Latest MX-5 Miata maintains two-seater tradition

This review first appeared in the April 2019 edition of the Northern & Central California Cruisin’ News published out of Folsom, California – mg

Sacramento, California – It has been 30 years since Miata Mania swept the nation, but the current MX-5 Miata preserves those good feelings with its current layout.

My recent tester was the 2019 Mazda MX-5 Miata Club RF, a long name to describe a delightfully fun two-seater with plenty of pop.  RF designates the retractable hardtop version.

There's also a soft top version of the MX-5, but trust me, the hardtop that disappears into the back of the vehicle is much more entertaining.  Up or down in 13 seconds.  Love that part.

Mazda installed some upgrades in this 2019 MX-5, including an improved sport suspension.

Best of all, the 2-liter, four cylinder engine now has a max horsepower output of 181, up 26 ponies from the previous edition.  This extra oomph is a significant rush as it blasts the lightweight roadster around most everything on the open road.

I don't recall feeling this comfortable behind the wheel of any of the MX-5s I've driven in the past.  After all, the car sits so low that I previously would make the extra effort to stay out of harm's way on the freeways.  But my 2019 ride zipped into safe spots so quickly and easily that I was never nervous.

About that low-slung part:  I'm 6-4 and getting older by the minute, so I pretty much had to fall into the driver's seat to get into the car.  That was the easy part.  Getting out meant swinging both legs left and onto the pavement, then pushing up from there.  I think the neighbors could hear my knee joints squeaking.

Just sayin'

One other word of warning:  Pack light as cargo space in the MX-5 is pretty much one briefcase.

But enough about that.  This is a go-have-a-blast driver and not a long road trip warrior.  The MX-5 is meant to be whipped through twisty Sierra Nevada foothill roads, hugging corners with monorail-like stability.  Opening up the MX-5 on a quiet stretch of country road is similarly appealing.

For all its pop, the tested two-seater rang up an impressive 26 miles per gallon in the city and 35 mpg on the highway.

My relatively loaded tester wore a sticker price of $34,265.

Is it worth that?  Oh my, yes!

I loved the rush of the agile, original Miata all those years ago.  Kudos to Mazda for preserving what made me love it ... and making it better along the way.

Luxury-laden Kia K900 reviewed in latest Cruisin' News

Check out my review of the 2019 Kia K900 luxury sedan in the latest, May 2019, 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.

Chevrolet Equinox SUV hits all the 'just right' notes

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 -- Somehow, the Chevrolet Equinox sport-utility vehicle escaped my attention for years.  I simply never got behind the wheel of one until recently.

And I discovered that my extended separation from the Equinox was something to regret. Reason: I had an extraordinarily enjoyable week in my 2019 Equinox AWD LT 2.0T tester. It was the proverbial "Goldilocks" motor vehicle as everything was just right.

Let's start with looks: Smooth, shapely and a grille that was not the approximate size of North Dakota, as SUV grilles are likely to be these days.

The vehicle size is right: not gargantuan but also not compact.  It handled very much like a midsize sedan.

Performance was excellent with the 2-liter, four-cylinder turbo rated at 252 horsepower, which was enough to make the Equinox a muscular freeway performer and a quick-responding downtown dodger.  Linked to a nine-speed transmission, the Equinox moved with easy, quiet and firm efficiency.

I received the Equinox during a week where I had to pack it up with serious cargo, and the SUV easily swallowed up all the boxes and materials that were spread out on my garage floor.  That's no surprise, given the 63.5 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats folded.

When the rear seats are up, there's plenty of room for adults of all sizes.  Passengers commented on that ... and the smoothness of the ride.

My tester was packed with owner-pleasing perks, including a power sunroof, a solid navigation system with an 8-inch screen, remote vehicle start, a power rear liftgate and leather touches all around inside.  Even with the generous package of goodies, the bottom line on the tested Equinox was a still-reasonable $36,580.  Frankly, one would expect to pay $40,000-and-up for a similarly equipped sport-ute.

Fuel mileage was pretty good at 22 miles per gallon in the city and 28 mpg on the highway.  A list of five-star safety ratings was topped by a max five-star overall vehicle score from government crash testing.

For someone who looks for problems in test vehicles from the moment I step into a tester, the Equinox left me empty-handed.  Maybe that's why Chevrolet has sold some 2 million Equinox SUVs over the years, making it the second-best selling Chevy model behind the Silverado pickup.

