Acadia has size, but drives like a midsize model

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

Sacramento, California – I’ve long felt that GMC stands for Giant Massive Car, and the recently tested 2018 GMC Acadia SLT-1 with the All-Terrain package did little to knock me off that spot.

Thing is, it looks big from the outside, but it drives like a midsize in all situations.

Equipped with willing 3.6-liter V-6 rated at 310 horsepower, my Acadia scooted right along, dodging city stragglers and moving away from freeway pokes with gusto.

Simply put, it was an effortless pleasure to drive.

Beyond that, it was so loaded with perks that there was plenty of time to enjoy every little thing.

The exterior heated mirrors were a bonus, given that my week in the Acadia coincided with some chill-your-bones cold weather and frost.  And the Acadia heated up quickly; no five-minute wait to feel comfortable in the cold cockpit.

Leather seating surfaces were comfortable and versatile, with plentiful position and lumbar options.

The Bose audio system blasted tunes with perfect pitch, never squawking at high volume settings.

The All-Terrain package was a pricey, but generous plate of extras.  That included special exterior trim touches, an advanced all-wheel-drive system, hill-descent control and 20-inch aluminum wheels.

I also had a sunroof.

Going off the paved road never looked so stylish.

All this brought the bottom line on the sticker to an eyebrow-raising $48,435, but I really could not complain about that price, given the size of the vehicle and all it had stuffed into it.

Fuel mileage was so-so in this class at 17 miles per gallon in the city and 25 mpg on the open road.

I see this Acadia as an ideal vehicle for the weekend sportsman/sportswoman … someone who commutes daily to work, looking forward to hitting the ski slopes on winter weekends, or towing a boat to the nearest lake in the spring/summer months.

This is the kind of vehicle you keep for a long time, and my take is that it will easily serve your work and recreational needs big-time.

Ram with a Hemi makes for a fun power trip

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

Sacramento, California – I was confused just reading the window sticker.

It said I was getting into a 2018 Ram 1500 Limited Crew Cab 4X4 pickup truck.  In other spot, it said the vehicle was a 2018 Ram 1500 Longhorn Crew Cab 4X4. Oh, and I got the “Limited Tungsten Edition” suite of goodies as well.  Tungsten all around, I tell you.

Bottom line, no matter what you call this truck: It certainly is big. A visual beast for the eyes.

It looked capable of toting a Longhorn cattle herd in the back bed, so I cheerfully vaulted myself up into the cockpit seat and fired it up.

I noticed that I was surrounded by a ridiculous number of extra perks: heated steering wheel, heated second-row seats, power sunroof, leather everywhere and so on.

That explains the $63,525 bottom line on the sticker, I thought.  A real Cowboy Cadillac, this Ram.

I was still taking it all in when I hit the gas on the uphill entrance ramp for the freeway.  My Ram pickup took off like scalded cat, roaring up the ramp and easily slipping into an open space at an effortless 70 miles per hour.

OK, that was worth the price of admission.

The tester was outfitted with a top-of-the-line 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 producing about 400 horsepower and a like number of foot-pounds of torque.  So powerful was the tester that I constantly felt like I was motoring way over the speed limit.

It turns out that I was doing just that.

Yes, it was a rush ... That much truck moving that quickly through traffic with seemingly little pressure on the accelerator.

Can you get hooked on that?  Yes, you can.

There is a price to pay on the fuel side.  The tester’s fuel economy ratings were a dreadful 15 miles per gallon in the city and 21 mpg on the highway.

I didn’t care.  I had a super-fun week putting the big brute through its paces, comforted a bit by the strong federal government safety ratings for the 2018 Ram pickup.

To be sure, Ram has rolled out a new and improved 2019 version of the Ram 1500 just barely in 2018.  It will have a basic Ram 1500 starting price of less than $32,000.

Does it have the HEMI engine option?  Yes it does.

I’m excited already.

Is it a Corvette? A Ferrari? Yikes, it's a Lexus

A menu of Mark Glover’s AutoGlo reviews of the latest motor vehicle models also can be seen on The Sacramento Bee’s website at www.sacbee.com/news/business/article4005306.html

This review first appeared in the February 2018 edition of the Northern & Central California Cruisin’ News published out of Folsom, California – mg

Sacramento, California – As I walked into the parking lot, I thought to myself: “Wow, I wasn’t expecting a Corvette” And then when I was closer to the delivered vehicle, that changed to: “Is that a Ferrari?!”

