66th Sacramento Autorama feature top craftsmen

The 66th Sacramento Autorama drew thousands to Cal Expo over three days, Feb. 12-14.

Featuring some of the nation's top auto customizers, some 600 motor vehicles competed for major awards.

Organizers say the annual event is one of the largest indoor car shows in the nation, and it pays homage to Sacramento's role in the post-World War II custom car craze that began in California and spread across the nation.

To see show award winners, go to www.rodshows.com.

Sacramento Autorama kicks off three-day run today

The 66th Sacramento Autorama, featuring some of the West’s top automotive detailers and hundreds of colorful customized cars, kicks off its three-day run today at Cal Expo in Sacramento.

Some 500 vehicles will be in competition for top show awards.  In many cases, car owners have put thousands of hours into building, customizing and maintaining their vehicles.

Hours are noon to 8 p.m. today, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Award presentations begin at 4 p.m. Sunday.

Admission is $20 for ages 13 and up, $10 for ages 6 to 12 and children ages 5 and under are admitted free when accompanied by an adult; discounted tickets may still be available at participating O’Reilly Auto Parts stores. Parking costs $10 on the Cal Expo grounds.

For more information, see www.rodshows.com.

Toyota's Avalon loses nothing in hybrid form

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews also can be seen on the Business page of The Sacramento Bee’s website – www.sacbee.com/news/business/article4005306.html

Sacramento, California ­– I’ve been a longtime fan of the Toyota Avalon, having reviewed it enough times to get that point across.

It’s a Lexus-level sedan with Toyota badging, loaded with plentiful comfort, convenience and safety perks.

But a recent week in a 2016 Toyota Avalon Hybrid Limited model was a new experience.  The good news: This hybrid version of the venerable Avalon does not diminish the model’s reputation.

If anything, it enhances it.

Over years of reviewing hybrid vehicles, I’m still stuck on old-school values.  For me, the best thing a hybrid motor vehicle does is make me forget that it’s a hybrid.  A bad-news bias?

Not at all.  Let me explain.

I’ve tested dodgy hybrids – especially first-generation models rolled out years ago – that gave well-made hybrids a bad name.  They spoiled the motoring experience with clunky transitions between electric and traditional internal-combustion power … or fuel mileage that fell far short of what was advertised … or making loud, whining noises that gave me the alarming impression that I was about to be crushed by a speeding fire engine.

The tested Avalon did none of this.  What it did was deliver peppy, reliable performance in a quiet manner.

The Avalon Hybrid was equipped with a 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine matched with a 105-kilowatt electric motor, what Toyota calls a Hybrid Synergy Drive System.  The automaker’s engineers say the system works to provide a maximum 200 horsepower, and yes, that was more than adequate to move the tester with authority, when asked.

The big bonus of the system is 40 miles per gallon in the city and 39 mpg on the highway.

The current-generation Avalon looks good, classy enough to park at the country club but sleek enough in profile to get the occasional challenge from a freeway lead foot.  As is seemingly required these days, a monster-size grille adorns the front end.

My tester sparkled in the sunlight with arguably the coolest exterior paint color name I’ve ever encountered: Parisian Night Pearl.

On the inside, luxury and customer-pleasing goodies were wall to wall.  The lineup included premium, leather-trimmed, heated/ventilated, power front seats with lumbar support; a power rear window sunshade; three-zone climate control; and a surrounding cushion of 10 air bags.

The bottom line on the tester was $43,285.  That’s a hefty price to be sure, but again, this is a Lexus-like transporter capable of delivering years of driving enjoyment, and simultaneously saving you serious coin on your annual fuel expenses.

 

Acura's upscale, green machine hits the right notes

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews also can be seen on the Business page of The Sacramento Bee’s website – www.sacbee.com/news/business/article4005306.html

Sacramento, California ­– Getting a top-flight Acura sedan is serious business.

It’s a major investment with a lot of moving parts, and you must do your homework to make sure a particular Acura four-door model is precisely what you want amid a sea of equally pricey competitors.

Just getting the name right can be a challenge.  Believe me, I know.

I spent a recent week in a 2016 Acura RLX Sport Hybrid SH-AWD with Advance Package sedan.

Get all that in one take?  If so, you’re likely smarter than I’ll ever be.

Long name aside, my week in the tested RLX was utterly enjoyable, even though it did take me the full week to sample and semi-master all of the RLX perks and features, which are generous.

For a starting price of $65,950 – enough to get my attention – a buyer of the tested RLX gets a giant ball of wax, all standard.

Safety features include high-tech air bags covering seemingly every inch of the interior cabin, vehicle stability assist, a super-grippy braking system with electronic brake distribution, a forward collision-warning system, a lane departure-warning system and much more.

Interior comfort and convenience features are decidedly five-star.  You'll spend a fair amount of time with the owner's manual just getting the hang of everything.

The exterior look is upscale classy, but that is sported up with a power moonroof, 19-inch alloy wheels and stunning “jewel eye” headlights.

Looks good, feels good (quiet and roomy) and drives good.

The driving part is enhanced by a unique hybrid power train system matching a 3.5-liter V-6 with THREE electric motors.  Acura says the combination nets a max 377 horsepower.

This significantly enhances driving pleasure.

With most hybrids, a cautious attitude and a light right foot will serve you well.  After all, there’s no sense in slicing a hybrid around among internal-combustion beasts.  But you can throw that out the window with the RLX Sport Hybrid.

