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The 1999 Oldsmobile Alero is a work of ordinary excellence — outstanding because it succeeds so well at being normal.

It is a compact car, front-wheel-drive, built for families, or maybe for young singles, or couples. It doesn’t matter. The Alero has universal appeal — attractive enough to please the masses, understated enough to escape the penalties of fame.

That means thieves will ignore it and police will forgo it, assuming that the Alero is parked in a reasonably safe place and driven at reasonable speeds. The same can’t be said for fancier cars, which seem to attract police attention standing still, or for Honda Accords, which are to thieves what a lump of sugar is to ants on a summer sidewalk.

The Alero is, in a word, friendly. Were it a day of the week, it would be Saturday. Were it a politician, it would be vice president — always there, frequently useful but never obtrusive.

Oldsmobile is betting that it can take on the Accord and Nissan Altima with the Alero, and perhaps the Toyota Camry, Chrysler Cirrus and Ford Contour as well. Here’s betting that Oldsmobile is right.

The Alero is every bit as well made as its rivals. It also looks better, though that is no grand achievement, considering the mostly conservative styling of the competition.

But the Alero, at least, has some muscularity, reminiscent of the external design cues used in the larger, more expensive Oldsmobile Aurora. And the Alero has lots of neat touches, such as clear-lens head and tail lamps, which give the car a jewel-like appearance, making it look richer than it actually is.

Interior design is simple and consistently elliptical — and unusually sensible for a General Motors Corp. car. The ignition switch and hazard-light button, for example, are located in easily accessible places on the instrument panel. GM has traditionally installed those devices in hard-to-reach spots underneath and on top of the steering column.

The Alero’s front seats are comfortable and remarkably easy to use — the latter characteristic stemming from power-seat buttons designed to move the seats in six basic ways, instead of the 11 or 12 directions that some automakers mistakenly believe represent luxury accommodation.

The rear seats are comfortable for two “normal-size” adults on long highway runs. GM and Oldsmobile officials say that a third person can sit back there. But I’ll bet you that not one of them would volunteer to be the middle passenger.

The Alero can be had as a coupe or a sedan. Either configuration gets the same electronically controlled four-speed automatic transmission. Two engines are available — a 2.4-liter, 150-horsepower, double-overhead cam four-cylinder job and a 3.4-liter, 170-horsepower V-6. The larger engine is standard on the tested top-of-the-line Alero GLS. The base GX and mid-line GL get the four-cylinder standard, with the V-6 available on the GL as an option.

I’d go with the V-6. It has better low-end torque and more zip than the four-cylinder engine. It doesn’t cost that much more than the four-banger, nor does it consume appreciably more fuel.

Looks like Oldsmobile has a winner here.

1999 Oldsmobile Alero

Concern: The Alero, built on the same platform as the Pontiac Grand Am, is a breakthrough car for Oldsmobile. It proves that the company can turn out an attractive, clean, high-quality, affordable compact automobile. But there are troubling signs that Oldsmobile is prepared to kitsch up a good design, if that means more profits. Why else would Olds attach a functionally meaningless, and arguably ugly, rear air spoiler to the trunk lid of an Alero GLS coupe?

Praise: Just a very well-made, pleasant-to-drive, practical, serviceable family car. It belongs on the list of everyone shopping for a compact sedan or coupe.

Head-turning quotient: Generates no passion. But it does bring forth an occasional smile. Think of Pleasantville with colors.

Ride, acceleration and handling: Excel lent ride, handling and acceleration on the Alero GLS with 16-inch-diameter Goodyear Eagle LS Touring tires. I was surprised, until I realized that the Alero shared many components with the Pontiac Grand Am, such as the four-wheel independent suspension system. Excellent brakes — power four-wheel anti-lock discs.

Safety: Depowered front-passenger air bags; all-speed traction-control system; daytime running lamps.

Capacities: Fuel tank holds 15 gallons of regular unleaded. Engine takes four quarts of oil (less filter). Cargo capacity is 14.6 cubic feet.

Mileage: Estimated 25 miles per gallon in mostly highway driving. Overall 370-mile range on usable volume of fuel.

Sound system: Six-speaker AM-FM stereo radio and cassette with optional in-dash, single-disc CD player. GM/Delco. Very good.

Price: Base price on the tested Alero GLS sedan is $20,875. Dealer’s invoice price is $18,892. Price as tested is $21,800, including $400 in options and a $525 destination charge.