Our Editor-in-Chief, Christian Wardlaw, flew to New York and absconded with the Intrigue for a family vacation on Cape Cod. A big fan of this midsize Oldsmobile sedan, he enjoyed the weeks he spent piloting the Intrigue along the Atlantic coast and then back to Denver. Warned by NYC staffers that he would suffer a backache on the long drive, Wardlaw was somewhat mystified since the Intrigue offered him superb levels of comfort even after 10 hours behind the wheel. In his opinion, our Intrigue is an excellent road car.
Family and friends on Cape Cod were surprised to learn that our classy gold Intrigue was an Oldsmobile. One guessed Acura. Another guessed Lexus. Not surprising, since the only mentions of the Oldsmobile name that are visible on the car include an embossed right rear taillight lens and the stereo faceplate. Neighbors came over to admire the car's sexy flanks. "Wow. Now I like this," claimed one resident of Truro, Mass., nearly requiring a bib as his eyes swept top to bottom, left to right, ogling the Intrigue's proportions like a peeping tom at Kim Basinger's window.
Blindfolded, a driver would never guess this was an American sedan if it weren't for the slightly cheap feeling interior fitments and coarse-sounding pushrod V6 engine. But at a hair over $25,000, our car offers nearly all the creature comforts one might need. The powertrain is excellent, providing strong acceleration and smooth shifts. Steering, braking and handling with the optional Autobahn Package are models of what should be available in all domestic sedans. The car is comfortable, attractive, and well designed with lots of storage space, huge sideview mirrors, a one-touch open sunroof and cupholders that can accommodate fat bottles of Snapple. Wet-arm wipers are a nice touch, and ventilation can be completely shut off for passengers who dislike constantly circulating air.
Missing, however, are a compass and a visor map strap. Our stereo also produces rather mediocre sound, though Oldsmobile now offers an optional Bose unit on upscale models. We heartily recommend this top-flight audio system. The front headrests collapse far too easily, and the rear seatbelts can be temperamental at times, getting caught and twisted in the retractors on a regular basis. We also find the dual climate control system to be less than intuitive, and have yet to discern a difference in air temperature between driver and passenger sides.
Our detail-oriented editor remarked upon a few build quality issues that hadn't previously been noted. The driver's airbag cover is horribly misaligned with the steering wheel spokes, some under dash padding hangs into the front passenger's footwell and constantly needs to be pushed back into place, and the glovebox door sags a bit toward the upper right side. Also caught were faintly visible square outlines around each front door lock and handle, as well as the rear trunk lock. We assume that this is residue left by some protective devices used by the New Jersey dealership to discourage theft while the car sat on the lot before we purchased it. Now it's collecting dirt and becoming visible. We'll be trying some car cleaners to remove the gunk from the paint.
The front brake rotors were warped when Wardlaw retrieved the Intrigue from the clutches of Manhattan: not surprising considering the stop-and-go nature of traversing that crowded island. During the course of his trip, the front passenger door quickly became jammed, due to upper window door trim that rubbed with the same on the rear door. An odd rattle developed, only audible intermittently when the car was reversing, or just after shifting from Reverse to Drive and accelerating with the front wheels turned. Think of Yahtzee dice in a tin can shaken briefly, and you'll know what we heard.
So we made an advance appointment at Don Massey Cadillac-Oldsmobile on Arapahoe Road in south suburban Denver, for repairs. After detailing the Intrigue's ailments over the phone, we were told to have the car in by 7:30 a.m. if we expected to get it back that night. We arrived dutifully at the dealership at the appointed time, handed over the keys to the Intrigue and, for the second time, went over the three problems requiring correction with the service advisor. "Please fix the brake pulsation, the jammed door, and track down that rattle." Easy enough, right? Later, during a follow-up call we made to the service department to see when the car would be done, we had to go over the list a third time.
They didn't fix the car the first day. Or the second day. A technical service bulletin for the rattle dictated replacement of the front struts. "Waiting for parts," was the reason the car wasn't fixed the first day. "Having trouble getting a free bay, but the parts are here," was the report during a follow-up call we made on the second day. On the third day we called and asked when the car would be done. "The car's in the air, and he's working on it right now," was the response. We could pick it up before 6 p.m. No ride was available that evening, so we headed over to the dealership the morning of the fourth day to retrieve the Olds. The car still wasn't done, jacked up in the air with both front tires removed. We were obviously disappointed about the situation. How freaking long does it take to turn rotors, align a door, and install struts? The service advisor, recognizing the need for some damage control, promised the car by noon, and said he'd deliver it to our offices personally. Mid-morning we got a call from the service advisor requesting directions to the office. Fifteen minutes later, we were informed that there would be a delay while the Intrigue was washed and the service advisor went to snag lunch for the crew.
At this point, we were incredulous. Why have to wait so the driver who's delivering our car can grab lunch for employees? Did anybody at Don Massey even notice Cadillac buyers leaving in droves for Acura, Infiniti and Lexus models during the past decade? Does this dealership have any concept of customer service? We made all the follow-up calls. Nobody at Don Massey picked up a phone even once to inform us of the status of the Intrigue until the fourth day. Now after nearly a week without the car we've gotta wait for somebody else's lunch?!? Oy vey. For the record, the service advisor claimed that because summertime is busy for them, it's not unusual for repairs like these to take some time, despite his assurance that customers with appointments get serviced before those who simply drive in without an appointment. And the reason he didn't inform us that the car wasn't done at the end of the third day? "I honestly didn't think you'd be coming in to pick it up." Yeah, that's why I confirmed your closing time with you over the phone.
The Intrigue is a nice car, but the electrical problems, lousy build quality, and indifferent dealership attitude do not go a long way toward selling our Editor-in-Chief on the merits of buying an Oldsmobile. Take a look at the decal affixed haphazardly on the inside driver's doorjamb. A picture tells a thousand words.
Best Fuel Economy: 29.2 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 13 mpg
Maintenance Costs: $0
Problems: Odd rattle from front end. Jammed right front door. Warped rotors.
