This Ford Fusion is the best of the breed

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 maybe two hours into my week with the tested 2018 Ford Fusion Platinum Hybrid sedan when I said out loud: "I think this is the best Fusion I've ever driven."

And that's saying something, because I've driven every version of the Fusion ever produced.

So sure, it looked great in gleaming "Burgundy Velvet" exterior paint and sweetly sculpted 18-inch wheels.  Smooth lines and an aggressive, but not over-the-top front end added to the visual appeal.

The 2-liter, four-cylinder power plant matched with an electric motor provided peppy accelerations and more than adequate power in all situations.  The tested Fusion blew past freeway stragglers with ease and was a quick-cutting player on the busy downtown streets of Sacramento.

Comfort and quiet greeted me in the cockpit, and despite my best efforts, very little noise made its way inside the cabin.  My ride was nicely equipped with only the barest of extras, which translated to $38,770 on the sticker's bottom line.

That seems like a lot, you say?  Well, perhaps, but in my view, this ride felt like a mid-range Lexus or a heavily equipped Toyota Avalon.  And if you do that math, the $38,770 number comes off as a relative bargain, especially considering that this is a hybrid package.

And with that hybrid package comes a bonus: fuel mileage ratings of 43 miles per gallon in the city and 41 mpg on the highway.

Top it off with a max five-star federal government overall safety rating, and you're talking about a sedan that nicely covers all the bases.

Pretty nice package, I'd say.  And no doubt in my mind: best Fusion I've ever laid my hands on.

Good Will driving makes for memorable Indy 500

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

The Indianapolis 500 was run for the 102nd time on May 27, when Mark Glover attended his 56^th 500.

"You just don't know what Indy means."

Al Unser Jr. famously uttered those words in Victory Lane when he notched the first of his two Indianapolis 500 victories in 1992.

The full meaning of those words was displayed Sunday by 2018 race winner Will Power -- normally a somewhat reserved fellow -- when he exploded with emotion during his over-the-top post-race celebration.  The genuine, raw outpouring of joy was something to behold.

And very satisfying.  And well deserved.  What a masterful drive Power put together over 500 miles on a sizzling hot, humid Indiana day.

Power, driving for the now-legendary Roger Penske, was not wheeling the best car during most of the first half of the race.  His Chevrolet-powered machine didn't have the juice to catch pole-sitter Ed Carpenter, the Indianapolis hometown driver who was getting serious positive vibes from the massive crowd.

Carpenter had it dialed in early, and only 2013 winner Tony Kanaan seemed able to keep up with him.  Even so, when Kanaan passed Carpenter on an early restart, Carpenter simply swept him aside when he got up to full song moments later.

It was looking very much like Carpenter's day.

By the midway point, however, Power seized the advantage.  Kanaan was dealt a severe blow with a punctured tire just prior to the 250-mile mark, and over the last half of the race, Power was the one everyone was chasing.  And in the late-going, it was obvious that Carpenter was not going to catch the Australian driver.  Carpenter settled for second.

It was a tribute to the Penske team, which not only performed a series of incredibly fast pit stops but tweaked Power's car to the max, making it the swiftest in the field.  The Penske strategy team also had this 102nd running of the race well figured out before the checkered flag fell.

But in the end, it was Power, smooth and steady when he needed to be, and most important, patient in a race that requires incredible patience.

When it was go-time, Power stuffed his ride into harm's way and skillfully pushed aside cars that were determined to deny him the prize he long sought.  Under green flag conditions, however, Power's rivals didn't stand a chance.

He overpowered them.  There, I said it.

Our reward was watching the 37-year-old driver wildly celebrate his victory.  For Power, first-place winnings of more than $2.5 million helped extend his feels-so-good celebration during the awards ceremonies on Monday night.

Good show, Will.  And for Indy, another good, memorable race in the history books.

Carpenter the best bet in wide open Indy 500

  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

The Indianapolis 500 will be run for the 102nd time on May 27.  Mark Glover will be attending his 56^th 500.

What to make of the utterly wide open Indianapolis 500 that will be run this Sunday?

Besides the usual variables that go with a long, open-wheel auto race -- mechanical failures, unfortunate caution periods, crashes, pit stop mistakes, mental errors and bad luck -- you have a new aero package that promises to make the bullet-like cars twitchy in the turns.  And the new chassis configuration apparently will make passing much more difficult than what we've seen in recent years.

