Mazda CX-9 sport-ute has refinement and much more

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews also can be seen in the Northern & Central California Cruisin’ News magazine published monthly out of Folsom, California.

Sacramento, California -- I'm usually not likely to agree with the public relations language that accompanies an automaker's basic information on a model, but in the case of the 2020 Mazda CX-9 Signature All-Wheel Drive sport-utility vehicle, I thought they hit it on the nose.

Elegantly refined.

Yeah, that's nice.  And spot-on to describe my week with the CX-9.  It was agile and peppy.  Well-equipped.  And remarkably quiet and luxurious.  It more than justified the $47,855 on the sticker's bottom line.

I was impressed with it at first sight, courtesy of a head-turning "Soul Red Crystal Metallic" paint job, set off inside with "Parchment Nappa Leather."  An inviting combination, with superb fit and finish.

Others commented on the its good looks, not the sort of thing you expect when your ride is a midsize crossover SUV.

Mazda hit the mark with this one, saying it wanted the CX-9 to represent a premium-level Mazda experience with a "first class cabin feel."

On the road, the CX-9 was fun to drive and surprisingly robust with just a slight nudge on the accelerator.  The 2.5-liter turbo-4 -- rated at 227 horsepower and 310 foot-pounds of torque -- actually produced an enthusiastic rumble at full song and easily blazed out of harm's way when prompted.  Steering was firm and pleasantly responsive.

And should you want to take the CX-9 off-road -- although I can't imagine scratching such an exquisite paint job -- those 20-inch alloy wheels should come in handy.

On-board standard equipment on the tester was a lengthy, 70-item-plus dream wish list.  It included a full boat of state-of-the-art driving enhancement/safety features and information technology.  Notable perks included heated/auto-fold exterior mirrors, heated first/second row captain's chairs, LED lighting bumper to bumper, a 9-inch color touchscreen display, a 12-speaker Bose audio system, a traffic sign-recognition system, a power moonroof and a power liftgate.

Beyond all that, the CX-9 Signature earned a max five-star rating in federal government crash tests.  Fuel mileage is OK at 20 miles per gallon in the city and 26 mpg on the highway.

All in all, a sophisticated ride -- a Mercedes or Lexus-like experience with a Mazda badge.

Indy serves up another helping of late-race drama

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews also can be seen in the Northern & Central California Cruisin’ News magazine published monthly out of Folsom, California.

Editor's note: Since 1961, Mark Glover has attended 57 Indianapolis 500s, as both a spectator and a working journalist. Here's his take on Sunday's race, the 104th running:

Sacramento, California -- Just when you think you have the Indianapolis 500 figured out, it whipsaws you.

For most of Sunday afternoon inside the eerily quiet and fanless 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval, New Zealand's Scott Dixon had the 104th running of the Indy 500 in the palm of his hand.  Even the NBC telecast crew was saying so.

Things were so rosy that, at one point, Dixon and Nevada City driver Alexander Rossi took turns leading laps in order to conserve fuel.  Dixon ran away from polesitter Marco Andretti from the start and proceeded to lead more than 100 laps.  He had this thing in the bag.

Until he didn't.

With less than 20 laps left and a go-time protocol in effect, Dixon pulled up on the tail of leader Takuma Sato's Honda-powered car and appeared ready to dispatch the 2017 race winner and claim his second victory, the first coming in 2008.

Sato said no.  He outgunned Dixon into the first turn and was then holding off Dixon with what I saw as firm command at the front. In my mind, as Sato was maintaining the gap over Dixon and the laps were winding down, I was thinking: Dixon needs to pass Sato soon, because if there's a crash, the race could end right there.

And that's exactly what happened, with Spencer Pigot destroying his car in a brutal wreck on the front straightaway with just five laps remaining.  Debris littered the track, and safety teams were tending to Pigot on the paved surface.  No red flag was thrown to halt the race, and Sato cruised across the line at a local freeway pace to notch his second 500 win.

