Start with what the Oldsmobile Intrigue is: a 4-door sedan with 3.8 , built from 1997 to 2002, when airbags, anti-lock brakes and Japanese build quality became the world standard. What it meant takes a little longer. The shape is credited to Brigid O'Kane (1993) / Pete Lawlis, interior.
The background
The Oldsmobile Intrigue is a mid-size sedan that was manufactured from 1997 through 2002 by Oldsmobile. The Intrigue's design cues were first seen in 1995 with the Oldsmobile Antares concept car, being unveiled in production form in January 1996 at the North American International Auto Show. The Intrigue was the first casualty in the three-year phase-out process of Oldsmobile; Olds' remaining models would last an additional year or two.
The Oldsmobile Intrigue was introduced on May 5, 1997 as a 1998 model, and replaced the aging Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. It rode on the second-generation of the W-body, which it shared with the Buick Regal. The Oldsmobile Intrigue was supposed to compete with upscale Japanese and European imports such as Acura and BMW. The Oldsmobile Intrigue was heavily inspired by the Oldsmobile Aurora and the 1995 Oldsmobile Antares concept.
The engineering
The engine is 3.8 other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. On the scales it comes to 3455 lb. Drive goes through a 4-speed 4T65-E automatic. The layout matters: the engine drives the front wheels, the packaging choice that gives a small car a big cabin. The wheelbase is 109.0 in. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Where it sits
In the Oldsmobile line-up the Oldsmobile Intrigue has a clear place: it replaced the Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme; the factory was Kansas City, Kansas (Fairfax Assembly), United States. The cars a buyer would have weighed it against include the Subaru Forester, the Toyota Prius, the Lexus IS. Its Oldsmobile stablemates include the Oldsmobile 442 and the Oldsmobile 88.