LOOK AT ME; Saab wants your attention now to prepare you for big changes in the future.(News)

Byline: ANDREW LUU

There have been lots of reasons of late to take notice of Saab. First we got a completely new 9-3 sedan in 2003, followed by a convertible version, and then the Subaru-based 9-2X. This year Saab introduced the 9-7X sport/utility vehicle, and a third 9-3 variant, the SportCombi wagon.

Did Saab's flagship 9-5 sedan somehow get shuffled to the bottom amid all the new product frenzy? Well, sort of.

Saab has held steady with the 9-5, adding some horsepower here and tightening a few lines there every few years since the car's introduction in 1999.

Now that same formula is applied for the new 2006 9-5 sedan and SportCombi because Saab has big plans for its priciest car offering. Plans so big it needs a few more years to sort it all out.

But first let's look at what Saab fans will get to tide them over. Saab made 1367 changes to the 2006 9-5, which in North America will be called the 9-5 2.3T, reflecting a merging of the former Arc and Aero designations.

The car, which debuted at this year's Frankfurt motor show, is now exclusively an Aero-spec model. All 9-5s get the Aero's 2.3-liter turbocharged inline-four, now with 10 more horses totaling 260 hp. Torque remains unchanged at 258 lb-ft.