It has plenty of pop off the line or maneuvering on the fly.  I’ve had similar experiences in Lexus hybrids, and this Acura stacks up well against that competition.

Fortunately, because the RLX Hybrid’s three electric motors are making a contribution, the advertised gas mileage is a very nice 28 miles per gallon in the city and 32 mpg on the highway.

That goes a long way toward negating aggressive driving guilt.

Obviously, starting at nearly 66K, this Acura is not for everybody, but it’s a player for prospective buyers of sedans that combine luxury, power and green characeristics.

 

2016 Kia Optima reviewed in latest Cruisin' News

Check out my review of the 2016 Kia Optima LX Turbo sedan in the latest, February 2016, 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 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.

2016 Accord excites the senses, remains rock-solid

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews also can be seen on the Business page of The Sacramento Bee’s website – www.sacbee.com/news/business/article4005306.html

Sacramento, California ­– You don’t mess with a good thing, and Honda apparently knew this going in with the 2016 Honda Accord.

Honda messed with its venerable Accord for the current model year but did so in a good way.

A more angular, sculpted look is featured on the front end.  The rear bumper fascia is likewise more sharply sculpted.  New wheel designs also are part of the new package.

None of these things take away from the Accord’s long-standing strengths: practicality, affordability, dependability and a wealth of standard features, with plentiful versions still available in the $20,000s.

I’ve been in several 2016 versions of the Accord in the past few months, including the 2016 Sport sedan with “Honda Sensing.”  Honda is making a big deal about this suite of safety and driver-assistance technologies, and rightly so.

The package includes adaptive cruise control, a collision-mitigation braking system, a lane departure-warning system, a forward collision warning system, a lane-keeping assist system and road departure mitigation.  In addition, all 2016 Accords feature a standard, multi-angle rearview camera and an "expanded view driver’s mirror."

I’ll admit that some of these features sometimes can be quick on the draw and annoying, particularly the lane-monitoring systems, but I have to give it to Honda for offering up so many perks in the name of safety.

Honda seems to be covering all the bases, and given the various mistakes and distractions of driving these days, I would guess that any motorist driving a “Sensing” Honda is going to be bailed out of a crash at some point during the car’s lifetime.

Who can argue with that?

Even though I’m a grumpy advocate for driver control, I confess that the Honda Sensing features made me feel extra secure behind the wheel.  Dare I say it?:  The vehicle was likely going to correct any mistakes I made before I even knew I was making them.

Beyond all this, the midsize Accord remains the embodiment of trouble-free no-nonsense transportation.

Yes, there are gutsy engine options to be had, but the 2.4-liter four-banger rated at 189 horsepower does just fine, thank you very much.

Fuel mileage with that power plant is excellent at 26 miles per gallon in the city and 35 mpg on the highway.

The ride is smooth, and steering is responsive.  Rear seat roominess is pretty fair.

This being a Honda Accord, it’s expected to run forever and flawlessly, limiting your visits with mechanics to routine maintenance.

Does all this make the Accord popular in California and across the nation?  Do I really need to answer that?

Turbocharged Sonata gets better with 2016 perks

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews also can be seen on the Business page of The Sacramento Bee’s website – www.sacbee.com/news/business/article4005306.html

Sacramento, California ­– Even in the land of the highly recommended, practically priced midsize sedan, a little performance must prevail.

And so it is with the willing 2016 Hyundai Sonata Limited 2.0T, a vehicle I last tested in 2014 trim.

Things have changed since then.

For 2016, Hyundai turned the engineers loose to make changes inside and out.  The changes include aluminum suspension components to make the ride more sporty, a conventional sunroof standard on all Limited models and freshly designed 18-inch alloy wheels.

On the outside, it works.  My tester looked ready to rumble at first glance.

On the move, it more than rumbled.

The tester’s turbocharged, four-cylinder engine was a growling, enthusiastic power plant maxing out at 245 horsepower.  That number of horses on a car this size will plant you firmly into your seat.

Not that I was complaining.

The tested Sonata was incredibly responsive, with no turbo lag attached.  It zipped into tight holes during busy freeway commutes and in heavy downtown traffic.  The jump-to-it response dished up a big dose of driver security.

And yet, fuel mileage comes in pretty nice at 21 miles per gallon in the city and 31 mpg on the open road.

This being a Sonata, you get a lengthy, generous list of standard comfort and convenience features.

On the tester, that included an 8-inch touchscreen on the navigation system, leather seating surfaces, an electronic parking brake, a hands-free smart trunk opener  and the previously mentioned tilt/slide sunroof.

The list of safety technology was likewise generous.  It included automatic emergency braking, a lane departure-warning system and a blind sport monitor/rear cross-traffic alert.

By the way, the 2016 Sonata gets top-tier federal government five-star safety ratings nearly across the board, the only exception being a still-strong four-star rating in rollover tests.

Not surprisingly, the generous load of goodies on the turbocharged tester bumped the starting price up to $34,075, compared with a bare-bones starter Sonata starting at 23,400.  To be honest, I’d splurge for the better-equipped Sonata as you’re still getting a deal at 34K and change.

I recommend the Sonata to a lot of folks looking for a no-nonsense, run-forever, midsize sedan, and none of the changes in the 2016 Sonata have changed my mind about that.

I give this current-generation Sonata a solid “A” grade.