Got 2013 Indy 500 answers? Step right up

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews also can be seen on the Business page of The Sacramento Bee’s website – via the “GALLERY: Reviews of new cars” link at www.sacbee.com/business

Sacramento, California – A whirlwind weekend of qualifying for Sunday’s 97^th running of the Indianapolis 500 presented more questions than answers.

So, let’s get to it:

Q.: Are the cars faster than last year?

A.: Yes, sometimes breathtakingly fast for the drivers with Chevrolet motors.  Straightaway speeds in the 235 miles per hour range were commonplace last weekend, and Chevy power plants are in the top 10 qualifying cars?

Q.: Can pole position winner, Indianapolis hometown favorite and solo racing team owner Ed Carpenter, not a well-known name outside of IndyCar, win the world-famous race this Sunday?

A.: Absolutely.  Carpenter is an oval specialist, so much so that it appears he drives the road courses just to pass the time to get to the high-speed ovals.  Carpenter is experienced, brave and smooth.  If he stays out of harm’s way – always a tall order at Indianapolis – get ready for the most popular home boy 500 win since Howdy Wilcox crossed the finish line first in 1919.

Q.: Is three-time Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti a non-factor this year?

A.: Don’t even think about it.  Last year, Dario qualified 16^th in a Honda-powered car that appeared far inferior to the Chevys.  In the last practice before the 2012 race, Franchitti and teammate Scott Dixon were turning the fastest laps at the track.  Then, on race day, they quickly moved to the front, with Franchitti edging Dixon for the win.  Dixon starts 16^th this year, and Franchitti goes off 17^th.   Just based on past history, expect both to move up and be in contention before the 250-mile mark.  Both of these guys know how to win at Indy.  Chevy’s pole day muscle might end up being a lukewarm memory when the checkered flag falls on Sunday.

Q.: Can Helio Castroneves win his record-tying fourth Indianapolis 500?

A.: Yes, he can.  The normally spot-on-perfect Roger Penske racing team has slipped and miscued at numerous key moments over the past several years (especially a mind-blowing series of stumbles that cost driver Will Power the IndyCar series title the past three seasons).  Yet Castroneves qualified well (he will go off eighth) and seems dialed in to the competition this year.  Castroneves’ record outside of the Indy 500 is merely good; his record at Indianapolis is exceptional.  He knows how to manage race pace and when to go all-out at the end.  I picked him as a favorite earlier this year.  I still like his odds on Sunday.

Q.: Can a virtually unknown driver win on Sunday?

A.: Absolutely.  The Indy 500 has a way of crushing seemingly sure-fire winners late in the grind, and accidents/mechanical failures can eject favorites in the blink of an eye.  A comparatively little-known driver can carve his/her name in auto racing history on Sunday.  Frankly, it would not surprise me to see it happen.

Q.: Who is the sentimental favorite to win it?

A.: Hands down, Tony Kanaan.  Starting 12^th with Chevy power, he’s in good position, although he was grumpy about his car’s ability to handle in traffic in last weekend’s final practice session.  I’m discounting that, because Kanaan always seems to get it figured out by race day, and he has had a hall-of-fame series of runs from back to front in past 500s.  Alas, multiple heartbreaks have kept him from drinking the winner’s milk at Indy.  Should he pull out a win this time around, the throng of Indy fans might just shake the grandstands apart jumping up and down.

Q.: Who will win it?

A.: I like Carpenter.  I like Castroneves.  I like Franchitti.  I like Dixon.  And I like Kanaan.  But I’m picking Marco Andretti to win it.  Andretti started this month with a few fast laps, and then it’s like he dropped off the publicity radar.  That’s somewhat amazing, considering his famous name and the fact that he’s starting the race on the front row in a very fast machine.  I’ve been impressed with Andretti’s savvy season so far.  He says he put in a lot of work in the off-season, and yeah, it sure looks like that made a difference.  He’s looking like a smarter, better driver all the way around this year. I’m picking Andretti to run up front throughout Sunday’s race, and I expect him to lock it down over the last 20 laps, breaking the so-called Andretti curse at Indianapolis and putting the Andretti name in Victory Lane for the first time since grandfather Mario won the 500 back in 1969.

This Lexus hybrid is a mean, green machine

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews also can be seen on the Business page of The Sacramento Bee’s website – via the “GALLERY: Reviews of new cars” link at www.sacbee.com/business

Sacramento, California – The 2013 Lexus GS 450h sedan just might be my favorite guilty pleasure.

