feet ) of cargo space wîth the rear seatback up and 2,268 liters ( 80.1 cubic feet ) wîth the seatback folded down. A split rear seat is standard in all 9-7X models, as is a trailer hitch receiver and hitch receiver cover: Maximum towing capacity equipped wîth the V-8 engine is 2,948 kg ( 6,500 lb ).

The 9-7X also has standard XM Satellite Radio (continental Ú.S. only), featuring more than 170 coast-to-coast, digital-quality channels of original commercial-free music and premier news, sports and talk as well as advanced traffic and weather information for select major metropolitan areas nationwide. Consumers can subscribe to the basic service for $12.99 a month.