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Can the Catera make folks forget about the Cimarron? As well as the Mercedes C280, Acura TL, Infiniti J-30 and Lexus ES300–the so-called “entry-level” rivals in the luxury-car market?

There may be enough distance between Cimarron and Catera that few will remember Cadillac’s last venture into low-cost territory.

Cimarron (1982-1988) was a Chevrolet Cavalier decked out with leather seats and a crested grille and a window sticker about double that of the Chevy. It was Cadillac’s attempt to get a high-mileage car in the stable when gas prices were soaring.

As Abe Lincoln said, you can fool all of the people some of the time, but not when asking them to pay $12,000 for a $6,000 car.

Cimarron bombed and, to this day, Cadillac officials blush at the name.

For 1997 Cadillac is adding a new car to its stable. But this time the focus isn’t on high mileage as it is on smaller size and lower price as conspicuous consumption has been replaced by rational indulgence. Rather than flaunt wealth, it is far more fashionable to flaunt the money you saved by buying a less-expensive version of the bauble. Why a diamond when a cubic zirconia shines just as brightly? And only your jeweler knows for sure.

Those opting for luxury cars have expressed interest in sedans with most of the amenities of the $40,000 to $50,000 machines, but that are slightly smaller and more manageable and will give you $20,000 in change from a $50,000 bill.

Since Cadillac had nothing to fill that niche–and General Motors brass turned down its request to develop a small car–Cadillac turned to GM’s Opel subsidiary in Europe. Cadillac and Opel took the rear-wheel-drive Opel Omega and made it into the Catera for 1997, a midsize sedan with a base price of $29,995.

Catera is everything Cimarron wasn’t. Cimarron started life as a lowly Cavalier, Catera started as a well-respected Omega.

And Catera is roomy, comfortable, well-equipped with goodies, amply powered and very pleasant of ride and handling.

Catera bowed on the auto-show circuit in 1994 as the Cadillac LSE concept. It looked so much like a Chevy, it was hooted at and jeered, wrapped in a brown paper bag and mailed back to headquarters for redesign.

The 1997 production version we tested has more refined styling, though the side profile still looks like a Chevy Lumina, the rear like a Chrysler LH sedan. When you get around to the front and spot the crest in the grille, it looks like a Cadillac.

One rap against Cadillac is bulkiness. Traditionalists want the biggest, heaviest car with the largest engine known to man. Big and heavy also often meant difficult to maneuver, wide-swing turns and parallel parking by the Braille method. For the ability to tow a boat, which only a small percentage did, the big engine forced most to spend a great deal of time at the fuel pump.

Catera is more nimble and manageable, a sensibly sized Cadillac, not just a downsized one, that’s slightly shorter than a Lumina.

With rear-wheel-drive, you can tow a boat–a rational-indulgence 20-footer, not the Queen Mary.

The 3-liter, 200-horsepower, 24-valve V-6 has enough power to pull the boat or pull out to pass. It climbs hills without gasping for breath and, better still, is one Cadillac that has learned how to pass the fuel pump without stopping to pay homage. The fuel-economy rating is 18 miles per gallon city/25 m.p.g. highway.

Wait, you say, the car is a rear-wheel-drive model in a front-wheel-drive world and will have to be stored in the winter. Pshaw! Rear-wheel-drive means very good weight distribution, and the 16-inch all-season tires do a yeoman’s job gripping the pavement.

Should rain or snow cover the asphalt, there’s traction control and anti-lock brakes (both standard) to get you through. Pusha console button and the transmission automatically starts you in third gear in the snow for more sure-footed movement.

Other noteworthy features are power windows that retract when an object such as a hand is in their path (you’ll get pinched but nothing will break, Cadillac says); rear seat backs that fold for access to the trunk; fuel-filler door and deck-lid release buttons on the center dash for easy use (there’s no deck lid key lock so only the dash button and the key fob button will open the trunk to keep the contents safe); and, starting early next year, side-door air bags will be available as an option, probably for around $300, to protect in side impacts.