Sounds just right to me.

Honda's Passport puts you in the mood to travel

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 -- It's more powerful than a Honda CR-V and more off-road ready and personal than a Honda Pilot.

This is how Honda describes its all-new-for-2019 Passport, a sizable sport-ute that the automaker touts as ready for adventure right off the lot.

OK, I'll bite.  My Passport AWD Elite certainly looked the part, big and bold with a wide-shouldered stance.  Yeah, I'd take this vehicle through the mud, snow and backwoods in a heartbeat.

Then again, the interior perks and driving manners of the Passport were substantial to the point that it easily qualifies as a daily driver/commuter on weekdays and a weekend warrior for outdoor enthusiasts when they're not being paid on the clock.

My loaded-up ride was priced at $44,725, so right away I'm thinking this is a vehicle you want to have a long relationship with ... say 10 years minimum.  Given Honda's storied reliability, this seems like a wise decade-long investment.

The tester was equipped for long-term enjoyment.

Besides a full boat of state-of-the-art safety equipment, my Passport had leather all around, front/rear heated seats, sturdy roof rails, parking sensors front and back, LED lights all about, a wireless phone charger, a solid navigation system and much, much more.

If you crave summer sunshine fun or runs up to the Sierra Nevada to the ski slopes in winter months, the Passport has the tools to make either extreme enjoyable.  And plenty of interior room for all your stuff. Honda has marketed the Passport along these lines, and well, it's no idle boast.

How does it drive?  Smooth, steady and strong with a 3.5-liter V-6 rated at nearly 300 horses.  Towing capacity is up to 5,000 pounds.

The fuel mileage for the tested Passport package was fair at 19 miles per gallon in the city and 24 mpg on the highway.

I guess the highest compliment I can pay to the Passport is that spending a week in it made me want to hit the road for some extended time away from anything resembling a ringing phone or email alert.

If that's your idea of paradise, you should apply for a Passport test drive.

Ford Explorer SUV scales Rocky Mountain heights

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

Jackson Hole, Wyoming -- What better place to put America's best-selling, three-row sport-utility vehicle through its paces than this spectacular Rocky Mountain setting, with snow as far as the eye can see?

Early April in and around Grand Teton National Park is known as the "mud season," because tons of snow annually melt off and turn the ground into a gooey mess before much of the snowmelt makes its way to the Snake River.  My 2019 Ford Explorer Limited 4WD proved to be more than up to the task of handling these conditions, plus maneuvering through snow-covered back roads and dealing with sub-freezing temperatures.

And inside the vehicle, civilized luxury was everywhere.

Ford has taken some shots for keeping its Explorer pretty much as is for nearly a decade -- a serious makeover is expected next year -- but I was entirely pleased with the Explorer's old-school charms here where the valley floor is at 6,500 feet.

At night, when the early spring temperature plunges sharply in the early evening, you appreciate the Explorer's quick-heating climate-control system, and heated seats front and back.  The Explorer's dash controls are perfectly laid out, with plentiful options for comfort and convenience.  Lots of interior room is welcome as well.

Another plus: The generous cargo area in the back of the SUV easily swallowed our oversize baggage stuffed with winter gear.  In short, this loaded Explorer had everything one expects for a vehicle that can go in the $50,000 range.

That includes the power plant. The tester's 3.5-liter V-6 rated at 290 horsepower was more than adequate in all conditions.

Happily, the 4WD system made the tester a sure-footed wonder in the snow.  The Explorer drove solid and straight even on ice-under-snow road surfaces.  Likewise, it cut through muddy roads with barely a wiggle, although it pained me to coat the exterior paint surface with mud from bumper to bumper ... an ever-present situation in mountain country.

In truth, I felt spoiled driving this Explorer amid the beautiful setting of the Grand Teton range.  I thought I should be roughing it, but the Limited edition of the SUV was so refined that I felt like a moneyed intruder in a world of well-worn pickups and snow-plowing vehicles.  Alas, I did not feel so bad as to give up my Explorer, sticking with it for the entire week.

My only struggles came with the rear door lockout system -- I never mastered it -- and the rear climate control system, which took me some time to figure out.  This might have been a result of my own tech-mastering limitations, truth be told.

Bottom line: Minor gripes were no big deal.  The Explorer was a welcome, positive presence in this big, beautiful country.