And yet, I can’t feel too guilty.  It is a hybrid after all.

Reworked and re-engineered extensively for 2013, the 3.5-liter V-6 power plant combines with electronic assistance to waltz into the near-350 horsepower community, and let me tell you, this is the hybrid hot rod of your dreams.

In fact, I don’t even think of it as a hybrid.  It’s that peppy.  Seamless power plant performance is matched with a new, stiffer – downright sport-tuned for my money – body structure.

On the outside, the car looks to be a midsize.  Inside, it has all the room of a full-size, yet it drives like a peppy, agile sports car, with a ton of luxury thrown in.

Yet fuel mileage is an impressive 29 miles per gallon in the city and 34 mpg on the highway.

A mean, green machine?  Affirmative.

Be advised that this is a supremely engineered Lexus, and there’s a price to pay for that: $58,950 to start, and mine had extras that pushed the sticker’s bottom line to a hefty $68,814.

Yes, my ride was dressed up to near limo standards, and I undoubtedly enjoyed the 18-inch alloy wheels, the primo Mark Levinson surround-sound audio system and three-zone auto-climate control amid a sea of leather and polished wood.

But what I enjoyed most was driving it.

As I said, engine response is so instant and so robust that you pretty much lose the idea that you’re piloting a hybrid vehicle.  It doesn’t behave like a hybrid.  It acts more like a weekend racer, a scalded-cat blazer with monorail-like stability and butter-smooth, bump-absorbing characteristics.

It’s hard to imagine a better car for taking a long trip.  You have all the interior luxuries, performance as needed and plentiful comfort. And again, with its fuelish ways, even a cross-country adventure won’t crush your wallet.

I know the performance purists out there will run from any car that wears a hybrid label, and that’s fine with me.

But just between me and thee my tire-screeching friends: You really don’t know what you’re missing in this very fine GS 450h.

Lexus Large drips with pop, luxury

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews also can be seen on the Business page of The Sacramento Bee’s website – via the “GALLERY: Reviews of new cars” link at www.sacbee.com/business

This review originally appeared in the April 2013 edition of the Northern & Central California Cruisin’ News published out of Folsom, California – mg

Sacramento, California – Call it Lexus Large … And by that I mean a Lexus sedan stuffed to the brim with luxury, performance and style.

You don’t turn down a ride in 2013 Lexus LS 460 F SPORT sedan when it comes along.  For the record, my tester was a pre-production model, but there were no bugs to work out.  It was a top-level experience all the way.

And if you want this machine, figure on paying $80,000 minimum for it.  Just so you have a starting point, right?

So many luxury features to count, but here are a few that you don’t see on a typical sedan: heated steering wheel, folding exterior mirrors, power-operated rear window shade, a lane-change warning system that is actually timed to perfection and leather seating surfaces so opulent that you’ll think they were stolen from a five-star hotel.

Power is provided by a 4.6-liter V-8 approaching 400 horsepower.  Combined city/highway fuel mileage comes in at a not-so-hot 20 mpg, but hey, who’s thinking about saving pennies on fuel when you drop 80-grand or so on a car?

Here’s the best part about this ride: Out on the highway, it serves up power like microwave-softened butter.  You’re hitting the accelerator and everything around you just freezes as you effortlessly approach warp speed.  No engine roar, no suspension lurching.  Just pure, raw power spreading like hot chocolate sauce over vanilla ice cream.

Seriously, it’s an incredible sensation.  That experience alone is worth driving a hundred miles for a test drive.

Beware, however, that you can find yourself topping 80 miles per hour in mere seconds.  Eighty miles per hour feels like 50 in this Lexus, so tread carefully.

But wait, the pleasure ride goes even further with steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters, seriously grippy Brembo brakes and a sport-tuned suspension.

For all its power and luxury, the exterior look is actually pretty understated.  It’s elegant enough, with just dash of sportiness, but you don’t see needless wings and sharp-angle cuts on the car, which is fine with me.  The car makes plenty of statements on its own, sans frills.

Want to live large?  This loaded Lexus should be on your test-drive list.

