Oldsmobile Cutlass mid-size sedan begins with fresh approach
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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APACHE JUNCTION, Ariz. -- In these parts of the Arizona desert, mention of a mule would usually conjure an image of the hybrid pack animal once used to haul heavy loads of cooper and other precious metals out of the rugged mountain reaches east of Apache Junction near Phoenix.
Yet the mule steered across this desert about a year ago by one tester appeared quite different because in automotive circles a mule refers to a hybrid vehicle employed temporarily to tote hardware intended for a future new model.
In this instance that new car carries the revered Oldsmobile badge of Cutlass, although the mule prototype driven in the desert behaved unlike any previous Cutlass.
It acted like a wily import.
Feeling tight and precise in movement, my Cutlass mule carved exacting corners on wiggly mountain roads. On flat stretches of straight-line freeways, it popped up to legal driving speed quickly and quietly. Through roly-poly washboard desert washes, a new suspension system held the car firmly to a humpy roadway and signaled a new and better type of automotive action coming from General Motors.
Unlike many of the imports, however, Cutlass crafts expansive space for passengers in a new cabin design which contains comfortable seats, handy accessories and friendly instruments. With four doors and seats for five, two engine options and a pair of trims, Cutlass squeezes into a new slot in Oldsmobile's sedan line between the larger mid-size Cutlass Supreme and compact Achieva.
The 107-inch wheelbase suggests that Cutlass belongs in the compact class like Achieva, although Oldsmobile's designers created so much interior space that it officially fits in the mid-size category.
During my Arizona mule tests, the car's chief engineer, Denny Mooney, bravely came along, noting: "When we began designing the Cutlass, we took a clean-sheet approach."
The new car starts with a safety-cage superstructure constructed with strong cross bracing to eliminate squeaks. Size-wise, it stems from GM's so-called N-body platform which once carried the Olds Ciera, although with Cutlass everything's expanded and new, including a front frame cradle to mount suspension elements.
To this platform Mooney's team of developers added dynamic control systems such as rack and pinion steering and the 4-wheel independent suspension with MacPherson struts plus front and rear stabilizer bars to check body sway.
Then stylists packaged Cutlass in steel shaped to make a pleasing conservative impression.
Cutlass's prow dips, the front grille conforms to narrow lines which parallel slits of aero-style headlamps and the entire hoodline becomes a canted plane which leads rearward toward an arched windshield.
Side doors bow outward, with body-colored cladding below a distinct horizontal crease which unites front and rear wheelwells and serves as a subtle hint of movement.
This new Oldsmobile slides off the same platform as Chevrolet's new Malibu and shares many components including powertrains, but each looks and behaves with subtle distinctions which target different types of consumers.
At Oldsmobile, the 1997 model-year marks a revolution of sorts through a new wave of models geared for appeal to consumers already enamored with imports. A centennial plan initiated in 1992 calls for all Oldsmobiles to conform to the look, feel, performance and quality characteristics of Aurora, the dynamic full-size Oldsmobile sedan which during its introductory year of 1995 outsold Japan's foremost ultra luxury label.
The plan also outlines the way Oldsmobile's retail outlets will treat customers by making the buying experience more like that of Saturn, another brand from General Motors where shoppers find consistent prices in the absence of high-pressure sales tactics.
In more recent tests using prototypes closely aligned to products now at market, I steered both base and upgraded Cutlass sedans and each responded with agility.
That new chassis wiggled only slightly in compliance to lateral forces of physics, the independent suspension in coil-over-strut design dampened pavement chatter as quick-to-respond steering maintained a strong on-center feel.
It's so aggressive, yet precise and poised, that you could mistake the pliant spirit for an import.
Clearly, Mooney and his team of platform engineers have achieved a new standard for behavior that's unlike previous GM products.
And the generous cabin space seems more spacious than intended rivals.
Cutlass also packs a lot of comfortable features into the expansive cabin, although the price chart pitches this car below competitors. A base Cutlass with 4-cylinder engine, for instance, emerges for less than $19,000, while Cutlass GLS with V6 upgrade runs around $20,000.
The base model contains a long list of standard convenience features like air conditioning, comfortable front bucket seats separated by center console with armrest, a large glove compartment and various storage recesses scattered around the cabin, plus analog instruments with tachometer, a tilting steering column and nice stereo sound.
Cutlass GLS upgrades with power controls for windows, mirrors and door locks, power driver's bucket, split-folding rear seatback, remote keyless entry, cassette deck for stereo, exterior foglamps and aluminum wheels.
Anti-lock brakes become a standard safety feature for both models, as do dual airbags and daytime running lights.
The base Cutlass uses a revised 4-cylinder GM engine which once sounded rough before balanced shafts smoothed its pesky vibrations. Now the plant puts twin cams on top with revised camshaft timing and displacement of 2.4 liters, which increase mid-range torque and improve fuel efficiency.
It hits 150 horsepower, as the torque curve runs to 155 lbs/ft at 4400 rpm with fuel numbers pegged at 23/32 mpg.
An optional 3.1-liter V6 delivers 155 hp. This engine becomes the standard for GLS but is offered as an excellent low-cost option at entry level.
Both motors tie to GM's smooth-shifting electronic automatic 4-speed transmission.
Overall, Cutlass merits a round of high scores from any comparison test due to its compliant road behavior, long list of standard comfort features and fair prices.
1997 OLDSMOBILE CUTLASS
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| 1997 OLDSMOBILE CUTLASS VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS |
| Description: |
Mid-size sedan |
| Model Options: |
Mid-size sedan |
| Wheelbase: |
107.0 inches |
| Overall Length: |
192.4 inches
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| Engine Size: |
DOHC 2.4-L I4
OHV 3.1-L V6
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| Transmission: |
Auto/4 |
| Drive: |
Front |
| Braking: |
Power disc/drum/ABS |
| Airbags: |
2 |
| Gas Mileage: |
I4: 23/32 mpg
V6: 20/29 mpg |
| MSRP Price: |
$ 18,500 to $ 21,500 |
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