Friday, January 8, 1999 — North Shore News — 21

THE 1999 Olcismobile Alero is Oldsmobile’s entry-level compact car, available as a coupe or sedan. Starting at just under $21,000, the Alero includes a standard 150
horsepower four cylinder engine, four speed automatic transmission, four wheel disc brakes with ABS, AM/FM stereo, and air conditioning.

SINCE 1995,
Oldsmobile has been
trying to shed its
image as manufacturer
cf traditional upscale
American cars and
remake itself as a mod-
ern car company for
“import intenders.”

This process began in
1995 when Oldsmobile
introduced the Aurora, a
high-performance four-door
sedan intended to compete
with performance sedans
from Europe, America and
Japan. At the end of 1996,
the full-size Oldsmobile 98
sedan was dropped froin
their lineup, presumably
because it didn't fit
Oldsmobile’s new image.

In mid-1997, the stylish,
mid-sized Intrigue replaced |
the Cutlass Supreme, and in
1998, the sporty, compact
Alero replaced the discontin-
ued Achieva. The well-

ds Alero repi

Ae eeecccnconsereoesseooeseesesessacessenoenes

equipped Sithouctte mini-
vans were added to
Oldsmobile’s stable last year.
Lastly, the Oldsmobile 88
and LSS sedans were discon-

Price as tested: $25,995
Base price: $20,995

Type: four-door, five-passenger sedan
front: engine/front-

Layout: transverse
wheel-drive

Engine: 3.4-litre V6, OHV, 12 valves
Horsepower: 170 @ 4,800 r.p.m.
Torque: 200 [b.-ft. @ 4,000 rp.m.

tinued for 1999, for the
same reasons the 1998
model was discontinued.

Oldsmobile’s ongoing
transformation has been dra-
matic, but whether it has
been successful remains to
be seen. The car which start-
ed it all, the Aurora, is to be
discontinued in 1999, to be
replaced by a smaller car
with che same name,
Apparently, the mid-sized,
front-wheel-drive, V8-pow-
ered Aurora failed to interest
cnough BMW and Lexus
buyers.

Technical data

And although the
Intrigue and Alero are pack-
aged as stylish American cars
with import-like styling,
handling and performance,
its common knowledge that
the Intrigue uses the same
plattorm as the Buick Regal
and Pentiae Grand Prix, and
that the Alero uses the same
platform as the Pontiac
Grand Am and Chevrolet
Malibu.

My overall impression of
the Aicro, this week’s test
drive, is that it is still more
American than European or

Curb weight: 1,370 kg (3,020 Ib.)
Wheelbase: 2,710 mm (106.7 in.)

Length: 4,742 mm (186.7 in.)
Width: 1,781 mm (70.1 in.)

Height: 1,384 mm (54.5 in.)

Trunk capacity: 433 litres (15.3 cu. ft.)
Fuel consumption: n/a
Warranty: three years/60,000 km

Japanese.

Its bold exterior styling,
abundance of horsepower,
average fit and finish, high
level of standara equipmens,
and reasonable price are all
typical of General Motors
cars. Personally, | don'e
believe an import buyer
would consider an Alero, or
that an Alero buyer would
consider an import. The two
camps are still a bit too far
apart.

One thing is for sure, the
Alero is a better car than the
Aciieva was. The Alero’s
front-wheel-drive platform
Was first introduced on the
Malibu in 1997 and is prob-
ably the best plattorm GM
makes. It’s strony, tight,
nimble, well-packaged, and
fun-to-drive.

1 like the way the Alero
drives for the same reason |
like the way the Malibu and
Grand Am drive.

The Alero’s standard 150
horsepower 2.4-litre four-

aces Achieva

cylinder engine is no slouch,
but it’s rougher and noisier
than the optional 170 horse-
power 3.4-litre V6 engine.
The latter has more power
than the Alero needs — it’s a
traditional pushrod V6 with
lots of torque — and when
you want to accelerate quick-
ly, the Alera, responds
instanely. The downside is
that the engine “steers” the
car slightly under frard accel-
eration, bue I didn’t find it
dangerous. On the highway,
the V6 burbles quietly along
doing just 1,800 r.p.m. at
109 km-h.

Alero’s with the V6
engine come equipped with
a unique oil life monitor that
tells you when to change the
oil, and a tire pressure moni-
tor that informs you of low
tire pressure.

Alero’s are well-equipped.
A standard four-speed auto-
matic cransmission, like most

“Seve Alero page 23

eR ae ea
We wanted you to feel safe in a Saturn.

So we started with the price.

The payments shown here are based on the MSRPs for our brand-spankin’ - new
1999 Saturn SW1. They include transportation, retailer prep and even a full tank

of gas so you won't have to walk to the station with one of those red containers.

But some things are extra, like taxes (sorry), license and insurance. These lease
payments are based on a low km lease of 60,000 km — which is pretty far — over
3 years, with a charge of 12¢ per km over that amount. This offer applies to

customers with approved credit. If you decide you want co purchase your Saturn
at the end of the lease (and who could blame you?), and you've made a $2,000

downpayment, you're welcome to. And with that same downpayment, the

maximum lease obligation of an SW1 is $11,360.

¥@ MORREY SATURN SAAB ISUZU 294-1831

SATURN, 4451 Lougheed Hwy at Willingdon, Burnaby

www.saturmeanada.con

S260 )mo ireton
15,998

price includes
freight & pdi.

1959 Satura SW1

Complete with: AMIFM stereo cassette
» adjustable steering column * split-folding rear seat