One of my regular readers and commenters mentioned that he once owned a 1985 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera sedan. Longtime followers of this blog know that’s a great way to inspire an article—especially with the knowledge that I had already written about the Buick, Chevrolet, and Pontiac versions of the A-car.
“You always win with a mid-size leader in high style.”
For 1985, Oldsmobile’s Cutlass Ciera received its first facelift, with updates to the front fascia that included a new grille and sleeker headlights. The taillamps were revised, and a high-center mount stop lamp was optional one year before it would be required.
The Ciera’s standard powertrain remained the Iron Duke 92 bhp 2.5-liter/151 ci inline four with fuel injection paired with a three-speed automatic transmission. The LK9 110 bhp 3.0 liter/181 ci V6 with a two-barrel carburetor added $260, while the LG3 125 bhp 3.8 liter/231 V6 with multi-port fuel injection cost $520. The LT7 85 bhp 4.3 liter/263 ci diesel V6 was $260. A four-speed automatic was $175.
The best case 0-60 time was about 11 seconds with the 3.8 liter V6 and the four-speed automatic. Fuel economy ratings for the same combination were 18 city/25 highway by the day’s standards (16/23 by today’s measures). With a 15.6-gallon gas tank, the owner of the quickest Ciera could expect a range of 275 to 300 miles.
The owner of a Ciera with the base Iron Duke/three-speed automatic powertrain might as well have been driving a different car. Their 0-60 time was more like 16 seconds. Fuel economy ratings were an impressive 23 city/32 highway by 1985 standards (21/29 by 2025 measures). With the same 15.6-gallon gas tank, the owner of that Ciera could expect a range of 355 to 385 miles.
The 1985 Cutlass Ciera LS sedan was $9,497—about $28,900 in today’s dollars. Standard exterior and mechanical equipment included a front-end panel stand-up ornament, power rack and pinion steering, low drag power front disc brakes, P185/75R14 steel-belted radial-ply all season blackwall tires, and Deluxe wheel discs. Inside, a Custom bench seat with a center armrest in either cloth or vinyl and an AM push-button radio with dual front speakers and a fixed mast fender antenna were included.
Moving up to the $9,998 Brougham added bright rocker panel and wheel opening moldings, a Convenience Group (lamps, visor vanity mirror, and chime tones), knit velour trims, and a divided front seat with individual controls and a center armrest.
One Package, Options, & Production Numbers
Oldsmobile continued to offer a sporty ES package for the Ciera. Built on the LS sedan and adding $895, the ES included a firm ride and handling package, P195/75R14 steel-belted radial-ply blackwall tires on 14-inch wheels with styled wheel discs, reclining bucket seats, and a console with shifter.
Individual options included Soft-Ray tinted glass, a glass panel sunroof ($310), styled aluminum wheels, a four-season air conditioner, and cruise control ($175). Custom leather trim was only available with the Brougham. Three optional radios were offered, with the top-of-the-line being an ETR AM/FM stereo cassette with auto reverse, seek and scan, noise reduction, extended range speakers, and a clock.
Oldsmobile sold 118,575 LS sedans and 112,441 Brougham sedans, making Ciera sedans 21% of total Oldsmobile production. Cieras overall were two out of every seven sales at an average Oldsmobile dealer. Cieras were also relatively reliable and had few, if any, recalls—a significant improvement over the X-cars.
Of course, the Ciera was one of the four poster children for Fortune magazine’s brutal but accurate August 22nd, 1983 cover. Many believe that cover alone changed the future direction of GM styling, but perhaps that course-correction came too late.
The View From 2025
I see these A-body cars as basic and honest, and believe they deserved their sales numbers. Cutlass Cieras sometimes show up for sale in the Hemmings Motor News classifieds or on eBay Motors, though this is increasingly unusual. Bring a Trailer has sold four Cieras.
Make mine Light Chestnut Metallic, please.
Other A-bodies I have written about include the 1983 Pontiac 6000 STE sedan, the 1985 Chevrolet Celebrity Eurosport coupe, the 1986 Buick Century sedan, and the 1989 Chevrolet Celebrity sedan. Blog entries on Oldsmobiles with the Cutlass name include the 1980 Cutlass coupe, the 1981 Cutlass Supreme coupe, and the 1985 Cutlass Supreme coupe.
Eighties Cars 
I appreciate the link back!
Clearly I was mistaken about the engine in my Ciera, it had to be the 3.0 V6 with the carb, not the 2.8. Definitely the carb, I had issues with it in winter. It had to be a Brougham as I think about it now – had the floor shift and console, velour interior, bright moulding.
Honest and reliable sums it up well. Mine was 11 years old when I got it, its issues commensurate with its age. But, they were kind of perfect in many ways – roomy enough for a family of 4, and the engine range did allow one to choose ‘thrifty’ or ‘nicely-powered midsize’. Much more comfortable than trying to live with a Cavalier, probably larger than a Tempo or Aries.
I seem to recall many more Cutlass Cieras than any of the other a-bodies. As many as there were, they’ve disappeared as their RWD predecessors have. Probably driven until a major component failed.
I believe in the west end of the Greater Toronto Area, a 1986 Ciera Cruiser wagon (all blue no woodgrain) does still make appearances at a local cruise night. It was in stunningly good condition last time I saw it. “