Small and peppy, Hyundai Kona has what it takes

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 -- In a competitive field of small crossover sport-utility vehicles, the Hyundai Kona has a lot going for it.

That understanding was further stamped into my brain during a recent week with the tested 2020 Hyundai Kona Ultimate FWD.  Compact crossover SUVs are a U.S. market darling because they handle easily and are just big enough to do most of the drive-a-day chores that most folks expect of them.

And a little bit more, in the case of the Kona.

Mine wore a brighter-than-bright "Lime Twist" paint job, which stole some attention away from the Kona's smooth exterior lines.  Happily, the black interior was the perfect counterpoint to the glow-in-the-dark exterior coloring.

Power was provided by an enthusiastic 1.6-liter turbo-4 (175 horsepower) that was capable of speeding up the heart rate in a flash.  I was impressed by the Kona's ability to snap around freeway pokes with instant response. And it darted into neighboring lanes with the quickness of a cutting horse.  Those are not typical crossover SUV traits, but they're thoroughly enjoyable.

Interior comfort is nice, especially in the front seats, and everything is nicely arranged around the driver's cockpit.  Vision all around is excellent.

New for my Ultimate model was the Smart Cruise Control system recently developed by Hyundai.  Frankly, I enjoyed letting the Kona have its head by my own hands and right foot.  It was a decidedly pleasant driver.

An ample list of standard safety features was a bonus.  Ditto the fuel mileage numbers, which came in at a budget-saving 28 miles per gallon in the city and 32 mpg on the highway.

The price was fair for the tester's package -- $28,980 on the sticker's bottom line.

Please note, there's an electric version of the Kona, and a basic Kona can be had with a more-humble 147-horsepower, four-cylinder engine.  For my money, I'd opt for the stronger turbo power plant every time.

The Kona received an overall vehicle score of five stars -- the maximum -- in federal government crash-safety ratings.

All in all, Hyundai's Kona nicely fills a niche that is hugely popular with American motorists.  Sure, you might want to consider competitors made by Honda, Toyota, Nissan and even Jeep.

But if the Kona is not part of the conversation when you are compact crossover SUV shopping, your report card is incomplete.

Big Sequoia SUV ideal for those family adventures

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 -- Toyota proudly notes that its three-row Sequoia sport-utility vehicle was named for the massive, sky-scraping trees that are a California treasure.

The name fits, especially when walking up to the driveway-filling SUV and feeling significantly smaller than you did sitting on the family room couch.

The power liftgate on the tested 2020 Sequoia 4X4 TRD Pro yawned open to reveal nearly 70 cubic feet of cargo space with only the third-row seats folded.  Fold the second-row seats, and the open area balloons to 120 cubic feet.  This Sequoia can carry an object up to 11 feet in length.

Put all the seats up, and passengers are treated to plentiful room to spread out and relax.  And they can do so even when the Sequoia is motoring along at 70 miles per hour.  The tested Sequoia cruised easily and only somewhat noisily on the highway.

Power comes from a more-than-adequate 5.7-liter V-8 rated at 381 horsepower.  The engine is surprisingly robust off the line and barely labored on hill climbs.  I did not take the big brute off road, but given what the engine showed me, I believe those who sometimes venture off the paved surfaces will be more than pleased.

Toyota touts the Sequoia TRD Pro as the ultimate vehicle for "family adventures" and heartily encourages excursions "off the beaten path."  That makes sense to me as the big SUV can transport most of a campsite -- and the campers -- with no sweat.

The Sequoia's exterior styling is pretty traditional, but underneath the skin there's an impressive array of state-of-the-art safety technology.  Top-tier shocks and brakes are part of the deal, adding an extra layer of comfort and security.

Not surprisingly for such a big vehicle, fuel mileage comes in at a thirsty 13 miles per gallon in the city and 17 mpg on the open road.

For me, the Sequoia is indeed a family adventure vehicle that's best purchased when the kids are young and kept in service until said youngsters leave the nest.  If you're going to spend that kind of cash -- $67,829 was the sticker's bottom on the tested Sequoia -- you might as well get your money's worth.

If it was my call, I'd consider this Sequoia as a 10-year investment, minimum, and spend the next decade piling up the road miles, and plentiful family memories.

Here's a sporty Toyota toy that is unlike any other

This review first appeared in the March 2020 edition of the Northern & Central California Cruisin’ News published out of Folsom, California – mg
 

Sacramento, California – There are few Toyota motor vehicles flying under the radar these days, but I recently tested one: the Toyota 86.

I discovered that some folks had never heard of it.  Neighbors walked up to the car and routinely asked: "What is THAT?"

No surprise.  The limited-production 86 has not been marketed to anything near the degree that the Toyota Supra has; to further make things interesting, my tester was the 2020 Toyota 86 Hakone Edition.  And that made it special.

