Christian Wardlaw’s Opinion of the 2006 Saab 9-5’s Quality:
Check out the most recent autos edition of Consumer Reports and you’ll find that Saabs aren’t known for reliability and durability. Compound this lack of a recommendation from the bible of dependability with the numerous cheap looking and feeling parts inside the 9-5, and it’s easy to see another reason why this car has never sold in big numbers. On the plus side, the seat leather, the headliner, and the dashboard are all constructed of quality materials. The surrounds for the stereo, the climate control, the vents, and the door grips have a rubbery texture applied to them to reduce gloss and add refinement. The door handles are real metal, and even the silver plastic dash bezel is convincing enough. And check out that leather covering the hand brake. But the devil is in the details. The leather wrapping the steering wheel feels dry and thin, many switches and buttons feel cheap, the stalks make a rubbery snapping sound when used, and several bits and pieces exhibit too much gloss. I didn’t perform a detailed examination of build quality, but when you drive over rough pavement, the interior is filled with several creaks, rattles, and other aural annoyances, which doesn’t bode well over time.

Mandy Ison’s Opinion of the 2006 Saab 9-5’s Quality:
I’m no expert on the quality of plastics or leather. My overall impression was that Saab did not skimp on the interior or exterior appointments for the Saab 9-5. The interior is crammed with special touches that, though a little overwhelming, are placed subtly. Personally, I’m not going to test for crooked hoods or misaligned headlights when buying a car. If the car has a good-looking exterior with pieces that don’t look cheap and parts that don’t clash, I’m a happy and blissfully ignorant owner. I think I’d look good in a Saab if I were aiming for quiet affluence.

Ron Perry’s Opinion of the 2006 Saab 9-5’s Quality:
The Saab 9-5’s quality level is acceptable with only a couple of small deficiencies. Inside, the plastic used detracts from the quality feel of the leather and soft-touch surfaces. It is the only aspect of the interior that feels cheap. Saab also needs to move its traditional center ignition placement because the plastic surround gets scratched and beat up due to use.

Outside, the Saab 9-5’s body panels are tight, displaying consistent seams on our test sample with the exception of the trunk. The lid was shifted to the right, throwing the seam gaps off. It was a small problem that could be easily corrected. Another small visual mistake is the add-on trunk pull handle that looks like a poorly executed afterthought.

Thom Blackett’s Opinion of the 2006 Saab 9-5’s Quality:
Wow, what a difference a few digits and an X make. We recently had the Saab 9-7X in the shop, finding it to be one of the poorest examples of build quality we’ve seen in some time. The 9-5 sedan, however, was a huge improvement. Inside and out, gaps were generally consistent, parts were tightly affixed, and panels lined up correctly. Exceptions included a loose flap of carpet by the rear seat, a few rattles from the sunroof, and gaps that were a smidge too wide around the taillights. Overall, that’s pretty good.

Materials used throughout the 9-5’s cabin were also praiseworthy, for the most part. Soft leather covered the seats and door panels while a padded matte plastic was used on the dash, doors, and outer instrument panel; hard plastic found its way to the center console, sunroof frame, and instrument panel. Mesh material would’ve been a nice replacement for the fuzzy stuff used on the pillars and headliner.