Orlando Sentinel's view

You said that when Detroit built a sophisticated and stylish luxury sports sedan as good as anything from Lexus or a Mercedes-Benz that you would buy it.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, the time has now come for you to draw your checkbooks – only this time you won’t be visiting your local Cadillac or Lincoln dealer.

With the Aurora, Oldsmobile – the division of General Motors that was considered little more than road kill only two years ago – has re-emerged from a decade-long funk with a car that I think is going to rock the automotive world just as hard as the Lexus LS 400 did in 1989.

If there still are any lingering doubts about Oldsmobile’s future or GM’s ability to design and manufacture world-class cars, the Aurora most likely will do away with them once and for all.

Autoweek, Road & Track and other publications already are saying that the Aurora is the best car Olds has ever built. But, because of its low price and high level of refinement, I think the Aurora is far more than that.

In terms of size, style, design, attention to detail, performance and quality, the Aurora mirrors the best characteristics of European and Japanese luxury cars.

It’s as if the special team of engineers and designers who created the Aurora captured the style, charisma and personality of a Jaguar XJ6 and blended it with the world-beating quality of a Lexus LS 400.

The clincher is its price. With a base price of less than $32,000, Aurora holds roughly a $20,000 price advantage over the Lexus LS 400 and Mercedes-Benz E420 and at least $10,000 over the BMW 530i while offering many of the same features, and in many cases, more equipment.

The Oldsmobile Aurora makes a powerful statement. It is further proof that Detroit is back in gear. No longer does a world-class luxury car have to come from a foreign land.

PERFORMANCE

Nothing in the Aurora comes off any standard parts shelf at General Motors. Not even the engine.

Olds looked around GM and found in Cadillac the engine technology it wanted for the Aurora. The Aurora’s 4.0-liter, 32-valve, double-overhead cam aluminum V-8 is a slightly smaller version of the highly acclaimed 4.5-liter Northstar engine Cadillac uses in its Seville, Eldorado and Deville.

The Aurora’s V-8, which drives the front wheels, develops 250 of the smoothest and most refined horses your money can buy.

And like that Cadillac engine, you won’t have to do anything to maintain it but change the oil and filters for the first 100,000 miles.

The Aurora is not a car that you would call fast. But it is quick, registering a 0-to-60 mph time of about 8.2 seconds, according to Oldsmobile. The Lexus LS 400 goes from 0 to 60 mph in 8 seconds, according to Road & Track magazine.

I keep mentioning the Lexus LS 400 because I feel the Aurora is the American equivalent – except in price, of course.

The Aurora’s four-speed computer-controlled automatic transmission sets the standard for smoothness. In most instances, the driver cannot feel the transition from one gear to the next – up or down.

Traction control is standard.

Fuel mileage is nothing short of excellent. The Aurora is a heavy car, weighing in at about 3,900 pounds. Yet it delivers about 18 mpg in city driving and 26 on the highway.

Filling up, however, can leave a sizeable dent in your wallet. The Aurora has a 20-gallon tank, and Olds requires that it be filled with unleaded premium, which is going for about $1.40 a gallon.

HANDLING

The taut, athletic way the Aurora handles shows that Olds engineers are in synch with what import-oriented luxury-car buyers want in a sporty sedan.

Actually, the key to the Aurora’s deft handling is its superstiff body.

The hottest trend in car-making today is to design car bodies that do not flex much. This allows engineers to fine-tune suspension systems to absorb the energy from bumps and to keep the c r’s body from leaning in turns.

The Aurora has one of the stiffest bodies you can buy. It is built, Olds says, to Mercedes-Benz standards.

Unlike many other cars, the front and rear suspension systems are mounted on a separate assembly called a subframe, which attaches to the Aurora’s body. This also helps eliminate road noise.

Olds engineers created a new type of power-assisted steering system for the Aurora. It uses a combination of magnets and hydraulics. At the wheel, you experience a very smooth, precise and consistent feel when you turn. The effort it takes to make a turn doesn’t vary much, regardless of the driving situation.

