ROYALE LS A SEDAN WITH A SPORTY LOOK

When you think of a family sedan, you think of a bulky, two-ton, four-door set of wheels designed for comfort, not looks.

That's not the case with the Oldsmobile Eighty Eight Royale LS.

The vehicle has more than its share of head-turning quotient, blending the sensibility of a four-door sedan with the sleek look and feel of a sports car.

More than 80 of the beige metallic vehicles were lined up outside the General Motors factory at Wentzville a week ago for the "Oldsmobile Drive Away" event to introduce the company's all-new 1992 Eighty Eight to St. Louis Area Zone Olds dealers and news media.

From the time a key is turned and a "Good Afternoon" message blinks across the dashboard computer, to a weekend road driving test of more than 500 miles, we found little to complain about in the new car.

A service station attendant at the first gasoline stop put it best.

"That's a fine looking sedan," he said, "it looks kind of sporty."

A week ago, not many people had seen the new Eighty Eight Royale, but the full-sized sedan can now be found at dealers everywhere, including Dean Taylor Cadillac Oldsmobile, Inc. in Cape Girardeau.

This writer had the use of the car over the weekend, and put it through some heavy-duty paces, ranging from two-lane, cross country, hilly roads to the smooth sailing of interstate driving.

The Royale LS, with its 3.8 liter V-6 engine rated at 170 horsepower, and four-speed electronically controlled automatic transmission, provided good acceleration and rolled into and out of curves smoothly.

The idea of placing the radio and air conditioning touch controls on the steering wheel is a good one that eliminates a clumsy reach toward the middle of the dashboard.

If there is a fault with the car, some might point to the absence of the cruise-control package from the steering wheel. Reaching around the left side of the steering wheel to find the cruise control lever, similar to turn-signal device, takes getting used to, but certainly isn't a major drawback.

Outside of that one little quirk, everything was smooth sailing with an "A" rating.

With a new layer of insulation between the dash and motor, engine compartment noise was at a minimum, the larger tires and wheels made for better riding, and headroom space is ample, which is a plus for tall drivers.

If you're a computer buff, you'll like the dashboard driver information center, which offers everything from miles per gallon to date, time, and the outside temperature. The LS offers many option packages power seats, compact disc player, electrically heated windshield, front bucket seats, and other items.

Oldsmobile may have found what their engineers were looking for in this one, a car designed for customers who are interested in moving up from a compact or mid-size model to a roomier full-size sedan while still retaining a casual flair.