Used 2011 Saab 9-5 Consumer Reviews
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We have a limited number of reviews for the 2011 9-5, so we've included reviews for other years of the 9-5 since its last redesign.
A Great Car for a Decent Price
curt51, 05/05/2011
2011 Saab 9-5 Aero 4dr Sedan AWD (2.8L 6cyl Turbo 6A)
30 of 30 people found this review helpful
First, I must admit that I'm a Saabophile who is now on his eighth Saab. I've owned a Saab since 1988. By far this is the best Saab since my 1984 900 Turbo. The car is very quiet and comfortable. Plus, the amenities abound and make this a good bargain for the price. I love the exterior looks of the vehicle and I've gotten a number of compliments from complete strangers.
Great Car from an New Company
gbytes, 12/14/2010
2011 Saab 9-5 Aero 4dr Sedan AWD (2.8L 6cyl Turbo 6A)
34 of 35 people found this review helpful
I received my 2011 9-5 Laser Red Aero today. It is visually different from anything on the road and IMHO signals the beginning of a new era for Saab. I have been fortunate to own several high end Audi, BMW, and Mercedes automobiles. When shopping for a car this time I wanted something different from those (excellent) German vehicles. The 2011 9-5 is beautifully made and a very tasteful exercise in restraint. Having recently traded in my A8L it is nice to have a break from chrome and wood. The 9-5 feels very secure on the road and the 2.8L provides more than adequate performance. The pot holed B roads in New England do not break the cars composure even with the optional 19" wheels.
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4 years of worry free driving
Dave, 05/19/2016
2011 Saab 9-5 Aero 4dr Sedan AWD (2.8L 6cyl Turbo 6A)
15 of 15 people found this review helpful
Bought my 2011 9-5 Aero over 4 years ago and have enjoyed it very much. This is not my daily driver, that is a 2010 Saab 9-3 sport-combi manual (yes manual) wagon. Both of these have been flawless. I bought the 9-5 Aero new for $33,000 with an extended warranty that was never used. The only expense was a $65 sensor, which was readily available from GM. I use this car primarily for road trips and do enjoy driving it. I like the aggressive stance, and enjoy the comfort of the car. I figure if I sold it now for even 15k it would still have cost me less than many other cars in terms of depreciation. Not for everyone, but I like that I don't have to turn a knob or click an icon to change a radio station. My wife's Audi is a pain to operate. The Saab is simple to operate, maybe primitive in today's world, but perfectly fine for me.
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Beautiful and Unique
bradmad, 04/15/2011
2011 Saab 9-5 Turbo4 Premium 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
13 of 13 people found this review helpful
I have had this car now for 3 weeks and so far it has been a pleasure to drive. I haven't see any others on the road, so it's nice to drive something unique. Handling is responsive, power is adequate and the interior is both comfortable and stylish. Gas mileage is better than rated as well. I'm averaging about 21 in town and have gotten 31 on a recent highway trip of about 100 miles.
Big Sporty European Cruiser
sambub, 03/12/2012
2011 Saab 9-5 Turbo4 Premium 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
12 of 12 people found this review helpful
My black 9-5 with the Turbo4 premium 18" wheels is just beautiful. Much better looking than the A6 or the new 5 series. And, unlike the A6, 9-5 can be had with a 6 speed manual. It's a big, rock-solid car with lots of sport: firm suspension, good steering. It drives much smaller than it is. On the highway the car is buttoned down and whisper quiet. Saab offers a factory authorized power upgrade that brings torque to 300 ft/lbs. Also, car has tons of tech in cabin and engine has the fancy upgrades: direct injection and twin scroll turbo, so 33 mpg HWY so far. Needless to say I am extremely happy!
My 3rd Saab
Broderick M., 08/27/2019
2011 Saab 9-5 Turbo4 Premium 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
11 of 11 people found this review helpful
Previously owned a 9-5 3.0 6 cyl. and a 2.3t 4 cyl. Loved driving both, appreciated the Saab quirks, but thought I would never own another after the bankruptcy. Found a 2011 Turbo 4 BioPower with 110k for less than $6k and took a chance. Lovely car -sleek, athletic profile. Have driven approx. 2k miles. No complaints thus far. Planning a long trip using E85 to test the purported increase in horsepower.
