Hyundai's Santa Cruz compact pickup is a head-turner

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews can be seen here and in the Cruisin’ News, "Oregon, Nevada and California's classic auto news & marketplace."

Sacramento, California -- You can draw a crowd with a fleet of Corvettes.  You can lure them to your driveway with the biggest, baddest monster truck of your dreams.

But there's something about a saucy-looking little pickup with an eye-popping paint job.

Behold my recent week with a 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz XRT AWD, a four-door compact pickup that made me the center of attention.

I'm sure the ultra-bright "Canyon Red" exterior paint -- perfectly setting off the all-black interior -- had something to do with it, but kudos to Hyundai for the sporty sculpting put in place for the 2025 model year.

It just looks sporty, as pickup trucks go.  Pretty sporty on the fly as well, courtesy of a 2.5-liter turbo-4 engine.

I wasn't so much driving the Santa Cruz as jetting it around.  I was particularly impressed with the agile moves the pickup made in a rush-hour jaunt with a time deadline.  The Santa Cruz gracefully negotiated the mob and made it on time.

The back bed featured a sliding cover that was easy to use.  And useful too, when I transported cargo during a rainstorm.  All items in the bed came out bone-dry at my destination.

I was amazed at the number of curious questioners who came running when I parked the Santa Cruz in downtown Sacramento and at various stops along Interstate 80.  One lady jumped out of her full-size pickup and came flying across a strip mall parking lot to ask me what I was driving ... and where could she get one.

I should note that the tester was nicely equipped for $42,425.  It had a suite of max five-star federal government crash test safety ratings.  Fuel mileage came in at 18 miles per gallon in the city and 26 mpg on the highway.

Obviously, this is not a truss-toting, rock-crushing brute of a pickup.  But it is a fun-to-drive looker that can do any number of humble cargo-carrying chores.  And look good doing it.

Toyota Tacoma pickup is just-right all the way around

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews can be seen here and in the Cruisin’ News, "Oregon, Nevada and California's classic auto news & marketplace."

Sacramento, California -- I've always liked Toyota's Tacoma pickup -- practical size, nicely equipped, peppy powertrains.

What's not to like?

When Tacoma underwent major upgrades for 2024, I found even more reasons to be pleased with the pickup.

A recent week in the 2025 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro 4X4 Double Cab with a hybrid powertrain only enhanced my good feelings.

The hybrid system -- anchored by a 2.4-liter turbo-4 -- is a responsive chore-doer, with the fuel mileage bonus coming in at 22 miles per gallon in the city and 24 mpg on the highway.

No, it's not a monster-size vehicle, but that's just the point.  Take your 80-grand to the big truck lot for that.  The bottom line on the tester was a somewhat hefty $67,125, but it was so loaded with features that I did not blink at the price.

That included optional equipment sure to please pickup devotees: a towing technology package with wireless camera system, a rear differential skid plate and a spray-on bed liner with mini tie-downs. Standard equipment included a moonroof, a stabilizer disconnect mechanism and a 10-speaker JBL audio system.

Another civilized pickup. My Kentucky farmer grandfather would not believe it.

As pickup technology and equipment continue to expand at a nuclear-fission pace, I can hardly believe it myself.

Alas, the best part is enjoying the ride. The current-generation Tacoma checks all the boxes in that department.

Variety, quality are staples of the Mazda CX lineup

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews can be seen here and in the Cruisin’ News, "Oregon, Nevada and California's classic auto news & marketplace."

Sacramento, California -- Mazda has this sport-utility vehicle thing covered.

Besides its other SUV models, the CX compact crossover SUV lineup includes EIGHT trim levels, offering variety for the bargain hunter all the way up to the luxury enthusiast.

My recent tester was the 2025 Mazda CX-5 2.5 Turbo Premium with all-wheel drive, priced at a nice mid-level $40,755.

For that price, one gets a lot.

My ride included standard 19-inch black alloy wheels (very handsome), all-season tires, rain-sensing windshield wipers, heated power mirrors with embedded turn lamps, a power moonroof, heated/ventilated front seats, lane-keep assist and much more.

So much more that 50-grand would have been a fair sticker price.

Bonus: A suite of max five-star federal government crash test safety ratings, including five stars on the overall score.

On the fly, the 2.6-liter turbo engine (227 horsepower) is a responsive, enthusiastic performer. I was surprised how easily it took on steep hill climbs.

Cruising characteristics were smooth and quiet. Fuel mileage came in at 22 miles per gallon in the city and 27 mpg on the highway.

Mazda seems to have upped the SUV competition ante to levels that boosted the fortunes of Kia and Hyundai ... that is, put a lot of perks in the vehicles for a price that undercuts the competition.

Hard to argue with that formula, especially when it translates to an advantage for the consumer.

