California's Central Coast, Steinbeck country. Limpid air somehow absorbs the surrounding greenery, while the magnificent waves toss themselves against rock formations. Luxury accommodations and a picturesque luncheon on the hills of a vineyard overlooking a town in the distance await my arrival. Sigh - near perfection as the pure filtered sunlight glints off the silverware on the pristine linen tablecloth. We are served artichokes. Where could these artichokes have come from? Could they be the fruits of labor of the migrant workers bending over the crops whilst we were whizzing past in the redesigned Oldsmobile Aurora?
This is the lifestyle of the consumer that GM wants to attract for Oldsmobile's new Aurora. For their intent is not to attract just any customer, but to attract the "right" customers. So the right customers would not be the migrant workers, the nice waiters who served us the food, or even us journalists who were treated to a lovely two days (we are unable to afford such a jaunt in real life). The average buyer of the Aurora is surmised to have fallen from 60 to 48 in age, with a greater income. They have the highest percentage of buyers that are college grads among GM consumers, presumably pertinent because they are informed consumers who are aware of the different choices available.
A younger, wealthier, more educated prospect. Oh, if only we could all trade in our present mates for such a rosy outlook! Think Michael Douglas and Catharine Zeta-Jones.
With the introduction of the 1994 Aurora, Oldsmobile had hoped that their flagship model would shed their rather stodgy image (exacerbated by the fact that, for instance, Dad's government-issued 1980 Olds Cutlass was in the shop every two weeks) and submit, for your approval, a car that could duke it out with the slew of imports (most of which turned out to be very good cars) that were dominating the newly minted class of entry-level luxury sedan. For the most part they succeeded, designing a head-turner of a car which elicited love-it-or-hate-it responses (no press is bad press) and gave a pretty decent performance. The engine, derived from Cadillac's Northstar V8, put forth plenty of power, but the whole package was just too polemical - you had a big, fat, flashy car with lots of power but limited appeal (kind of like Elvis circa 1974).
Enter the 2001 Aurora, currently available at selected dealerships. After a bout with Metabolife, the Aurora emerges in a new svelte, lighter package. Oldsmobile hopes that the alterations will widen its appeal to a broader, more attractive audience, including more women, and thus increase current volume. To that effect, they have chopped the exterior six inches but increased interior room. They also added a less-pricey V6 to supplement the V8, again, hoping to reach female consumers.
The smaller body makes it more agile, which will presumably be more convenient for parking in tight spaces. As quoted in the press kit, Mr. John Gatt, brand manager for the Aurora, says "This will be extremely important for women and younger buyers." (Okay, admittedly, I've gotten in a scrape or two due to a bulky car, but I think that to assume that this is because of my lack of facial hair or my youth - although I'm sure I'll get facial hair as I age, much like my Aunt Bunny - is a bit patronizing. There are terrible drivers of both sexes. And all ages.)
Through extensive use of aluminum in the body panels, hood, and the engine case (also the deck lid on the V8) the V6 sheds 160 lbs., while the V8 loses a whopping 280 lbs. And the difference is definitely felt and appreciated; the car has a light, lively feel that almost makes you question whether it is in fact a GM product. The whole car is more properly balanced than the previous iteration, which was front-heavy.
The DOHC 3.5-liter V6 generates a hefty 215 horsepower and peak torque of 234 foot-pounds, and the traditional 4.0-liter V8 gives 250 with 260 foot-pounds at low revs. The difference in 35 horses seemed slight, at least to this female driver, who duly noted that the seamless power delivery of the V8 didn't justify the $5,000 price increase. In any case, power for either version was more than ample for spirited acceleration (and made us thankful for the elderly couple in their '78 Olds who let us pass). Both engines meet LEV standards.
However, we could not help but notice that the car still handles sloppily when pitched into tight curves on the roads that wind through the hills of Monterey. Its much-touted suspension is enhanced by lateral tie bars that batten down the engine at the rear and front of the engine bay, which has the effect of stiffening the front end. Although it was tolerably stiff and well-adjusted, we kept recalling the sport-tuned suspension of its most obvious competitor, the Lincoln LS. While the sway bar kept the chassis of the LS blithely balanced in slalom-like maneuvers, Oldsmobile has yet to create a suspension system that allows the car to be stabbed through curves without rocking the bejeezus out of its occupants.