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Remarkable Car
rak3, 12/25/2010
2010 Saab 9-5 Aero 4dr Sedan AWD (2.8L 6cyl Turbo 6A)
10 of 10 people found this review helpful
I picked up my 2010 Aero this week, having shopped against the BMW 535 and the A6 Quattro. It really drives well, with mgreat usable power and roadholding. It is not only better equipped than teh competition, but also larger and and MUCH less expensivey moves quickly and holds the road incredibly well. It is larger inside, totally loaded and MUCH less expensive than the competition.
Great Car, do not forget the spare tire
Marcos, 10/29/2010
2010 Saab 9-5 Aero 4dr Sedan AWD (2.8L 6cyl Turbo 6A)
9 of 9 people found this review helpful
So far so great. My third 95. Make sure you negotiate the spare tire before you purchase the car. I forgot to do so and now my dealer is trying to nail me for almost $600.00 for something that is not worth more than $250.00. Otherwise, much more impressive than earlier models.
Best in it's class
belarus777, 05/25/2011
2010 Saab 9-5 Aero 4dr Sedan AWD (2.8L 6cyl Turbo 6A)
6 of 6 people found this review helpful
Im driving it for 3 weeks and i just love this car. So much softer than bmw series. Acelerates so smooth and fast. Very good change SAAB! Congrats!
Fantastic unicorn
Peter, 05/28/2018
updated 06/01/2021
2011 Saab 9-5 Turbo4 Premium 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
If considering this car, it may be one of the best cars Saab produced in its last 30 years. Few were produced and fewer still were exported to the US. It’s not for everyone, there are very limited parts, no dealers left, and certain features only a true Saab-phile will appreciate. Probably not a car for a first time Saab owner, but a GREAT one for a Saab devotee.
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Best in Class except for Spare Tire Kit
eyedeals, 01/02/2012
2010 Saab 9-5 Aero 4dr Sedan AWD (2.8L 6cyl Turbo 6A)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
I've been driving Saab's sin 1985,my first being an SPG Aero. To me, Saab's have always been extremely under-rated except by those that drive them. More room, more power, more reliability, more amenities than anything in or around it's class for less. The 2010 9-5 Aero is by far the best Saab I've owned.
Saab 9-5
Michael, 02/06/2018
2010 Saab 9-5 Aero 4dr Sedan AWD (2.8L 6cyl Turbo 6A)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
Very reliable car, gas mileage could be better.
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3 year birthday
Dave, 10/26/2015
2011 Saab 9-5 Aero 4dr Sedan AWD (2.8L 6cyl Turbo 6A)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
3 years and 30000 flawless miles in my 9-5 Aero. No issues at all. Big fast and solid. Hate they went out of business, happy I bought this one. Of course for 40% off list price.
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'11 Saab 9-5 2.0T Premium 6-speed MT
9-5NG & 9-3 owner, 03/28/2023
updated 03/28/2025
2011 Saab 9-5 Turbo4 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
PROS: Fun to drive, very good 6-speed manual transmission with better acceleration and fuel economy than the automatic, firm very comfortable seats, expansive rear seat legroom, durable high quality leather seating surfaces, standard panoramic sunroof and parking assist, excellent handling and short breaking distances, huge trunk, very quiet, most mechanical parts are shared with the 2010-2012 Buick LaCrosse and are less expensive than Audi, BMW, or Mercedes-Benz parts, parchment beige interior feels light and airy. CONS: Body parts which are unique to the Saab 9-5 can be hard to come by and pricey, panoramic sunroof drain channels require annual cleaning, GM heated seats tend to fail, rear light bar may become inoperable - especially on vehicles that aren't garaged, rear tail lamps may overheat and fail - parts are very difficult to find, Saab part numbers may or may not match other GM part numbers, unlike 1st gen 9-5s, simulated walnut was substituted for real walnut.
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2011 saab 9 5 aero
Arthur Straus, 12/19/2022
2011 Saab 9-5 Aero 4dr Sedan AWD (2.8L 6cyl Turbo 6A)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
I am the original owner of 2011 9 5. I have had many saabs both 9 5's and 9 3's but this is my favorite model. However, the car is extremely expensive to maintain. In the last three years, I have spent over $30k on regular maintenance and repairs.