The car has dual front air bags and, as noted, four-wheel ABS and traction control.

Seats are wide front and rear and offer good long-distance comfort as well as support when you drive aggressively.

Seats, however, are one way Cadillac can boast of a $29,995 model when the same car with leather interior–the top choice among buyers–starts at $32,995.

You can finish the car with cast aluminum wheels for $355 or add chrome wheels for a hefty $1,195. Heated seats run $400, power sunroof $995, garage-door opener $107, and, if you wait until spring, side air bags at $300.

As for gripes, the front and rear-seat headrests are needlessly massive, though in fairness they don’t block rear vision. And a coinholder in the lower door is fully exposed each time you open that door. The dual cupholders are a bit wobbly–a synonym for cheap.

Catera is the first in what will be a notable downsizing toward more sensibly sized vehicles. The Seville is redesigned and redimensioned for 1998, Eldorado for 1999 and DeVille for 1999.

Tied to the tube

Brian O’Neill, president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, once again guested on NBC’s “Dateline” television magazine show a couple weeks ago.

O’Neill was talking about the institute’s bumper mini-van crash tests and the high cost of repair from running vans into poles.

We missed the show, but was told the institute concluded that if you’re foolish enough to run your van into a pole, you shouldn’t be penalized with a $1,000 repair bill.

Certainly, some would argue that if you can’t see a 30-foot metal pole surrounded by a concrete barrier, you should 1) pay for your mistake, or 2) keep the van in the garage until you get your eyes examined.

But, since millions of folks run around in mini-vans, O’Neill had millions of viewers cheering.

O’Neill spoke about air-bag safety to the Midwest Automotive Media Association the next day, at which time, he tipped that another “Dateline” appearance was coming the next week. In this episode, he would reveal results of mini-van crash tests that show what vans protect occupants and what ones don’t.

Because people being subjected to i njury is far more important than dinged bumpers, O’Neill was asked which vans are suspect.

He responded, “Watch `Dateline’ on Tuesday.”

Hmm. Motorists are at risk from mini-van collisions and the institute has the skinny but doesn’t inform the public for two weeks until it holds court on running into poles.

If consumers are at risk, why not let people in on the secret? How many consumers would be subject to injury waiting for “Dateline” to air?

O’Neill said: “There’s been some concern that we give `Dateline’ first shot, but if you don’t give them an exclusive, they don’t cover you. And it gives us an audience of up to 24 million viewers, which is very tempting. We give it to them at 9 p.m. Tuesday, but everyone else gets it on Wednesday.

“Moving pictures tell a different story than still shots or words. If I tell a group that the (Ford) Taurus did well and a (Mitsubishi) Galant didn’t, they say, `OK.’ But if I show them a video o f crash results they say, `Ooh.’ “

As for the crash tests, the institute said the Ford Windstar fared best , the Pontiac Trans Sport the worst in a 40-m.p.h. offset collision, in which only part of the front end is run into a barrier. The automakers note that offset collisions account for only about 0.04 percent of all accidents and that the government has set van standards for a 30-m.p.h. full frontal impact into a barrier.

And let’s hope NBC never has to pre-empt “Dateline” on a night when crash results are scheduled.

>> 1997 Cadillac Catera Wheelbase: 107.4 inches Length: 193.8 inches Engine: 3-liter, 200-h.p. 24-valve, V-6 Transmission: 4-speed automatic EPA mileage: 18 m.p.g. city/25 m.p.g. highway Base price: $29,995, rising to $32,995 when you get the leather interior version, which will be the option of choice. Price as tested: $35,585. Includes $1,195 for chrome wheels; $400 for heated seats (necessary with leather in the Snow Belt); and $995 for power sunroof. In the spring, side door air bags will run about $300. Freight runs $640. Pluses: Opel Omega heritage. Smooth ride and pleasant handling in a sensibly sized sedan. Dual air bags, ABS and traction control standard, with side-door air bags coming as an option. Minuses: The $3,000 bump when you add leather. Getting folks who don’t know what an Omega is to check out its Cadillac variant. >>