Going into and out of curves may have raised the ire of the passengers, but it was a heck of a lot of fun for the driver. The steering was very responsive, with great road feel translated through the wheel. We especially appreciated the Magnasteer rack-and-pinion system that adjusts the amount of effort according to speed. Our rapid pace was further enabled by the Precision Control System (an electronically controlled stability system), optional on the V6 and standard on the V8. The V8 is shod with chubby 17" Michelins, while the V6 has 16" Goodyears, both sets of which maintained good contact with the road. These, and the sculpted metal insert around the license plate of the V6, are the only visual differences between the two versions.
The brakes were easily-modulated, and we must give credit to the springs and shocks for their ability to overcome diving and squatting. However, during a test of hard braking, we noticed that although the ABS kicked in, deceleration was not as smooth as we would have liked. Although we were on a straight stretch of road the chassis wriggled and the steering wheel seemed to lose its ability - isn't the point of ABS to prevent this from happening?
Sumptuously appointed, the interior would appease the sybarite in all of us, with real burl walnut trim on the dash and chrome accents around the gauges and shiftgate. However, it cannot override the clumsiness of the shift action, which Oldsmobile designed as a performance-type gated shift lever. It gets rid of the button that releases the lever, but movement through each gear, which has you pushing the lever away from yourself, is so dramatically counterintuitive that we were stymied every time we made a gear change. The seats are swathed in a fine-grained sandstone leather, which looks and feels great.
On the whole the interior ergonomics are well laid out with few exceptions, and the fit and finish was admirably executed. But there were curiously vast spaces between the controls. The dashboard is slightly angled towards the driver, which is a great deterrent for those clueless, annoying passenger-side pilots who think that the radio station choice is their domain! HA!
And here's something different - the HVAC controls are placed on the steering wheel, along with the stereo controls, which makes it convenient for the target female driver to control the AC whenever she experiences hot flashes. But this may be a point of debate - how many times while driving do you adjust the temperature? Wouldn't it be better to place the cruise control where it can be more readily accessed, since you'd be traveling at a pretty rapid pace?
Speaking of HVAC, the switchgear has no spunk - they click into position with no tactile feel, perhaps a pre-production test vehicle glitch. Being that they were as such, we were willing to overlook the various squeaks and rattles which emanated from the interior. However, the wind noise off the side mirrors was way too loud, especially since this problem was to have been addressed with a myriad of noise buffers stuffed into body cavities. And resting your elbow on the windowsill? Forget about it - a steep slope and hard material will prohibit that from happening. The chubby steering wheel felt good in my hand, but an older driver commented that wrapping her hands around it was starting to make her arthritis flare up.
As previously mentioned, the driver has it good, with power adjustable seats and tilt (non-telescoping) wheel. The seat belts that originate from the seat frame are great since, no matter what position you're in, it's always properly adjusted. The rear seat offers plenty of legroom, and cushions comfy enough to quell any dissenters, which is why we suppose Oldsmobile didn't bother with putting in soft front seatbacks. This may cause those with long femurs some discomfort. The trunk space, although one cubic foot smaller than the previous version, actually has more useable space, and we applaud its lower liftover and wider opening. The rear seat pass-through allows for the traditional Festivus pole to fit nicely.
And finally, the exterior. In attempting to appeal to a broader market, the Aurora has become vanilla-fied; the maxim "less is more" must have been tattooed on the back of every designer's hand. The "elegant" new Aurora is void of decorations or flourishes, which Oldsmobile takes great pride in demonstrating. The only distinctive mark is the crisp crease in the sheetmetal along the flanks of the car, the headlights and front end that oddly resembles a beefy Saturn, and liquid crystal tail lamps. Overall, the styling is rather tepid, and, true to its mission, it causes no offense, but neither does it evoke a "whoa."
Oldsmobile hopes, primarily, to be a consideration for the getting-there affluent buyer in the market for an entry-level luxury sedan. They are convinced that once they get people into the showroom, they'll be hooked. This is certainly a solid, well-built American effort, but it is lacking when held next to its competitors, especially the excellent Lincoln LS. Admittedly, it has some fearsome foes - the Lexus ES 300, seminal in establishing the entry-level luxury segment, and the BMW 5 Series. For those seeking to assuage their patriotic fervor, GM may wish to place the Olds dealer closer to the freeway exit than Ford did Lincoln. For those seeking a slightly inferior, but better equipped car for about five grand less, the Aurora would be a fine choice. Especially for the audience Olds hopes to capture, perhaps an idealized version of ourselves.