There was immediate on-site and online reaction that the race should have been red-flagged after the Pigot crash, setting up what likely would have been a wild two- or three-lap dash among Sato, Dixon and even third-place finisher Graham Rahal.  Others are now calling for a "green-white-checker" overtime rule -- a la NASCAR -- to enable IndyCar races to finish under the green flag.  Sunday's anticlimactic finish under the yellow flag might generate enough juice to make that rule a reality.

But frankly, I'm conflicted about it.  Here's why: From what I was seeing in the closing laps on Sunday, Sato drove the wheels off his car and was holding off Dixon quite well. Had the race continued to its conclusion, I think it's very likely that Sato still would have won it. I'll confess that I have trouble with a green-white-checker rule that often crushes the hard, hours-long efforts of a good driver who has earned a victory, only to see a late caution hand the race to a comparatively undeserving winner.  That has happened in NASCAR.  A lot.

And at the risk of sounding like a dinosaur, the century-plus history of the Indianapolis race has always been a test of driver and machine over exactly 500 miles, no matter how much hard luck and mayhem occurs along the way.

I also believe that Dixon was swept off the victory stand by a perfect storm ... by the name of Takuma Sato, who is known to be a relentless, go-for-broke driver. His motto is literally "No attack, no chance."  When Sato grabbed the lead from Dixon late in the race, I thought to myself: Sato will never give up the lead without an all-out fight.  He'd probably crash into the wall before surrendering his place at the front of the field.

Most of all, what struck me about Sunday's 500 was yet another late-race drama that turned an expected result into heartbreak for one, and elation for another.  The long history of the race is full of similar, sometimes beyond belief occurrences that suddenly leap up in the late stages.  It's often said that the track chooses the race winner.  But I was not buying that on Sunday.  Sato drove his guts out to drink the winner's milk.  This win's on him.

Sans fans, Indy 500 day likely to belong to Dixon

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews can be seen on this blog and in the Northern & Central California Cruisin’ News magazine published monthly out of Folsom, California.

Editor's note: Since 1961, Mark Glover has attended 57 Indianapolis 500s, as both a spectator and a working journalist. Due to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's fan restrictions related to the COVID-19 virus, Glover will miss the 104th running of the Indy 500 on Sunday, breaking a streak of race attendance dating back to 1977. However, he still has some thoughts on how things will go Sunday at IMS. His take:

Sacramento, California -- How strange it will be watching 33 bullet-like race cars ripping around the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval on Sunday ... before some 275,000 empty seats and a nearly deserted infield.

This is totally unprecedented in the history of the world-famous race that has been run continuously -- with the exception of six years in the World War I and WWII eras -- since 1911. Like millions of race fans, I will be watching the "greatest spectacle in racing" on television, from the comfort of my family room chair.

It will be a bittersweet day. So much of what makes Indy a spectacle is the presence of some 300,000 fans on race day. The place buzzes with excitement and anticipation, amid the familiar traditions that date back more than a century.

When it's over, I believe that Scott Dixon of New Zealand will be drinking the winner's milk, celebrating his second Indy 500 triumph, his first coming in 2008. It's somewhat amazing that he's won only one Indianapolis 500 to date. Besides being a five-time IndyCar Series champion, he has a boatload of top-five finishes at IMS.

Strange fortune and occasional bad luck have kept him out of Victory Lane at Indianapolis, and those factors always loom large in a 500-mile race.  It could happen again.

But Dixon is the ultimate technician and tactician, with an additional boost of high-speed driving skill. I like his chances.  If someone handed me $100,000 today with the restriction that I could bet all of it on only one driver in Sunday's field of 33 drivers, I'd put it on Dixon.

But what about Marco Andretti, the pole-sitter for Sunday's race and the fastest car at the speedway all month?  Wouldn't it be something if he won the race and broke the so-called Andretti curse that saw his grandfather, the legendary Mario Andretti, win only one time ... and father Michael never win the 500 despite numerous golden opportunities that were foiled by hugely painful setbacks?