The little four-seater -- don't try fitting two adults in the back seat, unless you're a sadist -- is an interesting-looking sports car as is.  The Hakone Edition goes beyond interesting, into the realm of a sports car lover's favorite toy.

First off, the exterior paint job is a lovely "Hakone Green," but what most (me included) would call "British Racing Green," a dark, rich green that makes this compact 86 look like a purpose-built racer.

Inside, the appearance presents a dramatic change: a tan and black scheme that is likewise super-sporty in appearance.

Who came up with this?  The 86 is a Toyota-Subaru collaboration.  In Subaru trim, the low-to-the-ground, spoiler-equipped coupe is called a BRZ.  For the record, you could publish a book on the origins of the Toyota/Subaru model names, but it might be easier for you to just look those up online.

I will confess to being mesmerized by the appearance of the little 86.  For me, it brought back memories of Triumph models of my youth.  Others were not so impressed, with some calling it a glorified Celica.  Ouch!

For me, the big challenge was getting my 6-4 frame down to the level of the driver's seat; unfolding myself out of the car was an even bigger challenge.

In between, the ride was spirited.  The 2-liter, flat-4 engine generates a max 205 horsepower, and that drives the little 86 forward with some serious authority.  The accompanying noise level is likewise serious.

In fact, the 86 functioned as a low-to-the-road eardrum, picking up the sound of virtually every bump and pebble on paved surfaces.  The super-stiff sport suspension delivered those bumps and jolts to the seat of the pants in the cockpit as well.

No complaints from me.  It's a sports car, after all.  Happily, agility was excellent as I put the 86 through multiple slalom runs at various speeds.

Fuel mileage is pretty fine for this segment at 24 miles per gallon in the city and 32 mpg on the highway.  The sticker's bottom line was a shade more than $31,500, a fair price for this merchandise.

All in all, the 86 is a toy capable of bringing joy to the sports car fan's racing heart.

Auto industry faces a long, rough road back from crisis

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 -- You can tell a lot about the state of the automotive world just taking an hour-long test drive.

Heading east to the Sierra Nevada or north/south into the rich California farm regions used to be an experience in dodging heavy traffic and sometimes dropping onto congested surface streets to avoid the inevitable gridlock caused by a highway crash.

That was one month ago.

Today, my test drives are like motoring through the Twilight Zone, the planet suddenly devoid of transportation and motorists.

I worked in daily newspaper newsrooms for 42 years covering everything from bake sales to earthquakes to wildfires, but I can tell in all truth: I've never seen anything like the past several weeks.  The COVID-19 crisis has brought the world to a virtual halt.

Former journalism colleagues, auto industry sources and friends who know my interests have been in contact with me, asking me what I think will happen to the U.S. auto industry amid this crisis.  Here's my best guess:

The industry is going to take a hard tumble.  Frankly, it already has.  J.D. Power reports that new-vehicle sales in the United States plunged around 40 percent in March.  Anyone who knows anything about the auto industry knows that such a sales drop has a monstrous ripple effect.

Sales collapses bring assembly lines to a halt.  Motionless assembly lines mean worker layoffs.  On the financial side, paychecks cease and automaker profits turn into substantial losses.

Ordinarily, dealers might step up efforts to sell existing stock.  But the unique nature of the COVID-19 crisis negates that.  In a few states -- Pennsylvania and Michigan among them -- stay-at-home orders have shut off vehicle sales.

During the Great Recession -- remember "Cash for Clunkers" -- some auto stores compensated by ramping up their service operations.  The revenue they received from service departments helped offset slumping sales, enabling some dealerships to scrape by and survive the financial downturn.

But again, stay-at-home orders issued amid the COVID-19 crisis have cut deeply into that strategy now.

Know this:  Things will get worse.  J.D. Power estimates an 80 percent downturn in U.S. new vehicle sales in April, compared with April 2019.

Automakers are saying and doing the right things, offering extended or delayed payment plans for those who do want to invest in a new motor vehicle.  Those only go so far.

Will the industry survive?  I believe it will, just as it survived the pain of the Great Recession.  But I also believe that we will see some car dealerships go out of business, just as we saw in the recent, sledgehammer recession.

If the virus proves seasonal and time is bought for researchers to develop a medical weapon to battle COVID-19 safely, one can hope for a gradual return to "normal," perhaps later this year.  But returning to normal will not be an overnight thing.  It will take time for automakers to return production/inventory to pre-COVID-19 levels.  Likewise, household budgets will likely need to be nursed back to health over a period of months.

But once those things occur, I believe the U.S. auto industry will rally.  As was the case in the aftermath of the Great Recession, I believe "pent-up demand" will shift into overdrive; those who delayed making a vehicle purchase during the crisis will be looking to spend when the alarm bells stop ringing.

How long will it take for that to happen?  I have no idea.

But I hope it's sooner rather than later.

Sporty Genesis G80 reviewed in latest Cruisin' News

Check out my review of the Genesis G80 RWD 3.3T Sport sedan in the latest, May 2020, 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.

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