An already good Hyundai Sonata gets better

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 liked the Hyundai Sonata, considering it the darn-near perfect midsize sedan.

Affordable, stylish, smooth, agile....And since it's a Hyundai product, the typical Sonata is stuffed with numerous perks and features that you would pay a lot more for in a competitive model.  Oh, don't forget the super-generous Hyundai warranties.

For the 2018 model year, the Sonata gets an extensive reworking.  Don't worry; all of the previously mentioned positives remain, bolstered by some smart upgrades from Hyundai.

The latest-generation Sonata looks sportier with nicely done redesigns on the front and back ends of the vehicle.  New wheel designs are offered as well.

My tester was the 2018 Sonata Limited 2.0T, which means it was not only loaded but a road tamer with a 245-horsepower turbo-4 under the hood.  I wasn't used to blazing around fellow motorists in a Sonata, but I quickly adjusted to it ... and liked it a lot.

Power was dished up smoothly via an eight-speed automatic transmission, and the Sonata's familiar agility made it easy to dice around city and suburban traffic without any close calls or uncomfortable lane changes.  A very nice daily driver, this one.

Gas mileage was pretty fair at 23 miles per gallon in the city and 32 mpg on the highway.  As I'm writing this, I'm trying to think of something to dislike about the car ... Uh, I'm still thinking.  Not feeling hopeful about a snarky comment to come.

So let's move inside to the comfortable, surprisingly roomy interior.  Per usual, everything is laid out in orderly fashion, with a nicely spaced, clearly labeled center stack of controls.  Good vision is a given from the driver's seat.  Passengers who made an airport run with me praised the experience.

Said passengers had suitcases and carry-on bags in tow, and the Sonata's trunk easily swallowed them up, and still had room for plenty more.  Impressive.

With all this, the tester's bottom line came in at a still-reasonable $33,460.

Throw in outstanding federal safety ratings -- including a max five stars on the overall vehicle score -- and you know why this Sonata compares favorably with other monster-selling midsize models such as the Toyota Camry.

New Eclipse rolls into busy crossover segment

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 -- Automakers revive brands from the past all the time, but the modern version typically has DNA from the old model that enables your brain to make the link.

Not so with the all-new-for-2018 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross compact sport-utility vehicle.

Back in the 1990s, I was the proud owner of a sleek, bright-red, Mitsubishi Eclipse sport coupe.  The recently tested Eclipse Cross SE 1.5T S-AWD crossover is an entirely different animal from that flashy-looking coupe.

The Eclipse Cross is a new entry in the super-popular field of crossover utility vehicles -- affordable and offering available social/technological goodies that young folks crave ... and more than a few older folks, come to think of it.

Mitsubishi offers a straightforward explanation of its intentions: "Our research and analysis show us that the CUV category will continue to grow for many years, and with the addition of the Eclipse Cross, Mitsubishi is well positioned with the right products at the right time,” says Don Swearingen, executive VP and chief operating officer."

And one supposes the automaker hauled out the instantly recognizable Eclipse name to help draw attention to the new player in the crowded segment.  Sure, I get that.

My tester had classic compact crossover looks, with a nice, angled chop on the back end and a somewhat busy, but pleasing, bit of combination sculpting on the front end.

The tester was nicely equipped, with a long list of standard features.  Not among them, however, were a working satellite radio connection and power front seats.

But perhaps that's part of the plan for the young CUV buyer looking for a deal.  My tester wore a bottom-line sticker price of $27,715, a tempting number for sure.

The interior cabin is comfortable, with good vision all around the vehicle from the driver's cockpit, and controls are laid out thoughtfully, within easy reach.

The tester was agile and smooth, but the 1.5-liter turbo-4 engine rated at 152 horsepower is not a road-burner, and it did struggle on some hard hill climbs on twisty Sierra Nevada roads.  Fuel mileage was pretty fair at 25 miles per gallon in the city and 26 mpg on the highway.  All in all, a good daily driver and chore-doer.

