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You need a four-door sedan. But most of the time, you’re in your car alone, so you want some style as well.

So, what do you buy?

No one has yet figured out how to create a sporty coupe that instantly grows a roomy, comfortable back seat and two extra doors when needed. As a result, you’re stuck sifting through the sedans on the market.

The Toyota Camry and Nissan Maxima might instantly come to mind, but Oldsmobile is working hard now to lure you with an Intrigue sedan that — for all the research that was done in California — should probably wear an “I’m from California” tag.

Olds officials say they spent two years talking with thousands of Californians who owned competitive cars. Olds built the Intrigue expressly to appeal to those California “import intenders” — folks who tend to lean toward the Toyota, Nissan and Honda cars.

The Intrigue replaces the Cutlass Supreme — and before I lose you right there, let me say the Intrigue is about as far from that car as Oprah is from Jerry Springer.

Right off, you’ll find the Intrigue has some handsome lines — pretty, even. It’s not your me-too, bland-looking, mid-size sedan. Yet, the Intrigue doesn’t offend or overdo, either.

Inside, the layout is “clean” and professional with a lot of the same feel that you’d expect in an imported sedan. The big difference is the gearshift lever, which is positioned awkwardly and isn’t that comfortable.

1998 Oldsmobline Intrigue interior

And the test car had an annoying, on-and-off squeak that seemed to come from the windshield pillar on the driver’s side.

Since the Intrigue is an uplevel mid-size car, with a starting price, including destination charge, of $21,250, it’s not bare bones. The base car includes a 195-horsepower V-6, anti-lock brakes, traction system, 16-inch wheels, dual zone air conditioning, AM/FM stereo with cassette player, power windows, door locks and mirrors and cruise control.

Several of those items are options on the competitor’s base cars. And dual zone air conditioning isn’t available at all.

The Intrigue’s engine is responsive in a mostly smooth way, with a four-speed automatic the only transmission in the car. The Intrigue gets going quickly enough in city traffic and is nicely responsive. It doesn’t feel underpowered in quick passing on the highway, either.

But it’s an old-style, overhead valve engine design — not the dual overhead cam types that the Japanese companies tend to use. Oldsmobile officials say they’ll add a multi-valve, 3.5-liter V-6 to the Intrigue in the 1999 model year.

This front-wheel drive car does have some body roll in the corners, a bit more than I expected. And it understeered a couple times. But it still behaved overall and is a far cry from the Cutlass Supreme in its handling. (Of course, it helped that the test car was the higher-priced GL and included an “autobahn package” that added performance, H-rated tires and larger front brake rotors.)

The 16-cubic-foot trunk is larger than what you get in a Camry and the Intrigue has a tad bit more front headroom. In the back seat, headroom is comparable, but the Intrigue has 1.4 more inches of legroom. The Intrigue also has more shoulder room than the Camry in both the front and back seats.

So, who says a four-door sedan has to be boring? Maybe it can be intriguing, too.

NUTS AND BOLTS

What we drove: 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue GL, a four-door, front-wheel drive, mid-size sedan with 3.8-liter V-6 and four-speed, electronic, automatic transmission.

Estimated base price: Around $22,100

Estimated price as tested: $24,370

Curb weight: 3,455 pounds

Length: 195.9 inches

Turning circle (curb to curb): 36.6 feet

Standard features: Two front air bags, AM/FM stereo wit h cassette player, tilt steering wheel, cruise control, anti-lock brakes, traction system, daytime running lamps, power windows, door locks and mirrors.

Options on test vehicle: Leather seats, autobahn package, radio controls on the steering wheel, upgraded sound system with compact disc player.

Estimated EPA figures: 19 mpg city; 30 mpg highway