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There is nothing quite like bringing out a 1998 automobile at the beginning of a 1997 auto show.

With that in mind, Oldsmobile Division displayed its 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue at the Chicago Auto Show that began Saturday in Chicago’s McCormack Place.

Due out in the spring, the Intrigue is designed to play a major role in Oldsmobile’s resurgence in the mid-sized car market.

The new sedan is not intended to be all things for all people. It aims at buyers who want an upscale automobile at an affordable price.

The car is offered in one body style, one seating configuration, one powertrain, one suspension configuration and one interior design.

The price is projected to be in the $20,000 to $25,000 range.

Based on a 109-inch wheelbase and an overall length of 195.6 inches, the styling of the ’98 Intrigue follows clean, aerodynamic lines with a shade of the Olds Aurora to it. I wouldn’t say it breaks new ground, but, on balance, the car has an attractive look. A wide stance is enhanced by the use of 16-inch wheels and tires.

The five-passenger seating configuration follows the accepted 2/3 arrangement, with a center console that separates two wide, individual seats mounting the four-speed automatic transmission’s shift quadrant.

The individual seats are bolstered on both the seat and seatback segments. The four-gauge instrument panel has temperature and fuel gauges flanking large, equal size speedometer and tachometer gauges. Functional support systems are represented by indicator lights grouped around the gauges.

This is all “state of the art,” but not unusual. Except for the ignition switch, however, which is mounted in the dashboard just off the driver’s right hand, rather than in the customary position on the steering column.

Olds has stayed with a known powerplant for its new car, General Motors’ 3800 Series II V-6 that is rated at a fairly impressive 195-horsepower.

This Series II is GM’s L36 version of its push rod rocker arm V-6. It’s a 12-valve motor that displaces 231 cubic inches. While overhead cam devotees might regard the push rod/rocker arm design as old hat, the engine is so smooth that you can’t tell the difference from a V-8 without looking under the hood. It’s designed to run forever. It has quite respectable torque at 220-foot pounds. Despite its 195 horses, fuel mileage is still 19 miles per gallon in the city and 29 mpg on the highway.

Check that out against some double-overhead cam multivalve engines of smaller displacement that flow fuel and air like there is no tomorrow to get power, and you will find some interesting revelations.

Possibly the most intriguing part of the new Intrigue is its suspension system that is unique to the mid-sized class. By using a combination of premium components unlike any other in this category, an uncommonly high level of ride and handling has been achieved. There are four patents pending on the Intrigue’s ride and handling package.

The basis for good ride and handling ch aracteristics is a solid body that resists torsional movement. To accomplish this facet of design, the front-wheel-drive sedan has been given a very stiff integral body/chassis structure with a patented isolated front subframe.

The front and rear struts of the suspension system utilize a combination of premium rebound springs, four- phase valving, and synthetic fluid that is unlike other mid-sized vehicles on the market today.

A rebound spring inside all four struts eliminates the bottoming that usually occurs when the suspension tops out over a sharp crest in the road, or cavernous potholes crossed at high speed.

To further enhance control, multirate front-control arm bushings provide crisp steering and reduce impact harshness on rough road surfaces.