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Morning Becomes Aurora
A new image is dawning at Olds with the new Aurora
By Marc K. Stengel
SEPTEMBER 11, 2000:
There are surprisingly few instances anymore of American carmakers'
goals exceeding their reach. On the one hand, they no longer seem to care
about making affordable, safe, and practical commuter cars for under, say,
$10,000. Lately, that seems to be the Koreans' responsibility. At the other
end of the spectrum, they've already pushed the street-legal
high-performance envelope about as far as it can stretch with the likes of
Chevy's 345-horsepower Corvette, Ford's 320-HP Mustang Cobra SVT, and
Dodge's 450-HP Viper. Meanwhile, today's popular trucks, including SUVs of
course, remain proudly unsophisticated and serve as poster vehicles for the
New Complacency.
There does remain, however, an elusive Grail. It is "the American
car with a European feel." There are many claimants, but so far, none has
even come close to nabbing the mysterious prize. Lincoln's LS and
Cadillac's Seville have drawn the most attention with their loud, cocky
behavior. These are indeed quite enjoyable cars, only not especially
European-feeling ones. Chrysler has essentially capitulated With
Mercedes-Benz as its senior partner, what need anymore merely pretending to
be European?
There is one knight-errant in this quest who may yet prevail. When
dispirited, downtrodden Oldsmobile Division debuted its Aurora sedan for
1995, only a few Olds loyalists really took much notice. In the last six
years, however, it has slowly but increasingly dawned upon buyers in the
sporty luxury class that Aurora is out to change Oldsmobile's reputation
and fortunes. Strangely, the car isn't even promoted as an especially
European-flavored contender--even though, arguably, it is closer to being
so than any American-made rival.
This paradox was brought into particularly high relief last month at the
Indy Racing League (IRL) race at the new Kentucky Speedway, southwest of
Cincinnati. Nothing could be more all-American than oval-track racing at a
superspeedway. (The Nashville area will itself soon play host to a similar
event at the racing facility now under construction northwest of town.) IRL
racing is furthermore unique in allowing competitors, at present, only two
choices of production-based engines for their open-wheel cars: Oldsmobile's
Aurora V8 or Infiniti's V8 from its Q45 sedan. On the starting grid of 27
cars at the Kentucky race, all but two were fielding Oldsmobiles. But in
introducing auto writers to the 2001 Aurora during a day of energetic
test-driving prior to the race, Oldsmobile clearly meant to challenge
preconceptions about its athletic midsize sedans with its Euro-style,
twin-cam engines.
It is the engines, in the plural, that represent Aurora's biggest news
for 2001. In addition to Olds' sophisticated 4.0-liter, double-overhead-cam
V8, the Aurora is now available with a 3.5-liter, twin-cam V6. This smaller
plant is, basically, a three-quarter clone of its elder sibling, having two
fewer cylinders but the same basic engineering architecture. Both motors
are derived from General Motors' sophisticated Northstar engine development
program, which they share with Cadillac's larger V8s. It is, however, Olds'
unique combination of slightly smaller motors in a slightly trimmer sedan
package that gives the two Auroras their special, nimble feel.
From the standpoint of sporty responsiveness, in other words, less is
undoubtedly more. Winding through the northern Kentucky foothills and
ridgelines overlooking the Ohio River, the V8 Aurora in particular was
balanced, even magnificent. No bigger, more powerful Seville could have
done as well. Aurora's 260 ft.-lbs. of torque provided heaping reserves of
power for hill-climbing or quick acceleration for exiting hard corners. And
hard cornering is an entirely reasonable activity in such a car with
large-diameter disk brakes at all four wheels. Moreover, the inclusion of
computerized stability assistance, dubbed Precision Control System(PCS), as
standard equipment on the V8 Aurora goes a long way to banish the
lackluster performance reputation of front-wheel drive.
Olds' PCS system is an available--and recommended--option for the V6
model. In all but the most aggressive hands, moreover, the V6 renders this
refined overall package into a startling value as well. For just over a
$31,000 base-price, the V6 Aurora dramatically challenges its European and
Japanese rivals in the "near luxury" class. Its 215 horsepower is
competitive; its spacious, comfy interior is a trump.
Compared to the larger Aurora V8, the V6 engine becomes slightly winded
during spirited barnstorming runs. The four-speed transmission in
particular gets fussy in its hunt-and-peck search for a proper gear.
There's no question, however, that the V6 is the better buy for an average
driver, coming in some $4,200 less than the V8 model. An annoying quirk of
Oldsmobile's pricing policy, however, requires bundling numerous options to
tailor a V6 Aurora to one's preferences. The PCS option, for example, costs
$575; but getting it requires shelling out an additional $440 for a
power-seating/dual-climate control package. Suddenly, a good value begins
to fray at the edges.
I can easily envision Aurora initiating an image revolution at
Oldsmobile that will pervade the entire division. Indeed, the next model
down in the pecking order, the Intrigue, is already wearing the new
twin-cam V6; and the entry-level Alero acquires a snappy five-speed manual
next year to coax maximum zest out of its spunky Quad-4 motor. Even the
exteriors of all these Olds are beginning to resemble one another.
Personally, I prefer the Aurora's "mature" lines most of all. They are
meaty and sinewy, but graceful too--particularly at the rear, where the
shape is consciously Italianate for 2001. Only the front, with its
grill-less fascia punctuated with odd nostrils and slits, misses the mark
entirely. Just as Olds' ambitious, flagship sport sedan reaches to grasp
the Grail, its face greets the world with an all-too-American "Howdy!," and
Aurora's dream of a European aura dissolves.

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