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Boring does not have to be synonymous with family sedan. Witness the Dodge Intrepid, a family four-door that is one of the boldest designs on the road.

This second-generation Intrepid has the stylish look of a concept car and the practicality of a sedan. Its shape is dominated by a line that rises in a gentle arc from its sharp nose back over a huge passenger compartment and ends with a concave trunk and large taillights. Even though the basic body shell is identical to the Chrysler Concorde, the Intrepid is leaner and more athletic. Inside, five adults will fit with plenty of breathing room, and the trunk holds four golf bags or a enough luggage for an entire family on vacation. If you need to run to the lumberyard on Saturday morning, the optional fold-down back seat can open up a cargo hold on par with a full-size station wagon.

Chrysler spent $2.1 billion developing the 1998 Intrepid and Concorde, including a new family of aluminum V6 engines. Each car shares the same platform, architecture, roofline, windshield and powertrains, yet each is distinct. Two more derivatives, the 1999 Chrysler 300M and LHS, recently made their debut.

Designing two new cars and engines in only 31 months came about through extensive use of three-dimensional computer modeling technology, called CATIA. CATIA allowed Chrysler engineers to try as many as 1,500 variations of the intake manifold and combustion chamber, versus the five that would have been tried before. That saved both time and money in addition to making the engine more efficient. Each engine is 25 percent more powerful and 10 percent more efficient, while emissions are also down 30 percent.

While the base Intrepid has the new twin-cam, 2.7-liter unit, the ES gets a larger, 3.2-liter V6 with 225 horsepower and the AutoStick transmission. That is the car I drove. The AutoStick transmission works like a regular automatic except that it allows the driver to shift gears manually when she feels like having some fun. While I find these automatic/manual hybrid transmissions are rarely shifted manually after the first few days, having the choice of doing so is useful, especially in winter.

While the ES is not a sports car, its suspension is tuned for responsive handling, and that in turn makes it sit reasonably flat in corners. Sixteen-inch alloy wheels are also part of the ES package.

Reduced noise and vibration comes from the use of sound deadening panels, foam-filled pillars and a hydro-formed cradle for the engine and front suspension. Around back, a large aluminum cross-member does the same thing for the rear suspension.

The Intrepid’s completely new interior, with minor trim differences, is similar to that of the Concorde. Gauges have white faces and textured black plastic replaces the Concorde’s wood-grain trim around the radio and center console. The soft-touch instrument panel has a leather-like texture and no cut lines for the passenger airbag. Secondary controls not only feel expensive but are located up higher in the dash and closer to the driver.

A few other improvements:

— The PRNDL indicator on the console is illuminated, as is the indicator in the speedometer.

— The remote trunk release is now next to the steering wheel.

— Headlights are bigger and nearly twice as bright.

— The windshield defroster is more efficient, and washer nozzles are farther out on the hood so they don’t ice up.

The test car had a couple of minor glitches: The driver’s side door seemed to let in excessive road noise, and the shift lever did not move as fluidly as that of the Chrysler Concorde I drove a few weeks ago.

Compared with its competitors, the Intrepid sets a new standard for family-car styling. Not only does it have a huge interior, and two new engines, but it looks as dashing as any sports coupe on the market. It’s that kind of boldness that made Chrysler such an attractive partner for a merge with Diamler-Benz.

Price

The base price of our test car was $22,465. Options included power leather seats, automatic air conditioning, AM/FM stereo with CD and 9 speakers, day/night mirror and ashtray.

The sticker price was $25,250.

Warranty

The standard warranty is for three years or 36,000 miles.

Vehicles for The Star’s week-long test drives are supplied by the auto manufacturers.

Point: Chrysler has taken a giant step with the Intrepid and Concorde. They have smooth, efficient engines, tons of interior space and styling that is ahead of anything in their class.

Counterpoint: While some secondary controls have been improved, they could be even better. Our test car had a stiff gearshift lever and some road noise from around the driver’s door.

SPECIFICATIONS:

ENGINE: 3.2-liter, V6

TRANSMISSION: AutoStick

WHEELBASE: 113 inches

CURB WEIGHT: 3,517 lbs.

BASE PRICE: $22,645

PRICE AS DRIVEN: $25,250

MPG RATING: 19 city, 29 hwy.