What we do know right now is that Chevrolet power plants have the power advantage over the Hondas, and the four Team Penske cars seem to have things locked in to the point that it wouldn't be surprising if those machines took the top four spots on race day.

But back in 2012, Chevy had a similar pre-race advantage over Honda.  By race day, however, Honda had turned the tables and was getting good gas mileage to boot. Dario Franchitti won the race in a Honda-powered car that year.

And this is Indy, where anything can happen.  Even a moderately knowledgeable student of Indy history knows that.  You can win from the middle of the pack.  You can start near the back of the pack and be in the top five before the race is even 25 percent completed.

Can Danica Patrick win after a years-long absence from IndyCar?  Absolutely, and she has a very fast car for the 500-mile grind.

Watch for Tony Kanaan, the 2013 winner, starting from the No. 10 spot.  He knows how to drive this race, and no one is better when it's go time in the late stages.

You can make the same case for three-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves, and he's driving for the powerhouse Penske team.  I have a soft spot for Helio as I'd love to see him get a record-tying fourth Indianapolis 500 win.

But frankly, any one of his Penske teammates could pull it off -- Will Power, Simon Pagenaud and Josef Newgarden.  If I had to pick a favorite among the four Penske pilots, I'd take Newgarden.  He's smart, fast and seemingly fearless when it's time to make the final push to the checkered flag.

So, Newgarden is the best among the top-flight Penske team.  He should win it, right?  Logic says yes.

But I believe that pole-sitter Ed Carpenter will win on Sunday.

Carpenter is outstanding on high-speed ovals, and he obviously has the car to carry the day.  Even before the "fast 9" drivers made their runs for the pole position yesterday, I picked Carpenter to take it, because his skill on the blazing fast Indy oval is unmatched.

Indy has been a cruel sister in Carpenter's past, dishing out heartbreaking crashes and setbacks when the driver had the car to take racing's biggest prize.  And what a popular win it would be if Carpenter takes it on Sunday, with him being a hometown favorite adored by the hardcore Indy fans.

If Carpenter stays clean and is in the mix late, he will win it.  If not, put your money on Newgarden.

One surprising sport-ute: BMW's all-new X2

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 – BMW gives us something to think about with its all-new-for-2018 X2 sport-utility vehicle.

It presents possibilities for folks who might have figured that a BMW SUV is priced well beyond the limitations of their household budgets.

Not so with this X2, which comes nicely equipped for a starting price of less than $40,000. And yes, that includes BMW's admirable technology, engineering and fit-and-finish excellence.

Tempting?  I should say so.

The tested 2018 BMW X2 xDrive28i is reasonably sized and sweetly sculpted with smooth lines across the top.  It looks good head-on and in profile riding on 19-inch wheels.

The ride is decidedly coupe-like, with the BMW capable of making quick, agile cuts at high speed ... with little or no sway.  My guess is that most buyers will feel like they're piloting a midsize sedan.

And in this case, it's a peppy ride.  The turbocharged, 2-liter, four-cylinder engine is pleasingly responsive, with 228 horesepower and 258 foot-pounds of torque.  It makes the zero-to-60 miles per hour trip in 6.3 seconds.

The transmission is an eight-speed automatic and sport and manual-shift modes aiding the all-wheel-drive system. Four-wheel, anti-lock disc brakes are reassuringly grippy.

Fuel mileage ratings are a pretty fair 21 miles per gallon in the city and 31 mpg on the highway.

The tester was packed with luxury and technology features one expects from BMW.  Given all it had, I would have estimated the price at $60,000.  That would have been a big swing and a miss -- the true value of the vehicle on the sticker's bottom line was $50,920.

That long list of perks included heated front seats, a head-up display, a panoramic moonroof, LED headlights/fog lights, run-flat tires, a power tailgate, ambient lighting and parking-distance control.

Bottom line: The X2 exceeded my expectations on virtually all levels.

Been thinking about getting a Land Rover, Infiniti or Lexus SUV?  You might want to think about an X2 as well.

Compact GMC sport-ute has large appeal

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 – GMC calls the 2018 Terrain Denali its "premium compact SUV," but boy, you wouldn't know if by looking at it.

