The newest Oldsmobile and
its GM cousins match up
well with the Japanese
and European best sellers

 Who would have thought it? The national supplier of all-American boulevard-riding, mushy automobiles has suddenly burst upon the scene with a car that can match the Japanese and the European best-sellers.

    General Motors, the last of the old style dinosaur builders - having been left in the dust by Chrysler with a stable of brand new exciting cars, and Ford, with its Contour world car, Camry-fighting Taurus and Mazda-inspired Escort - now has leapfrogged them all with the new Oldsmobile Intrigue.

    Car & Driver in its August 1997 edition compared the Intrigue to the Camry and the Taurus, in back-to-back road tests. Guess what? The Intrigue won! Toyota's Camry, the best-selling car in the U.S., was rated No. 2. That is a statement in itself.

   So I had to drive this car. A visit to Hoehn Oldsmobile found a friendly staff, and the keys to the only Intrigue on the lot. First impression was of a well put together, solid car with little of the GM rental car dullness. This is a wonderful handling and riding vehicle, almost BMW-like, certainly the equal of the Camry.

    The motor, an old design push rod 3.8 liter, performs very well. It sounds a little thrashy if pushed into the high rev band, but otherwise has a pleasant throaty powerful sound during acceleration. There's plenty of power, and lots of low RPM torque, which is nice tootling around twisty roads with oomph when you need it. GM plans to replace this old technology engine in 1998 with a V-6 version of its excellent double overhead cam, 32 valve, Northstar V-8.

    The 4-speed (with overdrive) electronic transmission, smooth with imperceptible shifts, is as good as any of the modern Japanese transmissions. The steering is more user-friendly, light and precise than any other GM product I have driven. The taut and flexible suspension is of European sports sedan quality. This car is fun to drive.

    Another advantage the Intrigue has over the competition is its price. At $23,000 for a well-equipped Intrigue with dual zone air, power driver's seat, power doors, windows and side mirrors, cruise control, alarm system, front and rear anti-lock disc brakes, traction control, fog lights and remote locking system, it beats the pants off a somewhat less-equipped Camry at $24,600. Adding more options, such as leather seats, sunroof, and alloy wheels widens the difference in price from $24,800 for the Intrigue to $27,200 for the Camry.

    Other nice touches offered in the Intrigue, but not in the Camry, are steering wheel-mounted radio touch controls, air and heater vents for the back seats, inside/outside air temperature indicator, tire inflation monitor and an air filtration system which should help allergy sufferers. This car is big inside, with good rear knee room, and a huge all-American trunk. It’s an excellent family car with fun for the driver that you can’t get in a sports utility vehicle or a minivan. EPA mileage is 19 mpg city, and 30 mpg highway. Expect about 24 to 26 mpg overall.    General Motors also has used this basic platform with its Buick and Pontiac marque vehicles. The 1997 1/2 Buick Regal, Century and Pontiac Grand Prix are all new variants of the Oldsmobile Intrigue. To see if the Buick Regal was as good as the Intrigue, I responded to an offer by Marvin K. Brown to do a back-to-back test drive in a Toyota Camry and a Buick Regal.

    I first drove the loaded Camry; it is a driver's car: plenty of power, excellent handling, great brakes, and that indefinable driver-friendly feeling that I like in the Camry.

    When I got into the Regal, I noticed a boost pressure reading on the dash instruments. This car was a supercharged version of the new Regal (the GS model). On the freeway I punched the throttle and the car literally leapt from 60 mph to a number on which I must take the Fifth. Acceleration is to die for. With or without a supercharger, this is a surprisingly good car, with ride, handling, and braking similar to the Intrigue and the Camry.

    If you are power hungry, the supercharged Regal GS is the car to buy. Given the choice, I would choose the slightly tauter Camry over the Regal, but perhaps not over the Oldsmobile Intrigue. Will the longevity of the Intrigue equal that of the Camry? Toyota Camrys have legendary staying power, with many accomplishing more than 200,000 miles with little in the way of repairs. Only time will tell with these new GM products. For now, the Oldsmobile Intrigue and the Buick Regal look to be great buys.

    These cars are just slowly coming into the dealers' showrooms now, so test drive one and see if you agree.

    Hurrah for Jack Smith and General Motors. There's light at the end of their tunnel.

    Motoring since 1952, Austin Lynas has owned 54 cars and at one time raced mini-sedans in England. An aerospace engineer, he was instrumental in developing the anti-skid systems used in British military aircraft that preceded today’s ABS systems.