This is the lifestyle of the consumer that GM wants to attract for Oldsmobile's new Aurora. For their intent is not to attract just any customer, but to attract the "right" customers. So the right customers would not be the migrant workers, the nice waiters who served us the food, or even us journalists who were treated to a lovely two days (we are unable to afford such a jaunt in real life). The average buyer of the Aurora is surmised to have fallen from 60 to 48 in age, with a greater income. They have the highest percentage of buyers that are college grads among GM consumers, presumably pertinent because they are informed consumers who are aware of the different choices available.
A younger, wealthier, more educated prospect. Oh, if only we could all trade in our present mates for such a rosy outlook! Think Michael Douglas and Catharine Zeta-Jones.
With the introduction of the 1994 Aurora, Oldsmobile had hoped that their flagship model would shed their rather stodgy image (exacerbated by the fact that, for instance, Dad's government-issued 1980 Olds Cutlass was in the shop every two weeks) and submit, for your approval, a car that could duke it out with the slew of imports (most of which turned out to be very good cars) that were dominating the newly minted class of entry-level luxury sedan. For the most part they succeeded, designing a head-turner of a car which elicited love-it-or-hate-it responses (no press is bad press) and gave a pretty decent performance. The engine, derived from Cadillac's Northstar V8, put forth plenty of power, but the whole package was just too polemical - you had a big, fat, flashy car with lots of power but limited appeal (kind of like Elvis circa 1974).
Enter the 2001 Aurora, currently available at selected dealerships. After a bout with Metabolife, the Aurora emerges in a new svelte, lighter package. Oldsmobile hopes that the alterations will widen its appeal to a broader, more attractive audience, including more women, and thus increase current volume. To that effect, they have chopped the exterior six inches but increased interior room. They also added a less-pricey V6 to supplement the V8, again, hoping to reach female consumers.
The smaller body makes it more agile, which will presumably be more convenient for parking in tight spaces. As quoted in the press kit, Mr. John Gatt, brand manager for the Aurora, says "This will be extremely important for women and younger buyers." (Okay, admittedly, I've gotten in a scrape or two due to a bulky car, but I think that to assume that this is because of my lack of facial hair or my youth - although I'm sure I'll get facial hair as I age, much like my Aunt Bunny - is a bit patronizing. There are terrible drivers of both sexes. And all ages.)
Through extensive use of aluminum in the body panels, hood, and the engine case (also the deck lid on the V8) the V6 sheds 160 lbs., while the V8 loses a whopping 280 lbs. And the difference is definitely felt and appreciated; the car has a light, lively feel that almost makes you question whether it is in fact a GM product. The whole car is more properly balanced than the previous iteration, which was front-heavy.
The DOHC 3.5-liter V6 generates a hefty 215 horsepower and peak torque of 234 foot-pounds, and the traditional 4.0-liter V8 gives 250 with 260 foot-pounds at low revs. The difference in 35 horses seemed slight, at least to this female driver, who duly noted that the seamless power delivery of the V8 didn't justify the $5,000 price increase. In any case, power for either version was more than ample for spirited acceleration (and made us thankful for the elderly couple in their '78 Olds who let us pass). Both engines meet LEV standards.
However, we could not help but notice that the car still handles sloppily when pitched into tight curves on the roads that wind through the hills of Monterey. Its much-touted suspension is enhanced by lateral tie bars that batten down the engine at the rear and front of the engine bay, which has the effect of stiffening the front end. Although it was tolerably stiff and well-adjusted, we kept recalling the sport-tuned suspension of its most obvious competitor, the Lincoln LS. While the sway bar kept the chassis of the LS blithely balanced in slalom-like maneuvers, Oldsmobile has yet to create a suspension system that allows the car to be stabbed through curves without rocking the bejeezus out of its occupants.
