IF ever a new model was more critical to the survival of a car brand, then we don’t know of it.

Saab’s all-new flagship 9-5 range arrives in Australia carrying the hopes of the Swedish company in this country, where Saab has been all but non-existent since General Motors held a fire sale of its unwanted subsidiaries at the height of the global financial crisis.

Now, under the control of Spyker Cars, a still-fragile Saab returns to Australia for another crack with the bigger, more serious 9-5 as its key new model to be sold through a cut-down dealership network against other mid-range European luxury cars.

Available in front-drive Vector and range-topping all-wheel-drive Aero XWD specifications, the range is powered by a broader span of turbocharged engines that incorporates petrol and – for the first time in 9-5 – diesel 2.0-litre four-cylinders, as well as the stonking Holden-made 221kW turbo petrol V6 for the top-of-the-range Aero Turbo6 XWD.

Priced just under most of its logical European rivals, the Saab 9-5 needs to hit the spot in markets all around the globe if Saab is to achieve its potential.