Compact crossover SUV shoppers have another worthy vehicle to consider on an ever-growing shopping list.

XSE has Corolla charms, and speaks loudly

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 -- So I had another week in a Toyota Corolla XSE, the 2018 version, and found myself conflicted.

This is a Corolla, one of the best-selling cars in the United States, and historically as dependable as the sun coming up in the East.  Love that part.

My XSE was sporty looking, with nice, sharp angles sculpted into the front end.  And just sitting there in that eye-catching "Blue Crush Metallic" paint job, the car offers a suggestion of some heart-racing moments at full song.

And while it is agile and easy to steer, the XSE delivers a lot of roar but not much corresponding oomph.  That wasn't just me.  Other reviewers I chatted with expressed the same feeling.  Very loud. But not much payoff on the performance end.

That's really not a surprise, given that the power plant is a relatively humble 1.8-liter, four-cylinder creation putting out around 140 horsepower.  The good news on that front is exceptional gas mileage at 28 miles per gallon in the city and 35 mpg on the highway.

But maybe that's the point.  Maybe Toyota engineers tuned the XSE engine to resemble one of those compact tuner cars that buzz by me occasionally on the freeway,  putting out enough engine noise to make me feel it in my toes.

After all, Corolla means variety.  Maybe that was the plan.  And it doesn't appear that Toyota is having any trouble selling Corollas these days.

Beyond the XSE engine characteristics, you get the classic Corolla package: nicely equipped, plentiful standard perks and the long-established assumption that the thing probably will run trouble-free for 70 to 100 dog years.

Oh, it's also affordable, starting at just $22,730.  My dressed-up version read a still-reasonable $25,337 on the sticker's bottom line.

So, looking for a Corolla with an audible attitude?  Check the XSE box at the Toyota dealership.

Vanilla Volvo sport-ute packs a surprising punch

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

Sacramento, California – A white Volvo sport-utility vehicle.  Wow, not much excitement in that, right?

That was just what I was thinking when I hit the accelerator on the tested 2018 Volvo XC60 T8 E-AWD Inscription and felt my neck snap backward like a wet noodle.

What the heck?

Let’s see, the sticker says this thing has a 2-liter supercharged and turbocharged engine linked to an electric motor generating a combined 400 HORSEPOWER AND 472 FOOT-POUNDS OF TORQUE.

Holy Swedish surprise!  That explained things.

Yes, this particular Volvo sport-ute more than earns its place in the HOT LAPS Hall of Fame, thanks to its ridiculous performance characteristics and its ability to shame an unwitting sports car driver into therapy.

This Volvo rocket ship starts just shy of $53,000 but the extensive Insciption/Convenience/Vision and Luxury Seat packages ballooned the bottom line on my tester to nearly $72,000.  I had more perks than an Exxon CEO driving this Volvo, but the standard package was pretty impressive on its own.

I particularly liked the LED headlights in the “Thor’s Hammer” arrangement.  And that laminated panoramic moonroof with power sunshade was pretty cool.

Safety systems?  C’mon, this is a Volvo. The thing was loaded with state-of-the-art safety/security technology to keep me as safe as a babe in the cradle.

Still, nothing beat the rush of opening it up.  Be advised that the sound and power delivered by the combo powertrain system was not brutish.  Performance was dished up in smooth layers, like icing on Mom’s marble cake.

Noise coming back to the cockpit was no indication of what was going on outside the vehicle.  A glance at the speedometer handled that message.  The tester could hit 80 with very little prodding from my right foot, and the vehicle’s agility even at that speed was cutting and quick.

This is quite the midsize SUV package, and I’m not surprised that the XC60 represents about 30 percent of Volvo’s global vehicle sales.

Yes, my tester did cost a pretty penny, but if you crave that monster list of features and a big-time  performance rush to boot, this XC60 T8 E-AWD Inscription is the way to go.