Overall, this CX-5 fits the formula, with a suite of customer-pleasing features that won't break the bank.

Given the blizzard of crossover SUVs on the market, that gives the CX-5 a step ahead in this ultra-competitive vehicle segment.

Long-time favorite vehicle still pleases, turns heads

This review first appeared in the September 2025 edition of the Cruisin' News, "Oregon, Nevada and California's classic auto news & marketplace."

To subscribe to the Cruisin' News, visit www.cruisinnews.com, call (916) 933-0949 or send an email request to subscribe@cruisinnews.com.  Mailed requests for information should be sent to Cruisin' News, P.O. Box G, Virginia City, NV 89440.

Sacramento, California -- All these years, it has followed me around.

At the 1964 Indianapolis 500.

At the 1964 World's Fair in New York.

My mother's first car, a notable fact given that she grew up in poverty and did not get her first driver's license until she was 40 years old.

The car in which I learned to drive.

It's a Ford Mustang, of course ... and yeah, the name still has a romantic ring to it, right?

My recent week in a Mustang Premium coupe certainly proved the point.  In traffic, fellow motorists gave me a thumbs-up.  Parked in various lots around town, my beauty wearing "Carbonized Gray Metallic" paint drew admiring crowds.

I'm not sure that the creators of the Mustang envisioned all that would come when the model was introduced in the early days of Lyndon Johnson's presidency.

Naturally, a lot has happened since then to bring the Mustang into the modern age.

Most pleasant for me was the 2.3-liter turbocharged power plant rated at 315 horsepower.  There's a satisfying rumble when starting the car, and my tester felt strong and smooth when opened up on the highway. It felt more comfortable at 70 miles per hour than it did at 35 mph.

The tested Mustang -- stickered at $51,935 -- included a fair number of high-end components.  That list included Brembo brakes, a 13.2-inch center stack screen, specialized ambient lighting and a heated leather-wrapped steering wheel.

For all of its muscle, fuel mileage was pretty fair at 21 miles per gallon in the city and 29 mpg on the highway.

Back in the day, it was common for owners of specific sports cars to wave at each other on the highway.  You get a little bit of that feeling in the Mustang ... Call it the price (or reward) for being an icon.

There are so many sports cars on the market now -- and so much horsepower -- that it's easy to get lost in the blizzard of nicely shaped machines.

But the Mustang takes things a step further, with a strong sense of history behind the wheel, back to a time when American automakers were competing furiously ... and not quite hearing or seeing the wave of high-mileage, foreign-made cars on the horizon.

Philosophy and nostalgia aside, the current Mustang remains a pleasure to drive.

The fact that it's part of automotive history -- and still a head-turner among all ages -- is just a bonus.

BMW sport-ute reviewed in the latest Cruisin' News

My review of the 2026 BMW iX xDrive45 sport-utility vehicle can be seen in the latest, October 2025, edition of the Cruisin' News, "Oregon, Nevada and California's classic auto news and marketplace."

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 www.cruisinnews.com, call (916) 933-0949 or send an email request to subscribe@cruisinnews.com.  Mailed requests for information should be sent to Cruisin' News, P.O. Box G, Virginia City, NV 89440.

Venerable Lexus RX sport-ute rolls onward in style

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews can be seen here and in the Cruisin’ News, "Oregon, Nevada and California's classic auto news & marketplace."

Sacramento, California -- Lexus touts the RX as the world's first luxury crossover sport-utility vehicle, rolled out in America ion 1998  ... So, what do you get today for your $60,000?

Based on my week in the 2025 Lexus RX 350h AWD, the answer is: a whole bunch.

Where to start?  Well, yes, that lowercase "h" tells you that this is a hybrid machine. Given the cost of hybrid technology, $60,230 on the tester's bottom line (along with everything else on the vehicle) was pretty reasonable.

The power plant itself is a responsive one rated at 246 horsepower.  My ride actually felt stronger than that number, and a serenely quiet cabin even at full song spoke of typically excellent Lexus engineering.

The hybrid bonus is a healthy 37 miles per gallon in the city and 34 mpg on the highway.

Inside, one expects to dwell in the lap of luxury, and that's precisely what you get. I particularly liked the power moonroof (part of the F Sport package), elegant ambient lighting and butter-smooth seating surfaces.

Want more?  You get it with max five-star federal government crash test ratings, including five on the overall score.

Fit and finish?  Pretty much perfect.

The exterior look is classic SUV, with classy sculpting on the grille and back liftgate (powered, with kick sensor on the tested model).

Overall, a solid effort from an old reliable.

Considering that you can drop 75- or 80-grand for luxury sport-utes at various dealerships these days, I'd consider the five-seat RX a bargain offering in the high-end crossover SUV market.