The 2001 OLDMOBILE AURORA- Lets just say it isn't your grandmother's Oldsmobile anymore. Sleek styling, great performance, and a very tempting price: this car is great. Redesigned for 2001, the Oldsmobile Aurora rolls into showrooms half a foot shorter and significantly lighter than the Aurora it replaces. It's also lost a cubic foot of trunk space and has a smaller standard engine. And yet power train choice, appearance, comfort, agility, and load convenience gains are large. Best of all is the changes underneath: significant tweaks to the V-8 and the V-6 reveal a flagship that any manufacturer would love to have.

An elegant and sophisticated look expand the sport sedan package. Though maintaining the sport look, it's a car that stays distinctive and unique in its appearance.

The Aurora buyers can now choose between two excellent power plants. A strong and efficient 3.5-liter/215-horsepower DOHC V-6, which is ample. The real prize is the redesigned quiet, powerful 4.0-liter/250-horsepower DOHC V-8, which is the predecessor to the new Shelby Series One.

The surprisingly spirited V-6 version of the car is 285 pounds lighter than last year's V-8-only car. And much of that mass comes out of the car's nose. The result is a balanced, more agile feel. If power's your thing, however, get the big, smooth Northstar-derived V-8. In that case, the weight savings over the old car is only 165 pounds. But the new V-8 Aurora is quick. And long empty straights are consumed with the delicious thrum of muted eight-cylinder sonics. If anything, the V-8 is almost too muted. If possible, we'd like a bit more intake or exhaust note under wide-open-throttle without any additional cruise noise on highway trips. The V-8 car's also got more heft, body pitch, and roll than does the V-6. Sadly, these great engines come bolted only to nicely calibrated four-speed automatics. The lack of a manual transmission is the single missing piece of credibility for this serious contender.

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Dennis Burke, chief designer of the Aurora, explains "Buyers don't want a spaceship, They want clean, enduring looks." From its aluminum hood to its aluminum trunklid, the new Aurora appears sleek and sporty, but definitely more mainstream. Many of us admired its studied compactness, the crisp bone-line creases in the upper body sides, and the round, razor-edged wheel openings. From the side, it seems almost reminiscent of the muscular Porsche 944. The smaller exterior dimensions didn't continue in the interior; with legroom and headroom remaining roomy and comfortable.

In addition, Olds made leather seats and gorgeous walnut trim standard and offers heated six-way powered front seats and steering-wheel controls for the radio and climate system. So it's now easier to get comfortable and feel pampered. Two gripes about the interior are the delicate numbers used on the speedo and tach and the smallish pictographs on the climate controls. In low light, a glance at them won't tell you much. These are some minor glitches that shouldn't effect the buyer much, but should be taken into consideration.

Thanks to some caster changes and stiffer springs, steering response is quicker and more solid. A very difficult trick, considering engineering installed full-frame doors, chopped down the previous sedan's tree-size A-posts, and lowered the cowl height. Visibility and handling agility are also improved, as well as pedal feel and tight turns. Zero to 60 times improve almost a full second, from 8.2 to a respectable 7.5 seconds. And speeding isn't the only thing its good at. The Aurora's gargantuan brakes halt it in a short 123 feet, while maintaining a headstrong straight and controlled stop. On the skidpad, the Aurora understeered predictably and managed 0.84 of lateral grip.

Some super performance from this sedan: The Aurora did a great job at making a smaller sedan better - less can be more. A sophisticated car that requires minimal work, it can be a great addition to any garage. As well, awesome perfomance on the street. AZ/AutoNetDirect.com

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