The standard anti-lock brakes – power-assisted four-wheel discs – are exceptionally strong. Even in a heavy rain, the brakes slowed the car quickly and predictably every time. That really added to my confidence in the car.

Our test car came with the Autobahn suspension option, a $395 package that includes high-speed-rated Michelin tires and a computer chip that lets the car attain a top speed of 135 mph.

FIT AND FINISH

I haven’t driven an American car this year that turned more heads, provoked more questions, and then shocked so many people when they found out what it was and how little it cost.

Because Oldsmobile purposely left its corporate name off the outside of the car – there’s only ”Aurora” in chrome on the right taillight – many people wondered what it was and who made it.

Most people guessed it was a new Lexus or Infiniti model.

No one thought it was an Oldsmobile.

And why should they?

No Oldsmobile has ever looked this chic and prestigious.

None has ever been as technically advanced. And no modern Oldsmobile has offered real wood trim on the inside.

That wood trim, by the way, looks better than what Cadillac uses in the Seville and Eldorado. The shiny, classy wood is on the dash, doors and console.

The Aurora comes just about fully loaded. A power sunroof, which the test car had, is a $995 option. And you can get seat heaters for another $295.

Our glossy black test car had a gray leather interior that was simply gorgeous. The seats were very comfortable.

The dash is a beautifully designed piece of automotive architecture. The center section angles slightly toward the driver, making it easy to make any adjustments to the air conditioner or the radio. There are also controls mounted on the steering wheel.

Olds reduced the visual clutter of buttons and switches by concealing the computerized information system underneath a pop-up panel on the top part of the dash. Once opened, you can call up such information as oil life index, trip distance and average speed and fuel mileage.

The full set of analog gauges are attractive and spaced nicely so that they are easy to read.

Dual air bags are standard.

I would rate the front bucket seats and the rear bench as the best I’ve ever seen in a Gene ral Motors vehicle. Two switches on each front door panel allow the driver and passenger to adjust lower back supports. The headrests tilt as well as move up and down.

In the rear seat, a fold-out armrest opens up and reveals two cupholders.

The Aurora offers a generous amount of foot, leg and headroom front and rear.

Before the Aurora came along, I didn’t think I would drive a car that could beat the new Saab 900 S as the best car I’ve tested this year.

If you want a fully equipped V-8 luxury/sports sedan, you would have to spend about $10,000 more for a car that could match the Aurora.

Specifications:

1995 Oldsmobile Aurora

VEHICLE LENGTH Overall 205.4 Wheelbase 113.8

WIDTH Track-front 62.5 Overall 74.4

HEIGHT Overall 55.4

FRONT COMPARTMENT Head room 38.4 Leg room 42.6

REAR COMPART ENT Head room 36.9 Leg room 38.4

WARRANTY 4-year, 50,000-mile bumper-to-bumper coverage; 6-year, 100,000-mile rust protection and 24-hours roadside assistance. Inches unless otherwise specified

MECHANICAL Drivetrain layout: Transverse-mounted front engine and transaxle, front-wheel drive. Suspension: Front, independent with MacPherson struts, coil springs, lower control arm and anti-roll bar; rear, independent with aluminum trailing arms and lateral links, coil springs, anti-roll bar and automatic leveling. Brakes: Power assisted four-wheel disc with ABS. Engine: 250-horsepower, 32-valve DOHC, 4.0-liter aluminum V-8 with electronic fuel injection. Safety features: Dual air bags, traction control, anti-lock brakes, dynamic side impact protection and front and rear crumple zones. Fuel tank: 20 gallons. Weight: 3,967 pounds. Steering: Rack and pinion magnetic/hydraulic variable-speed. Transmission: Computer-controlled four-speed automatic. Wheels: Alloy.

Truett’s tip: When it comes to performance, quality and refinement, the new Aurora by Oldsmobile is an American car that can match or surpass the best Japanese and European luxury cars. And when it comes to value for the dollar, the Aurora blows all competition – foreign and domestic – into the weeds.