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The 4.6-liter Northstar V-8 at Cadillac that was the basis for the 4-liter Northstar V-8 in the Oldsmobile Aurora has provided the basis for the 3.5-liter Northstar V-6 powering the midsize Olds Intrigue for 1999.

The twin cam 3.5, the first V-6 in the Northstar family, and dubbed the Shortstar, is in the early stages of replacing the old pushrod 3.8-liter V-6 at Olds.

It is standard in the Intrigue GLS and will be standard throughout the Intrigue line by the end of the model year.

There have been a few glitches, however, about 120 of them, as Olds found unacceptable noise levels at idle in some 3.5 V-6s and substituted the 3.8 V-6 in those cars.

Those cars arriving with the 3.8 come with a $540 credit on the window sticker for the absence of the 3.5 and the traction control that came with it. If you get one with the 3.8, by the way, there’s no switching back to the 3.5. So read the Monroney label closely to determine which engine you are getting. What it comes down to is the 3.8 is one of GM’s best engines, the 3.5 is one of its newest.

Olds insists most folks would never hear the noise but made a fix anyway that reportedly involved retooling a die. The problem has been solved and 3.5s are being shipped again.

Olds says the new 3.5 is quieter than the 3.8, is quicker off the line (0.2 seconds faster zero to 60 m.p.h.) than the 3.8 and is designed to act more lively when called upon for those 35- to 40-m.p.h. bursts of power when passing.

Engine noise is very subjective. A hum that puts one person to sleep will drive another to distraction.

We noticed no irritating sounds from the engine compartment in the ’99 Intrigue we tested. Put pedal to the floor and the V-6 roars a little, but we took that to be a sign of engine liveliness.

As for quickness off the line, most folks would never be able to determine a 0.2-second improvement from zero to 60 m.p.h. with or without a stopwatch.

You might notice some difference between the two engines from quicker, smoother response when kicking the pedal and pulling out to pass with the 3.5, but unless you have Valvoline in your veins, most folks would have no idea if a twin cam 3.5 or pushrod 3.8 were under the hood.

While most Shortstar improvements are difficult to measure much less fully appreciate, there’s one Northstar V-8 feature adapted by the V-6 that makes it noteworthy–starter interrupt.

It’s happened to all of us. You sit idling quietly for several minutes in the driveway waiting for the family to get its act together. They arrive, hop in the car and you mistakenly turn the key to “on” again.

Starter interrupt disengages the starter to prevent the metallic grind that forces the motorist to hide his head in shame after trying to restart an idling engine.

Besides protecting against embarrassment, another admirable trait of the 3.5 is the 19 m.p.g. city/27 m.p.g. highway rating teamed with the standard 4-spee d automatic transmission.

Intrigue was introduced in the 1998 model year. Changes for 1999 include the new 3.5-liter V-6, traction control added with the 3.5 in the GL and GLS models, the addition of a base GX model and the addition of Olds script to the decklid and GL and GLS badging added to the front fenders.

We tested the GL, which starts at $22,575. The test car added the 3.5 V-6 ($395); traction control ($145); leather interior ($995); Bose AM/FM stereo with compact-disc and cassette players plus eight speakers ($500); trunk-mounted 12-disc changer ($460); and Autobahn package including-speed rated 16-inch tires and heavy-duty brakes ($230).