Going into and out of curves may have raised the ire of the passengers, but it was a heck of a lot of fun for the driver. The steering was very responsive, with great road feel translated through the wheel. We especially appreciated the Magnasteer rack-and-pinion system that adjusts the amount of effort according to speed. Our rapid pace was further enabled by the Precision Control System (an electronically controlled stability system), optional on the V6 and standard on the V8. The V8 is shod with chubby 17" Michelins, while the V6 has 16" Goodyears, both sets of which maintained good contact with the road. These, and the sculpted metal insert around the license plate of the V6, are the only visual differences between the two versions.
The brakes were easily-modulated, and we must give credit to the springs and shocks for their ability to overcome diving and squatting. However, during a test of hard braking, we noticed that although the ABS kicked in, deceleration was not as smooth as we would have liked. Although we were on a straight stretch of road the chassis wriggled and the steering wheel seemed to lose its ability - isn't the point of ABS to prevent this from happening?
Sumptuously appointed, the interior would appease the sybarite in all of us, with real burl walnut trim on the dash and chrome accents around the gauges and shiftgate. However, it cannot override the clumsiness of the shift action, which Oldsmobile designed as a performance-type gated shift lever. It gets rid of the button that releases the lever, but movement through each gear, which has you pushing the lever away from yourself, is so dramatically counterintuitive that we were stymied every time we made a gear change. The seats are swathed in a fine-grained sandstone leather, which looks and feels great.
On the whole the interior ergonomics are well laid out with few exceptions, and the fit and finish was admirably executed. But there were curiously vast spaces between the controls. The dashboard is slightly angled towards the driver, which is a great deterrent for those clueless, annoying passenger-side pilots who think that the radio station choice is their domain! HA!
And here's something different - the HVAC controls are placed on the steering wheel, along with the stereo controls, which makes it convenient for the target female driver to control the AC whenever she experiences hot flashes. But this may be a point of debate - how many times while driving do you adjust the temperature? Wouldn't it be better to place the cruise control where it can be more readily accessed, since you'd be traveling at a pretty rapid pace?
Speaking of HVAC, the switchgear has no spunk - they click into position with no tactile feel, perhaps a pre-production test vehicle glitch. Being that they were as such, we were willing to overlook the various squeaks and rattles which emanated from the interior. However, the wind noise off the side mirrors was way too loud, especially since this problem was to have been addressed with a myriad of noise buffers stuffed into body cavities. And resting your elbow on the windowsill? Forget about it - a steep slope and hard material will prohibit that from happening. The chubby steering wheel felt good in my hand, but an older driver commented that wrapping her hands around it was starting to make her arthritis flare up.
As previously mentioned, the driver has it good, with power adjustable seats and tilt (non-telescoping) wheel. The seat belts that originate from the seat frame are great since, no matter what position you're in, it's always properly adjusted. The rear seat offers plenty of legroom, and cushions comfy enough to quell any dissenters, which is why we suppose Oldsmobile didn't bother with putting in soft front seatbacks. This may cause those with long femurs some discomfort. The trunk space, although one cubic foot smaller than the previous version, actually has more useable space, and we applaud its lower liftover and wider opening. The rear seat pass-through allows for the traditional Festivus pole to fit nicely.
And finally, the exterior. In attempting to appeal to a broader market, the Aurora has become vanilla-fied; the maxim "less is more" must have been tattooed on the back of every designer's hand. The "elegant" new Aurora is void of decorations or flourishes, which Oldsmobile takes great pride in demonstrating. The only distinctive mark is the crisp crease in the sheetmetal along the flanks of the car, the headlights and front end that oddly resembles a beefy Saturn, and liquid crystal tail lamps. Overall, the styling is rather tepid, and, true to its mission, it causes no offense, but neither does it evoke a "whoa."
Oldsmobile hopes, primarily, to be a consideration for the getting-there affluent buyer in the market for an entry-level luxury sedan. They are convinced that once they get people into the showroom, they'll be hooked. This is certainly a solid, well-built American effort, but it is lacking when held next to its competitors, especially the excellent Lincoln LS. Admittedly, it has some fearsome foes - the Lexus ES 300, seminal in establishing the entry-level luxury segment, and the BMW 5 Series. For those seeking to assuage their patriotic fervor, GM may wish to place the Olds dealer closer to the freeway exit than Ford did Lincoln. For those seeking a slightly inferior, but better equipped car for about five grand less, the Aurora would be a fine choice. Especially for the audience Olds hopes to capture, perhaps an idealized version of ourselves.
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