Spy Shots: Saab 9-4x mule spotted in the wild
Just days after we got word that Saab is working on a new crossover with Cadillac, what appears to be a development mule has turned up. The mule carries the bodywork of a Trailblazer from the firewall back and a Saab 9-7x at the front. Closer inspection of the photos reveals details that this machine is not a GMT360. The front wheel wells have been cut to accommodate a slightly shorter wheelbase. The lower rear view shows an independent suspension at the back. The new CUVs will apparently use a combination of Epsilon II (Vectra) and Theta (Saturn Vue) hardware. We should have a better idea of what the new Saab will look like in January at the Detroit Auto Show, where it's expected to be shown in concept form.
[Source: WorldCarFans]
Get a WordPress.com Blog
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Alec 3:49PM (9/23/2007)
Why would it have different front and rear fascias?
Reply
paul 3:52PM (9/23/2007)
to confuse the cops so when they pull you over for speeding they dont know what to write on the ticket
ugg.tryptophan 6:39PM (9/23/2007)
trailblazer!
Reply
Jeff 6:28PM (9/23/2007)
O.o Autoblog just got word of the 9-4x a few days ago? I thought they were updating the story. The 9-4x has been a known future product for Saab for like a year now.
Reply
John Kimball 6:32PM (9/23/2007)
I thought the 9-7x was based on the trailblazer...
Somethings not adding up here, wouldn't they re-do the trailblazer by 2010? Looks to me like someone spent their summer fusing the front of one car onto another as a project.
Reply
Sam Abuelsamid 6:45PM (9/23/2007)
The 9-7x is indeed based on the Trailblazer and the 9-7x prototypes were trailblazers with Saab front ends. The plans to update the GMT360 were canceled some time ago. The current model will eventually be supplanted by the Lambda CUVs. This vehicle is a different machine though, with a shorter wheelbase and IRS.
Ed Kapuscinski 6:54PM (9/23/2007)
Just another nail in Saab's coffin.
Reply
Larry 9:27PM (9/23/2007)
Yet another hideously ugly, misshapen Slaab! (SLOB?)
Reply
AMcA 9:38PM (9/23/2007)
Boy, this thing's going to be bigger than I thought.
I had expected maybe a few shades larger than a Vue. Looks like it's maybe one shade smaller than a Blazer.
Reply
PJ 10:38PM (9/23/2007)
Sigh... does anyone do anything but look at the pictures here?
This is a development mule. A platform and powertrain for an upcoming vehicle, covered with off-the-shelf bodywork, so engineering teams can test running gear before the styling and interior are finalized. Hence the short wheelbase, unusual ride height, and dual exhausts.
Standard industry practice.
Reply
SPG 12:34AM (9/24/2007)
I hate the 9-7x so very much.
So much I can't really sum it up.
However, I think that the 9-4x will be a bit better. Still another vehicle that should never be made though.
Reply
Jeff 2:17AM (9/24/2007)
Yes, I'd much rather Saab never ever branch out and make different types of vehicles also, because I really really want GM to kill the marque for costing them hilarious amounts of money!!!
/sarcasm
You can say you hate the 9-7x all you want, but it's the best of the GMT360 vehicles by a long shot, and the 9-4x will be much better, as it was built from the ground up to be a Saab.
AMcA 12:46AM (9/24/2007)
I was just wondering here: how do you hang the body of a body on frame car on the mechanicals of a unibody?
Seems to me there must be some serious incompatability there.
Wouldn't it have been easier to use, say, a Malibu Maxx?
Reply
Mitesh 7:15PM (9/26/2007)
Mattel apologizes to China for the lead paint.
http://tinyurl.com/2ynqaw
Reply