Cadillac ATS reviewed in latest Cruisin' News

Check out my review of the 2013 Cadillac ATS 2.0T Premium sedan in the latest, May 2013 edition of the Northern & Central California Cruisin’ News, published out of Folsom, California, by John Sweeney and Evonne Sotelo.

The “Hot Laps” reviews, along with my "Oil Drips" observations on anything with wheels, appear monthly in the publication.

To subscribe to the Cruisin’ News, visit http://www.cruisinnews.com, call (916) 933-0949 or send an e-mail request to cruisinnews@mac.com. Mailed requests for information should be sent to Cruisin’ News, P.O. Box 1096, Folsom, CA 95763-1096.

Ford's Energi plug-in rolls with the big boys

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews also can be seen on the Business page of The Sacramento Bee’s website – via the “GALLERY: Reviews of new cars” link at www.sacbee.com/business

Sacramento, California – The 2013 Ford C-MAX Energi SEL plug-in hybrid is meant to compete straight-on with Toyota’s iconic Prius hybrid.

Let me assure you that this all-new Ford product does a very fine job of doing just that.

From a performance standpoint, the Energi is the superior car.  Truthfully, when I was driving the five-passenger, five-door Ford on city streets and dicey freeways, it was very difficult to remind myself that I was handling a hybrid.

Yes, it’s that good.  And while I’ve seen the Energi called a wagon, a minivan and a crossover, I was completely convinced that it was a passenger car-hatch – which I mean in an all-good way.  Easy to load up passengers and cargo, and when you’re rolling, the vehicle feels like sporty sedan with a peppy, performance-tuned power plant under the hood.

Pretty incredible how Ford pulled this off.  The U.S. automaker was among those considered a distant second, third or fourth behind the overseas hybrid offerings.  And now, bang, it’s a player.

In fact, Ford says its C-MAX offerings ranked as the fastest-selling hybrids ever at launch last October-November, with 8,030 unit sales in those two months, eclipsing the previous mark of 7,300 Toyota Camry Hybrid sales in mid-2006.

The hybrid plant gives you a basic 2-liter, in-line 4 engine paired with an electric motor for a horsepower rating of 188.  The power delivered by that horsepower rating is remarkable, at least in my experience.  When prompted, my Energi tester walked away from other cars in most conditions.  It kept up with gas-fueled machinery without missing a beat.

Juicing up the battery through a pop-open plug-in port is just as easy as filling up the tank at another opening.  Fully fueled and energized, the car gives you a max miles per gallon equivalent rating of 100 and a gas-only rating of 43 mpg.  Either way, you’re doing well.

I found the interior comfort level to be exceptional, and I also liked the layout of interior controls.

I thought the exterior look of my Energi tester was funky-attractive, in a sit-down, hunched-shoulders sort of way. Some friends and family members told me they did not like it at all, an opinion shared by other auto-reviewing colleagues of mine.  Beauty is in the eye …, as they say.  Me, I thought the car looked fine.

Please note that you’ll likely be paying about $7,000 more for the Energi version of the car as opposed to the C-MAX Hybrid.  On my Energi’s sticker, the starting price was $32,950, and options pushed the bottom line to $37,830.  Yes, those are hefty numbers to consider when you’re doing the math on long-term gas savings.

Even so, it’s hard to knock this effort by Ford on price alone.

I found the C-MAX Energi to be a pretty deep-in-the-seats home run, given its technology, comfort and performance.  That’s pretty good, considering I went in expecting two-base hit, at best, from a brand-new U.S. offering.

BMW's X5 is pricey, but pays generous dividends

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews also can be seen on the Business page of The Sacramento Bee’s website – via the “GALLERY: Reviews of new cars” link at www.sacbee.com/business

Sacramento, California – BMW makes some very fine motorcars, and it also issues a challenge on its model names … like how long does it take you to remember the full name of your ride?

My recent tester had the paragraph-long title of 2013 BMW X5 xDrive35i Sport Activity.  For simplicity purposes, think big SUV.  Strong, robust, carries lot of people comfortably, carries lots of cargo.

You’re feeling good about things already, right?

Well, let’s look at the check.  The starting price on the tester was $57,700, not bad for a luxury sport-ute.

But my sticker showed the following add-ons: Convenience Package (including rearview camera, four-zone climate control, a voice-command system and real-time traffic info), Cold Weather Package (heated seats and steering wheel), M Sport Package (20-inch wheels and quality walnut trim to name two perks), M Performance Package, Premium Sound Package and a Technology Package (automatic high beams, side-view camera and a head-up display).

