This Oldsmobile belongs to the niche of personal, luxury cars. It was the equivalent of the Ford Thunderbird, or the Buick Riviera, and it was the car of choice for those who wanted the highest level of comfort while behind the wheel. Such a car might have been misunderstood by many in Europe, but in its essence, it was like a big, two-door Mercedes. Of course this is a very crude comparison, but just the way it shows the essence of a personal, luxury car.
The 1992 Oldsmobile Toronado belongs to the last, fourth generation of this model. That said, when buying a ’92 car, you were getting a Toronado of the most recent year of manufacture. Many owners point out that this is one of the best cars ever made by Oldsmobile. The ’92 Toronado was significantly different from previous generations of models. It is no longer frame, and the carrier body, fully electronic fuel injection, independent suspension of all wheels and front-wheel drive.
By the way, release of this model was started in the 86th, when American automakers gradually began to depart from a painful epoch caused by the oil crisis. Probably, it is possible to explain the fact, that under a hood of the Toronado there is a V6 with enough decent capacity (but about characteristics a little bit lower). Thus, it was the 80-ies and probably for this reason GM tried to introduce in this car many innovations. Here are the blind, but not raised headlights. Blind headlights were very popular on sports cars of the 70’s and 80’s and this, an American car has them. Compared to previous models, the car was smaller but more expensive. And maybe that was one of the factors that prevented the Toronado from being released in large series.
Sales and Price 1992 Oldsmobile Toronado.
In ’92, a new Toronado could be bought in the US for $27,000. In this case, in the expensive version Trofeo (not to be confused with the Maserati), during the entire ’91 were sold 3,470 cars, and for the ’92 – 1,700 cars. Moreover, the sales were carried out through a dealer network including 3100 showrooms. From this it can be seen that these Oldsmobile did not sell too well. At the same time, even today’s owners note that these cars almost do not cause any problems and do not break down. Today, the Toronado of the fourth generation sells for an average price of 4 to 12 thousand dollars. Of course, in obviously bad condition the car can cost much more.
Appearance and photos.
I think it was the first Toronado since the first generation in the ’60s that got blind headlights. I don’t call them raised, because they are not raised. The mechanism is designed so that a special flap is lowered and the headlights are open. You can see the inscriptions Oldsmobile on the headlight covers. The headlight glass itself has the inscription Galogen. The headlight covers are in line with the panel, in place of which is usually the radiator grille. Perhaps this decision Oldsmobile tried to emphasize the aerodynamic nature of the car.
The front roof pillars are covered with glass. Surely in the days when this Oldsmobile was new, it was a cool gimmick that gave the Toronado its distinctiveness. The rear roof pillars are set almost vertically. In ’90, the car received a significant increase in length. It was 12d longer ( 305d) with a larger trunk. With a body length of 5088mm, the wheelbase is 2743mm (108d).
In front of the rear wheel you can see the inscription – Toronado. On the front wheel, just behind the wheel there is a T logo. The same logo hides the trunk latch. This is an attempt to give the car an individuality. But the inscriptions Oldsmobile can be seen on the wheel covers, which cover the bolts. In the expensive Trofeo modification, this inscription can be seen on the rear left lamp. Whereas the right lamp has the inscription – Oldsmobile. Antenna, of course, with an electric drive is installed in the rear, right wing. The long trunk line stands out visually. This is one of the features inherent in American cars of those years.
Prior to ’88, impregnated wheels were available as an option, which gave the car extra style. In ’92 the spoke wheels were returned as an option.
Interior and equipment.
The Toronado offered a digital dashboard as an option. At that time, it was an innovation and such a solution can be found on other American vehicles. One can remember the Dodge Daytona.
In addition, in the 80s, the Toronado could be equipped with a touch screen display on the center console. It could be used to adjust the radio, the temperature and ventilation in the cabin, and much more. Once again, – a touch screen display in the second half of the 80’s! This option cost $1,295. There’s also a voice alert that can alert the owner if the engine temperature is rising, if the turn signal indicators have been running for an extended period of time, or if the fuel level is low.
While this feature was not unique, at the time, it was definitely an indication of the car’s technological sophistication.
Many note the very good trim materials. The steering wheel, as on most American cars, is only adjustable in angle. The automatic transmission lever is mounted on the transmission tunnel, which at the time gradually began to become the norm on cars made in the U.S. for the domestic market. Even though it is a coupe, the doors have window frames. The latter by the way go to the roof line.
As an option a sunroof was offered, which cost 1350 dollars. I think there is no point in describing the advantages of the sunroof, but as in most cases it reduces the height of the ceiling in the saloon.
The rear seats in ’88 were fitted with three-point safety belts, which at the time was already the norm. The trunk lid could be opened remotely – from the remote, which was a cool feature for those years. The luggage compartment itself is long and deep, but not at all high.
Engine and specs for the 1992 Oldsmobile Toronado.
The only engine available for the 1992 Oldsmobile Toronado was a 3.8 liter, 231 cubic inch gasoline V6. This is a front wheel drive car and the engine is mounted transversely to the body. There is one ignition coil common to all six cylinders which was the norm in the 80’s. Maximum power of 170 horsepower is reached at 4,800 rpm, and the maximum torque is 298N.M. Only one, four speed gearbox was offered for the Toronado. Even with this, not modern automatic, to 100 km per hour such Oldsmobile is able to accelerate in 10.3 seconds, although in YouTube I saw how journalists from Motor Trend accelerated such Oldsmobile to 100 km in a little more than 9 seconds. The Toronado is able to go a quarter mile in 17.0 seconds with an exit speed of 81m.
Unusually, the Toronado is equipped from the factory with additional underhood struts. Despite the coupe body, this is not a sports car. Perhaps in this way Oldsmobile tried to increase the lack of rigidity of the body from the factory. Thus a special bracing is connected not only with cups, shock absorber cups, but also these cups with the front panel of the engine compartment in the radiator area.
In ’91, the ABS system was included in the basic equipment. From the beginning, the car was equipped with full disc brakes and independent suspension on both axles.
This is a rather underrated car. It came out in an era when gasoline in the U.S. was getting cheaper again and Americans were once again looking at big SUVs and pickups. The Toronado gives a high level of comfort, good responsiveness, and excellent comfort. In addition, these Oldsmobiles are virtually unbreakable and don’t give their owners any problems.
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