They just don't make 'em like this anymore
Bob Martin, 01/16/2023
updated 07/17/2023
2011 Saab 9-5 Turbo6 4dr Sedan AWD (2.8L 6cyl Turbo 6A)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
this is the finest and best-engineered car that I have owned in my long life. Automobiles at this level of sophistication cannot be adequately evaluated in terms of specs. You either feel the difference or you don't. This is a 5,000-pound car that offers an instantaneous response. I enjoy the driving experience, respect its engineering, and mourn the demise of the company. If you have the guts to own a car where service requires a little ingenuity, You are in for a treat
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just bought new SAAB 9-5 with 1,600 mile on it
amigabuzz, 01/30/2011
2011 Saab 9-5 Turbo4 Premium 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
3 of 4 people found this review helpful
Started looking at the 9-3s which are similar to our Lexus IS250.. note we have 2 small children and the lexus IS 250 is void of a back seat. 9-3 has fairly roomy back seat, but curious jumped in a 9-5 and wow huge. So tests drove 4 models the 2 aeros with the six cyl and 2 4cyl different dealers and some negotiations now own a 9-5 4cyl. Wow its easy to get the 100mph (waite no police read these - they get company cars) and not know it. Only gripe is the lack of DVD options for the back seat..have to go second party and the coin bin needs better fit, but hey the bin is a below my knees who looks down there.
Saab Story
vmfan76, 11/24/2015
updated 06/02/2022
2011 Saab 9-5 Turbo4 Premium 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
13 of 29 people found this review helpful
Updated 6/1/2022: Purchased this vehicle in December 2012 w/4K miles on it. Due to its unicorn heritage albeit sharing GM/Buick La Crosse parts, it did have several things I would rather not have tried to support with a GM dealer/3rd party, one being the Infotainment. I'm glad I opted in, first and last time, for the extended warranty (Fidelity). The Infotainment would repeatedly pretend it just landed in the US and all settings would either erase or default to Washington DC (we were in WI). Two memory seat settings are supposed to obey their respective key fabs anticipating each driver would want the seat and mirrors in their position after the door was open. This is reliably unreliable. It's annoying but considering I drive this vehicle once every blue moon, ignorable. The windshield picked up a golfball-sized rock chip. Typical windshields are 200-500 replaced. This one is closer to 2000 and backordered thanks to the reflective region over the HUD. C'est la vie. The repaired chip is conveniently positioned behind the mirror so you really don't notice it. Car still fetches gazes from standers by at the gas station. Transmission, six speed Lexus auto, has intermittent pauses at inopportune times such as rolling through a left hand turn (probably in second or third) and if hurried to shift down with throttle due to an ambitious opponent, plan ahead, it'll take a solid second for the shift to occur and power to be restored. It almost feels like a stall. Quite alarming the first dozen times but no errors and hasn't deteriorated. Just live with it. Sunroof shade must have skipped a gear (pano rollup) at one point because it took some coaxing to close nearly 100% and now we simply do not open. To access that roller, you must remove carpet, seatbelts, A B and C pillar covers, headliner. None of that will go back on correctly so, you guessed it, we live with it. All in all, while that's a list, the car has been reliable, enjoyable (for her), HVAC acts new, and it feels safe. It's heavy. The lights are bright, the stereo is sublime, and I do miss the green dash and Saaby features. We paid 30K for a 56K MSRP vehicle. With 100K miles, I'd say this is worth a solid 12-15K in today's market.
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Change this seat
euro53, 01/24/2011
2011 Saab 9-5 Turbo4 Premium 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
6 of 32 people found this review helpful
I've been waiting 10 years for this car. I drove 3 premiums and 2 Aeros. I've been Saab owner of 4 cars since 1982. I love them especially for the best seat ever in any automobile.GM managed to stick this car with a Buick Lacrosse seat. There was no comfortable position to get the lumbar out of my back. I've spent 2 hours total in this car. The fan and instrument controls are tiny, and could be hard to see while driving.Rear view is not good.Trunk opening ala GM, huge lip in back, hard to put in bags. The 2 liter 4 cylinder is quick enough, and should save gas, while the Aero AWD seems heavy. If they fix the seat, I would buy one Dealer said TOO BAD, as I stuck the check back in my pocket.