I love a good story.  And yes, Marco winning would be great.  It could happen.  For that matter, I was cheering on 19-year-old rookie Marco to win the 2006 Indy 500, only to see the dream crushed when he was passed in the last couple hundred yards of the race by winner Sam Hornish Jr. No one will be smiling wider than me if Marco pulls it off this time.

This being Indy, I figure there are at least a dozen -- and probably, more -- who could win it.  Race set-up is a galaxy removed from qualifying trim, and Sunday's winner could come from far back in the starting field.  In fact, the eighth-through-tenth rows of starters are loaded with all-star talent, including three-time winner Helio Castroneves, 2018 champ Will Power, 2013 winner Tony Kanaan and defending race champion Simon Pagenaud.

Two-time IndyCar Series champion Josef Newgarden is driving the fastest of the Roger Penske-prepared cars, and he seems to be flying under the radar.  He could step into the bright spotlight on race day.

Or a relatively unknown rookie could win it, and become rich and world-famous overnight.  There are some very talented young folks in the field.

If I had to choose one dark horse to win autoracing's biggest event, I'd go with 2016 winner Alexander Rossi of Nevada City.  He starts ninth in a strong ride prepared by Andretti Autosport, and he has demonstrated exceptional ability at Indianapolis over the past couple of years.

Rossi felt that horsepower was the difference between his second-place finish and Pagenaud's win last year.  This year, the Honda engines driving Rossi and his Andretti Autosport teammates appear to have the horsepower edge over the Chevy power plants.  Rossi has the juice he needs this time around.  The Northern California driver could be celebrating Indy 500 win No. 2 when it's all said and done on Sunday.

Fiat 500X crossover: Italian style in a small package

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews also can be seen in the Northern & Central California Cruisin’ News magazine published monthly out of Folsom, California.

Sacramento, California -- "What a cute car!"  You get that a lot from folks who see the Fiat 500X for the first time.

And I can't argue with that.  The compact, attractive roundness is easy on the eyes, as is the sculpting on the grille.  My 2020 Fiat 500X Trekking Plus AWD tester looked particularly fetching on the optional 18-inch "matte anthracite aluminum" wheels.

Most folks in my neighborhood thought the tester was a basic hatch.  Technically, it's a subcompact crossover sport-utility vehicle, the segment being filled to the brim by automakers worldwide.  As such, the 500X will be trying to lure buyers in a crowded, brutally competitive sector.

How is it going to do that?  Based on my week in the 500X, here's what I think...

For starters, it has the distinctive Fiat name and reputation, which translates to a saucy sense of style.  Inside, the tested Fiat radiated Euro-charm with black trim offset with "Milano Ivory" surfaces that matched the vehicle's exterior paint.  For folks who like to say they own a Fiat, as opposed to, say, a Ford of a Chevy, the 500X is the ticket.

The 500X is small and endlessly functional for the city or urban dweller.  It can do the basic hauling/transporting chores and save you some gas money in the bargain -- 24 miles per gallon in the city and 30 mpg on the highway.

One other point -- and the most surprising to me -- is how well it scoots.  The tested 500X packed a 1.3-liter turbo-4 rated at 177 horsepower and 210 foot-pounds of torque.  That's serious oomph for a vehicle of this size, and it showed.  I found the 500X tester decidedly enthusiastic off the line and robust on the move.  I was continually impressed with how easily and effortlessly it moved through traffic and out of harm's way.  Definitely a plus.

On the other side of the coin, the tester's air-conditioning system struggled to cool down the vehicle on several of Sacramento's hot summer days.  In fairness, other vehicles I've driven have labored hard on some of the Central Valley's most sizzling summer afternoons.

I also found the price on the generously loaded tester -- $35,375 on the sticker's bottom line -- to be a bit steep, although I was pleased to have extras that included automatic headlamp high-beam control, a dual-pane power sunroof and a premium Beats audio system.

The Beats audio system is among multiple features that shout out to young buyers, but I think the 500X has timeless charms for a much wider audience.  It's a must-see for those who like performance and compact utility, with a dash of Italian style.