The 5-door Saab 9-5 SportCombi is made to carry cargo. With its ample rear space and practical load-tying features, such as the rear anchorage loops, it handles the transport of goods as well as any super-sized SUV.

Of course, it's also made to carry people, and that's what the comfy leather seats and full array of safety features are for. Saab's Load Shift protection comes between the two, keeping items in the cargo space from entering the passenger compartment in a frontal collision.

One of the best things about this "executive car" is that its 2.3-liter, turbocharged 4-cylinder turbocharged engine runs on regular-octane gasoline, achieving 260-horsepower and fuel efficiency of 20 mpg city and 30 on the highway. The car has a wide stance but a sleek profile with a jetlike windshield, giving it aerodynamic efficiency.

Safety takes a front seat too, with the car's very design working to keep occupants safe. The innovative Pendulum B-Pillar protects in side-impact collisions by sending impact energy into floor and roof structure, away from the people inside. Saab chose not to patent this innovation because it wanted to leave it free for other car makers to use to protect passengers.

Other safety-related features include ABS with electronic brake-force distribution, traction control, electronic stability control, active head restraints, adaptive driver and front-passenger air bags, and torso side air bags that are cleverly mounted to the seat back so that they go where the passenger goes if the seat is reclined.