Saab introduced a facelifted version of its 9-5 range in 2001.
That affected both the sedan and the station-wagon version, which was named Sport Combi.

Europe switched to Euro 3 pollution norms in 2001, forcing most of the carmakers to change or upgrade their engines. Saab was one of them. Along with the powertrain upgrades, the designers tweaked the car’s look.

From the outside, there were some minor cosmetic changes to the car. There was a new bumper design, depending on the trim level or the vehicle version. For the Aero versions, an A-shaped grille in the lower bumper area made the car looks more aggressive. The rest of the range featured a more refined, elliptic grille with fog-lights enclosed. Its taillights were redesigned in the rear and featured a clear lens for the reversing light on their upper side, while its non-facelifted version featured a smoked lens.

Inside, Saab installed a few particular features specific to its brand. The key-fob was placed between the front seats, in front of the handbrake. Depending on the trim level, the car featured high bolstered seats at the front. The rear seats were split-folding and allowed an increase for the cargo area from 1047 liters (37 cu-ft) to 2064 liters (72.9 cu-ft), measured to the roofline.

GM had the Saab brand under its roof at that time. It supplied most of the engines and the technical platform. The 9-5 customers could choose from a wide range of gasoline and diesel engines. The 2.3-liter turbocharged unit was unique for the Swedish brand, while most of the others were carried over from GM’s European branch, Opel.