Saab 9-5 Wagon
What it costs to keep fuelled
$2,341a year, fuel only
The 2005 Saab 9-5 Wagon is EPA-rated at 20.5 MPG combined (17.5 city / 27 highway). Over 15,000 miles a year that is about 732 gallons, $2341 a year in fuel, or $0.156 per mile at $3.20/gal.
Across its full 1999–2005 run it averages 20.3 MPG, essentially flat across 7 model years.
The band is how far one gallon carries it: 20.5 of the 60 MPG this scale runs to. The square tick is the midsize station wagons average, 21.6.
- Fuel, per year
- $2,341 at 15,000 mi
- Per mile
- $0.156
- Per kilometre
- $0.097
- Gallons burned/yr
- 732
1 mile = 1.609344 km · fuel at $3.20/gal, fixed JUL 2026
Test figure — not a road resultSOURCE·US EPA fuel-economy test data·FUEL ASSUMED AT $3.20/GAL FROM JUL 2026·REVIEWED JUL 2026
How this is worked out
- Start from the EPA combined figure for the model year — a laboratory test cycle run to a fixed procedure, not a road result. Where a year sold several engines or drivetrains, the trims are averaged and the trim count is printed beside the row so you can see how much averaging is behind it.
- Fix a pump price. This site keeps one reference price, $3.20 a US gallon, fixed JUL 2026 and printed next to every dollar figure it produces. It is an assumption with a date on it, not a quote — put your own price in.
- Fix an annual distance. Every annual figure on this site uses 15,000 miles a year, roughly the US average. A cost per year with no stated distance is not a number, it is a mood.
- Divide distance by economy for gallons, multiply by price for the year's fuel, divide price by economy for one mile. The per-kilometre line is that last figure divided by 1.609344 — the same money, in the unit most of the world drives in.
- Stop there. No depreciation, no tyres, no insurance, no servicing. This is the fuel line of the ledger and it is labelled as one; depreciation usually dwarfs everything on it.
gallons/yr = miles/yr ÷ MPG fuel $/yr = gallons/yr × $/gal cost $/mi = $/gal ÷ MPG cost $/km = cost $/mi ÷ 1.609344
The full method, the licence note, and what a test figure cannot tell you →
Re-run the ledger at another pump price
Every line above rests on one pump price. Here is the same entry re-costed at six others, because the price is the part that changes while the test sheet stays put.
| Fuel price | Per mile | 10,000 mi/yr | 15,000 mi/yr | 20,000 mi/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2.50/gal | $0.122 | $1220 | $1829 | $2439 |
| $3.00/gal | $0.146 | $1463 | $2195 | $2927 |
| $3.20/gal | $0.156 | $1561 | $2341 | $3122 |
| $3.50/gal | $0.171 | $1707 | $2561 | $3415 |
| $4.00/gal | $0.195 | $1951 | $2927 | $3902 |
| $4.50/gal | $0.220 | $2195 | $3293 | $4390 |
| $5.00/gal | $0.244 | $2439 | $3659 | $4878 |
SOURCE·US EPA fuel-economy test data·FUEL ASSUMED AT $3.20/GAL FROM JUL 2026·REVIEWED JUL 2026
The whole service history, sheet by sheet
7 model years on file. Read down the combined column: a nameplate that got heavier shows it here long before any brochure admits it.
| Year | Combined | City | Highway | EPA fuel cost/yr | CO₂ g/mi | Trims |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 20.5 MPG | 17.5 | 27 | $3750 | 434 | 2 |
| 2004 | 20.7 MPG | 17.5 | 26.2 | $3250 | 431 | 6 |
| 2003 | 20.6 MPG | 17.6 | 26.2 | $3470 | 433 | 5 |
| 2002 | 20.6 MPG | 17.6 | 26 | $3470 | 433 | 5 |
| 2001 | 19.8 MPG | 17.2 | 24.2 | $3600 | 449 | 5 |
| 2000 | 19.8 MPG | 17.2 | 24.6 | $3600 | 449 | 5 |
| 1999 | 20.3 MPG | 17.7 | 25 | $3083 | 439 | 3 |
Where a model year offered several engines or drivetrains, the figure is the average across all EPA-tested trims that year — the trim count is shown so you can see how much averaging is involved.
SOURCE·US EPA fuel-economy test data·FUEL ASSUMED AT $3.20/GAL FROM JUL 2026·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Marked against the rest of the midsize station wagons bay
Among the 26 midsize station wagons models tracked here, the Saab 9-5 Wagon ranks 17 on current figures, against a class average of 21.6 MPG — the square tick on the gauge above.
Closest more-efficient alternatives in the same class: Audi A6 Avant quattro (21), Saturn LW300 (21), Volvo V70 FWD (21), Kia Rondo (21.5), Subaru Legacy Wagon AWD (21.5).
Tailpipe CO₂ is rated at 434 grams per mile, which works out to roughly 6.5 tonnes a year at 15,000 miles.
Questions asked across the counter
What MPG does the Saab 9-5 Wagon get?
The 2005 Saab 9-5 Wagon is rated at 20.5 MPG combined by the EPA — 17.5 city and 27 highway. Across all 7 model years in the database it averages 20.3 MPG, ranging from 19 to 22 depending on year and trim.
How much does a Saab 9-5 Wagon cost in fuel per year?
At 20.5 MPG and 15,000 miles a year, it burns about 732 gallons — roughly $2341 a year with fuel at $3.20 a gallon, or $0.156 per mile. The EPA's own published annual figure for the 2005 model is $3750.
Has the Saab 9-5 Wagon become more efficient over time?
Barely. It sits at 20.5 MPG today against 20.3 in 1999 — essentially flat across 7 model years, with efficiency gains offset by weight and power creep.
Is the Saab 9-5 Wagon efficient for its class?
It ranks 17 of 26 in the Midsize Station Wagons class on current figures, against a class average of 21.6 MPG. That is 1.1 worse than typical for the class.
Pull another logbook off the same shelf
Same class, nearest economy first — the ones a buyer is genuinely choosing between.
SOURCE·US EPA fuel-economy test data·FUEL ASSUMED AT $3.20/GAL FROM JUL 2026·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Cost per mile, per kilometre and per year are computed at a reference price of $3.20 a gallon over 15,000 miles, fixed JUL 2026 — set your own pump price. Estimates based on official test figures and average fuel prices. Real-world consumption varies with driving style, load, terrain and maintenance.