Standing next to it, the truth hit home.  It was a Lexus, an all-new 2018 Lexus LC 500, one of the automaker’s all-new new flagship performance, rear-driving coupes.

Sleek, sculpted, angled in just the right places and clad in brighter-than-bright “Infrared” paint, the LC 500 absolutely could have passed for a Corvette or a Ferrari at first glance.  And there were other similarities.

Stepping into the cockpit transported me to a world of luxury and primo sports car bliss.

I sat in a 10-way power, heated/ventilated, leather seat that instantly contoured to my frame.  Electroluminescent gauges and read-outs cast a warm glow throughout the cabin.  The audio system was a Mark Levinson surround-sound scorcher with 13 speakers. Three-point belts for all seats (with force-limiting pretensioners, of course).  Can’t forget the on-board Siri Eyes Free technology, or the easy-to-use heads-up display.

The long list of safety features included state-of-the-art systems capable of controlling multiple car functions on the move.  Getting into trouble in this ride would be a challenge; that’s how sophisticated the safety systems are in the LC 500.

But who am I kidding?  The best part was starting it up and putting the LC 500 through its paces.  What a rush!

I barely tapped the accelerator feeding fuel to the 5-liter, 32-valve V-8 with 471 horsepower, and the LC 500 responded with a press-me-to-the-seat blast that was accentuated by a deep roar from the front end.  It was almost scary knowing how much I had left to give with my right foot.  Triple-digit speeds are just a subtle toe tap away.

Power was dished up so smoothly, however, that I never had a sense that I was overmatched by the car.  It rode rock-steady, with not even a hint of side sway.

The 10-speed transmission functioned with seamless precision, and yes, you can do those gear-changing chores with the steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters.

Ridiculously strong, responsive brakes with high-friction pads brought the tester to heel with seemingly no effort whatsoever.

As I blazed past virtually everything on the road on 21-inch forged wheels, I could see the open-mouthed stares of fellow motorists.  Some sped up, to my bumper … perhaps to confirm that this really was a Lexus and not some super-exotic model hand-built in an immaculate European garage.

Sure, there were looks of envy.  If only they knew; the LC 500 was mine for only a week.

Those wishing to make it theirs for the long term need to bring sufficient funds to wrap around the starting price of $92,000.  With extras, the bottom line on my tester was a heart-stopping $102,890.

Which I had no problem with … Lexus should have a show-stopping model at the top of its food chain.

In the LC 500 coupe, it has a beauty.

 

Fiat Spider reviewed in the latest Cruisin' News

Check out my review of the high-performance 2018 Fiat 124 Spider Lusso two-seater in the latest, March 2018, 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.

VW's Alltrack wagon offers much to many

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

Sacramento, California – Drive enough big sport-utility vehicles and you start to long for something a bit more manageable, yet something that also offers utility and convenience.

The 2018 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack S for example.

Ah yes, that’s the ticket.  Good ride height. Modern wagon looks (love the LED lights front and rear). A responsive 1.8-liter, turbocharged, four-cylinder engine putting out a max 170 horsepower but consuming fuel at a relatively positive rate of 22 miles per gallon in the city and 30 mpg on the highway.

Sure, it’s considered a “small station wagon,” but you wouldn’t know that from its excellent roadway manners and its generous cargo volume of 66.5 cubic feet with the rear seat folded.

All-around vision from the cockpit is excellent.

The starting price is a remarkably reasonable $27,055, and the all-wheel-driven Alltrack is nicely equipped for that number.  The Alltrack’s hill-descent control and off-road mode make it a genuine off-the-pavement warrior.  It really can negotiate the dirt, streams and mud.

Yet the plentiful comfort/convenience perks also make it an ideal daily commuter/driver.

The six-year/70,000-mile bumper-to-bumper limited warranty is a nice addition as well.

Looking for something beyond the norm?  How about automatic headlights with rain sensors?  Yeah, pretty cool.

And there’s this: The Alltrack’s “4Motion” permanent AWD system utilizes technology that activates before wheelspin occurs. When operating with a low load or when coasting, the front wheels do the driving while the rear wheels take a break, a fuel-saving measure as a bonus.

The rear wheels can immediately re-engage when needed via the center differential, which VW said is activated by an electro-hydraulic oil pump.  Engineering overload?  I’d say so, but undoubtedly cool.

Overall, the Alltrack is a vehicle that appeals to a super-wide range of consumers, and it competes straight-up with the Subaru equivalents.