My tester, the all-wheel-drive version, just looked big and imposing, probably helped along by a wide, expansive, aggressive-looking grille that radiated bigness.

Ah, but driving it, things felt just right -- no big vehicle sway.  The Terrain Denali was quiet and smooth on the freeways, and it was surprisingly agile in gridlocked downtown traffic.

Power comes from a remarkably responsive and efficient 2-liter turbo-4 rated at 252 horsepower.  That power plant scooted the SUV along briskly when asked, and long hill climbs really presented no challenge to the engine whatsoever.  Impressive.

Fuel mileage comes in at 21 miles per gallon in the city and 26 mpg on the highway, pretty fair numbers for an SUV in this segment.

The nine-speed automatic transmission functioned seamlessly.

GMC touts the 2018 redesign, and for good reason.

Upgrades to the doors, the interior seating and the instrument panel create a comfortable, attractive atmosphere.  An expanded center console with pass-through storage underneath is a nice touch.  Flat-folding seats are a snap to use, and when all are folded, a generous 81 cubic feet of cargo space is created.  That will carry a few groceries.

A solid lineup of safety features is part of the package.  Technology helps you pass, park and avoid car contact at all angles. 

I'm often asked why anyone would want to spend around $40,000 on a sport-utility vehicle, and it's a fair question.

Yet driving in this improved-for-2018 product, I'm convinced that it has enough in it to more than justify the check you write.  That's particularly true on the safety front as GMC has pretty much loaded the whole technology store into this vehicle.

You can't put a price on safety.  And in this vehicle, safety is first.

All in all, I'd give this GMC sport-ute a solid "A" grade.

Volkswagen Golf GTI is Autobahn-worthy

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 April 2018 edition of the Northern & Central California Cruisin’ News published out of Folsom, California – mg

Sacramento, California – If you’re going to have “Autobahn” – the world-famous high-speed highway in Germany – in your car’s model name, it better have some pop.

Fortunately, a recent week in the 2018 Volkswagen Golf GTI Autobahn five-passenger hatch was a satisfying experience, with a 2-liter, turbocharged 4 dishing up 220 horsepower and making the machine scoot around with impressive velocity.

The max 258 foot-pounds of torque comes in early at 1,500 rpm, so trips off the line get the heart going … if you’re into that sort of thing, which I am.

Sure, it helped that the GTI’s skin was “Deep Black Pearl Metallic” but there’s also something very satisfying about nailing the accelerator on a little four-door model and blowing away an annoying lane-drifter on the freeway.  If you don’t know what I’m talking about, well, perhaps you should go looking for another cup of tea.

Beyond the GTI’s enjoyable “oomph,” the tester was decidedly civilized.

Volkswagen has bragged about its revamping of the Golf GTI lineup and how each 2018 model, the Autobahn version included, has its own unique appearance and style.  On that score, VW did quite well.

The Autobahn does indeed have distinctive touches to set it off from the others.  And inside, you get a feast of quality comfort and convenience features.

Colorful ambient lighting, illuminated door sills and backlit switches make for a fun experience driving at night.  I also enjoyed the sporty, flat-bottomed steering wheel, the heated seating surfaces and the standard navigation system on the Autobahn.

An impressive lineup of safety and driving-enhancement features added a feeling of security.

I was not a fan of the adaptive cruise control system, but that’s not a knock on the tester.  I pretty much despise all such systems, because they tend to overreact in busy traffic, slow down way too much in advance of anticipated trouble and are too slow on the draw to resume normal cruising speed when potential trouble has long passed.

I guess I’m just too impatient a driver to deal with current adaptive cruise systems.  Even so, they seem to keep evolving, and I’m sure they eventually will come up with a system that can even please me.

Fuel mileage on the tested model was pretty fair, given the pop generated by the turbo-4: 24 miles per gallon in the city and 32 mpg on the highway.  The starting price on the Autobahn is a somewhat hefty $36,170.

You might be thinking that this GTI is a peppy weekend toy.  I disagree.  It shapes up as a wonderful daily driver, complete with a surprisingly spacious cargo area of nearly 53 cubic feet with the rear seats folded.  And as a bonus, the trunk floor can be raised or lowered.

Performance, versatility and nicely equipped.  I’d say my tester would feel at home on the Autobahn, or pretty much any other road you can name.