Bottom line: $74,595.  And wow, didn’t that grab my attention?!

Frankly, I can’t imagine paying that for an SUV, but since I had the ride for a week, I expelled my personal economic realities for seven days and enjoyed the luxury side of the street.

Technology eye-poppers and comfort/convenience features take up serious space across the X5’s dash, and you can count on spending some long nights with the owner’s manual to master all of them.  Rest assured that your tech/perk expectations – especially at this price – will be more than met.

For me, the X5’s performance was worth the weeklong experience.  Power flows with authority from a 3-liter, 300-horsepower in-line 6.  The X5 pretty much ate up everything around me on the road.  Accelerations from standing stops turned into silky-smooth runaways from lesser vehicles.  Steering was spot-on.  Slalom maneuvers were ridiculously perfect.

And yet, things in the cabin stayed quiet, and there was little jostling of passengers in the seats.  Nice work with the supporting frame, BMW engineers.

One thing that stood out to me was the width of the rear tires, which looked like the monster-size rubber they put on Indy Cars in the late 1960s.  I truly don’t know how much the rear tires contributed to stability, but they looked nasty (in a good way, I mean) and capable of crushing an oil barrel.

Gas mileage is an afterthought in this price range, but for the record, the numbers are 16 miles per gallon in the city and 23 mpg on the highway.

OK, this X5 is definitely in the high-end category, ideal for individuals whose annual stock dividends would pay for all the services in a typical American county.  So if you are in that prosperous group, wedge this X5 in somewhere amid your planned test drives of the Mercedes-Benz and Land Rover offerings.

This BMW might well win your heart in the end.

What is it? A Venza that's likely to please many

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews also can be seen on the business page of The Sacramento Bee’s website – via the “GALLERY: Reviews of new cars” link at www.sacbee.com/business

Sacramento, California – Is it a car?  Is it an SUV?

It’s a Toyota Venza, and while the popular vote seems to favor the SUV tag, I remain unconvinced … sort of like Karl Rove refusing to concede Ohio’s electoral votes on Election Day last November.

Here’s the thing: This newly restyled Venza absolutely convinces as an SUV when viewed in profile.  And it’s a sweet-handling sedan in virtually every other aspect.  Even in profile, the roofline is low enough to make you think this is a passenger sedan with a liftback tail.  Certainly a crossover, in anybody’s book.

But those nice 20-inch alloy wheels make the case for an SUV.

Enough self-inflicted arguing already.  I like this Venza, a very thoughtful compromise for those who want passenger car comfort/handling and just enough cargo-carrying utility to make life easier.

The aerodynamic body cuts through the wind with ease, and the starting price of $38,870 on my 2013 Limited V6 AWD tester was pretty reasonable, considering all the perks that were stuffed into the thing.  A few thousand bucks in extras – all of which I could have done without and still happily enjoyed the ride – put the bottom line at $42,288.

Yes, that’s a bit too pricey for the model, even in Limited form.  Personally, I’d deal hard for as close to $35,000 as I could get, not including tax and title of course.  But that’s just me.

Venza’s exterior look is enhanced by a sharp-looking, triple-tier grille that is simultaneously sporty and classy.  Kudos to Toyota’s Calty Design studios in Newport Beach, California.

From the cockpit, the driver is presented with an easy-to-use, easy-to-reach cluster of controls capable of managing everything from interior climate to on-the-roll entertainment.

Fuel mileage ratings on the tester were, uh, only fair at 18 miles per gallon in the city and 25 mpg on the highway.  Well, that’s kind of SUV-like, right?

Not-so-hot gas mileage can be attributed to a peppy 3.5-liter V-6 rated at 268 horsepower.  What you lose in gas pump savings is compensated by robust performance in virtually all uses.  The Venza muscled along admirably in dicey freeway situations, including those that required the vehicle to snap out of harm’s way in a second.

All-wheel-drive performance came in handy during quick urban maneuvers.  Steering was spot-on with a perfect mix of firmness and easy lock-to-lock capabilities.

Also of note:  Plenty or room for three adult passengers behind the front seats.

Remember that my tester was the primo edition.  There are nine more trim levels of Venza on the market, all of them starting for less than my ride. And you can get a front-drive, four-cylinder basic model starting at less than $28,000.