2000 Oldsmobile Intrigue Review (continued)
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Walkaround

The Intrigue's quietly muscular exterior features styling cues from the Oldsmobile Aurora. This is most apparent in the twin openings below the reflector headlamps, which add character to the front end. The exterior is devoid of chrome and badges. Aggressive 16-inch wheels fill the wheel wells. The Intrigue's styling and proportions disguise its substantial size; it is more than 7 inches longer and 3.5 inches wider than the Toyota Camry.

Launched in 1998 as a replacement for Oldsmobile's discontinued Cutlass Supreme, the Intrigue has much in common with GM's other mid-size entries: Pontiac Grand Prix, Chevy Lumina, Buick Century and Buick Regal. Yet the Oldsmobile Intrigue presents its own character and is arguably the best interpretation of GM's W-car group.

Interior Features

The inside color scheme of our Intrigue GL came in a subdued contrast of taupe and cream. Devoid of GM's wood trim, it was tastefully done and looked like something from the cover of an interior design catalogue. An organic dash design looks clean, uncluttered and contemporary.

This is a big car by mid-size standards, and there's corresponding roominess inside. Front legroom, augmented by extended seat travel, is abundant. The front bucket seats are nicely contoured. Six-way power adjustments on the driver's side are designed well.

There's plenty of space for two adults in the rear. Long seat cushions in the rear seats provide exceptional thigh support, and the Intrigue beats the Camry for rear seat legroom by 1.4 inches. Five passengers would be crowded for anything but short trips, however. Three people in the back seat is a bit cramped and, rather than a shoulder harness, there is only a lap belt in the center position.

Trunk space is vast with plenty of room for golf bags, or mass quantities of luggage. I folded down one of the rear seats and stowed a set of fly rods there for a 600-mile round trip to Key West.

Lots of glass, a streamlined instrument cowling and a low hood line make for excellent driver sight lines. Analog tachometer and speedometer are separated by an illuminated PRNDL repeater for the transmission. Padded in thick leather, the steering wheel feels good. Auxiliary switches on the steering column feature cruise controls and, on our GL, sound system controls.

Mounting the ignition switch on the dashboard eliminates fumbling with column locks; this is the way all ignition switches should be. Similarly, the location of the emergency flasher and main cruise control switches, stacked to the right of the instrument nacelle, is ideal because they are easy to find and easy to reach in a hurry.

Climate controls are designed well and feature a passenger temperature adjustment that provides the significant other with some fine-tuning. Cup holders are among the best.