1. Overview
2. Gallery
   • Photo Gallery (13)
   • 360° View
   • Video
   • Web Videos (35)
3. Trims and Specs
   • Select a Trim (2)
4. More Resources
   • Related News (0)
   • Other Expert Reviews (6)
   • Consumer Opinions (214)
   • Car Tweets
   • Q&A (0)
5. Next Steps
   • Get Oldsmobile Insurance Quotes
   • Get Oldsmobile Financing Quotes
   • Check Local Classifieds
   • Find a local dealer

     Select State Alabama Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Florida Georgia Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Nebraska New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina Tennessee Texas Utah Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Select City
     

     See all Oldsmobile dealers

April 3, 2008 http://www.thecarconnection.com/fullreview/oldsmobile_aurora_2001

  Marc K. Stengel
EditorMarc K. Stengel

There are surprisingly few instances anymore of American carmakers' goals exceeding their reach. On the one hand, they no longer seem to care about making affordable, safe, and practical commuter cars for under, say, $10,000. Lately, that seems to be the Koreans' responsibility.

At the other end of the spectrum, they've already pushed the street-legal high-performance envelope about as far as it can stretch with the likes of Chevy's 345-horsepower Corvette, Ford's 320-hp Mustang Cobra SVT, and Dodge's 450-hp Viper. Meanwhile, today's popular trucks, including SUVs of course, remain proudly unsophisticated and serve as poster vehicles for the New Complacency.

There does remain, however, an elusive Grail. It is "the American car with a European feel." There are many claimants, but so far, none has even come close to nabbing the mysterious prize. Lincoln's LS and Cadillac's Seville have drawn the most attention with their loud, cocky behavior.

These are indeed quite enjoyable cars, only not especially European-feeling ones. Chrysler has essentially capitulated: With Mercedes-Benz as its senior partner, who needs it anymore to merely pretend to be European?

There is one knight-errant in this quest who may yet prevail. When dispirited, downtrodden Oldsmobile division debuted its Aurora sedan for 1995, only a few Olds loyalists really took much notice. In the last six years, however, it has slowly but increasingly dawned upon buyers in the sporty luxury class that Aurora is out to change Oldsmobile's reputation and fortunes. Strangely, the car isn't even promoted as an especially European-flavored contender—even though, arguably, it is closer to being so than any American-made rival.

2001 olds aurora interior Enlarge Photo

There are surprisingly few instances anymore of American carmakers' goals exceeding their reach. On the one hand, they no longer seem to care about making affordable, safe, and practical commuter cars for under, say, $10,000. Lately, that seems to be the Koreans' responsibility. At the other end of the spectrum, they've already pushed the street-legal high-performance envelope about as far as it can stretch with the likes of Chevy's 345-horsepower Corvette, Ford's 320-hp Mustang Cobra SVT, and Dodge's 450-hp Viper. Meanwhile, today's popular trucks, including SUVs of course, remain proudly unsophisticated and serve as poster vehicles for the New Complacency. There does remain, however, an elusive Grail. It is "the American car with a European feel." There are many claimants, but so far, none has even come close to nabbing the mysterious prize. Lincoln's LS and Cadillac's Seville have drawn the most attention with their loud, cocky behavior. These are indeed quite enjoyable cars, only not especially European-feeling ones. Chrysler has essentially capitulated: With Mercedes-Benz as its senior partner, who needs it anymore to merely pretend to be European? There is one knight-errant in this quest who may yet prevail. When dispirited, downtrodden Oldsmobile division debuted its Aurora sedan for 1995, only a few Olds loyalists really took much notice. In the last six years, however, it has slowly but increasingly dawned upon buyers in the sporty luxury class that Aurora is out to change Oldsmobile's reputation and fortunes. Strangely, the car isn't even promoted as an especially European-flavored contender—even though, arguably, it is closer to being so than any American-made rival. 2001 olds aurora interiorEnlarge Photo There are surprisingly few instances anymore of American carmakers' goals exceeding their reach. On the one hand, they no longer seem to care about making affordable, safe, and practical commuter cars for under, say, $10,000. Lately, that seems to be the Koreans' responsibility. At ...