Oldsmobile Alero
Complementing Intrigue for 1999 was a more competitive Oldsmobile compact, the Alero.
A 107-inch wheelbase, rangy for compacts, served sedan and jaunty coupe body styles, each offering GX, GL, and top-drawer GLS trim. A 170-hp 3.4-liter twin cam V-6 (with roots in 1980, by the way) was standard for GLS models and available for GLs in lieu of a 150-bhp 2.4-liter "Twin Cam" four-cylinder, a more-civilized version of the Quad-4 and one of the few carryover items from the last Achievas.
The Oldsmobile Alero looked like a junior version of the Intrigue. The 2000
model shown here leaned toward a more sporty look.
Like Intrigues, all Aleros had standard all-disc antilock brakes, but also traction control (albeit a simpler setup). GL and GLS added a handy electronic tire-pressure monitor, and a firmer Performance Suspension Package was available for GLS coupes.
Alero tilted even more toward sportiness for 2000, when a five-speed manual transmission -- supplied by the renowned Getrag of Germany, no less -- replaced the four-speed automatic as standard for some four-cylinder models. Olds shuffled prices and some features that year and again for 2001. Model-year 2002 introduced GM's new 2.2-liter "Ecotec" four-cylinder engine, then phasing in for all the company's smaller cars. It made less power than the superseded 2.4, but was more refined and easier on gas.
Like Intrigue, Alero was greeted as another sign that Olds might just be turning itself around. Car and Driver judged its V-6 GLS coupe "downright world-class." Road & Track, after testing a similar car, praised "expressive styling, a lively chassis, and…satisfying torque."
Being smaller and lighter than Intrigues, V-6 Aleros posted slightly quicker 0-60 times and were even more nimble. Four-cylinder performance was adequate, though also rather noisier.
But if not perfect -- what car is? -- Alero gave value-minded
shoppers another reason to visit their local Oldsmobile dealer. As Consumer Guide®
observed: "This new Olds comes across as a refined car that's not
embarrassed by a twisting road. Alero feels more mature than [Grand
Am], and with a long list of standard features and competitive prices,
shapes up as a good value."
Despite the impressive one-two punch of Intrigue and Alero, Olds sales kept sliding. Buyers were hardly reassured by some journalists' persistent doubts about Oldsmobile's future, a chorus that only grew louder once Chrysler announced termination of once-mighty
Heavy symbolic freight thus attached to the all-new 2001
Options were few, as both models were lavishly equipped with standard leather-and-wood interior, automatic climate control, all-disc antilock brakes, GM's OnStar assistance system, and much more. V-8s added 17-inch wheels instead of 16s and the antiskid Precision Control System.
At just over $30,000 to start, the V-6 Aurora was basically a stand-in for the departed Eighty-Eight, bringing distinctive style and surprising performance to the family-car market. The uplevel V-8 version was arguably less-special than its predecessor, but it also cost a few thousand less.
And true to the Centennial Plan, each was a fine road car. Said Motor Trend: "This fresh
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