Also up for high marks is the $895 OnStar communications system, the first one ever installed on a European car. We have used OnStar in Cadillac, Buick and GMC vehicles all over the country, and we recommend it to anyone who travels away from home regularly. It can be a godsend, a pushbutton servant who never, ever sleeps.

Saab's seats are terrific, and the new ones, with a built-in system for preventing whiplash, are even better. They are comfortable and supportive, with plenty of adjustment for all sizes of drivers.

Behind the two rows of seats, there is perhaps the most utilitarian, best-rigged cargo area of any wagon on the market. The 9-5 comes with 37 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats. That increases to 74 cubic feet with both rear seats folded flat. The 9-5 also comes with two rows of aircraft-style Cargo Tracks cargo cleats in the floor that move fore and aft with simple finger pressure, so that loads of every shape and size can be secured directly to the floor. Saab has come up with a unique, dealer-installed slide-out load floor that pops up at the rear and slides rearward so heavy loads can be placed on it. Then the whole panel can slide forward into the wagon's cargo bay, a great way to save trips to the chiropractor. It also doubles as a small picnic table. The slide-out floor will hold up to 440 pounds of cargo. The cargo compartment cover is a hard, two-piece unit that can safely be used as a temporary storage shelf as well.

We salute Saab for thinking the wagon proposition all the way through and offering a workable dog retainer system to keep Fido vertical in a braking or cornering situation. Saab offers a separator cage, a cargo organizer, a roof rack, and several other wagon-only optional features that no one else offers, in addition to the bicycle racks and cargo boxes offered by the aftermarket.

Add to that the glove compartment that is kept chilled to 42 degrees F. to keep drinks cold, and you have one versatile wagon.