Toyota's 4Runner shows up ready for off-road romps

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 -- Not all sport-utility vehicles are created equal.

This obvious -- and, yes, borderline philosophical -- thought occurred to me as I recently put a 2019 Toyota 4Runner 4X4 TRD Pro V6 sport-ute through its paces.

Just coming off a review of the 2020 Kia Telluride, I couldn't help but be struck by the difference between the two sizable SUVs.  While the Telluride is a velvet hammer, the 4Runner is a spiked war club.

In simpler terms, when the tested 4Runner shows up at your door, it all but screams to be taken off-road. Listen and you can almost here it speaking from under the hood: "Take me out where I can crunch over rocks and fallen trees, and splash through mountain streams."

I hear you, big boy.

I'm sure I disappointed the tester's mechanical soul by taking it on a relatively modest off-pavement excursion, but even that was enough to demonstrate the big-shouldered, muscular off-road chops of this latest addition to the 4Runner trim levels.

My ride, priced at $47,810, showed up wearing a stunning "Voodoo Blue" paint job that never failed to turn heads when I took it out for a drive.  However, that stylish paint scheme, did not detract from the vehicle's true nature: Thick, deep-tread tires; vented disc brakes front and rear; a stamped aluminum front skid plate; big-time shocks and springs; and crawl control were just part of the rugged adventure package.

Solid roof rails offer drivers plenty of room to tie on what they have not already loaded in the back of this attractive brute.

Speaking of that, opening the back of the 4Runner revealed a sliding rear cargo deck.  And the liftgate has something else you don't see too much of these days, a power sliding rear window.

Interior comfort/convenience features are plentiful, and on the fly, the tested 4Runner showed good muscle and pretty fair acceleration, courtesy of a 4-liter V-6 engine rated at 270 horsepower.  The 4Runner needs firm hands on the wheel in slalom runs and on high-speed corners, but it's off-road agility is pure mountain goat.

Fuel mileage is a tepid 17 miles per gallon in the city and 20 mpg on the highway, but my guess is that many 4Runner buyers only care about getting this vehicle and their gear to the nearest lake or alpine meadow or secret camping hideaway.

For those purposes, the 4Runner is a champ.

Kia's new Telluride is a three-row thrill ride

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 -- Unless you've been living in a cave for the past several months, you likely have been bombarded with magazine, newspaper and television ad images of the Kia Telluride, the South Korean automaker's all-new venture into the three-row SUV segment and the largest Kia ever built.

Hype thy name is Telluride.

But in this case, the hype is justified.  This is an exceptional effort by Kia, a car company that has been turning in a string of exceptional efforts of late.

Waxing poetic, Kia tells us that "the Telluride is all about big skies, desert roads, mountain passes, shady forests, smooth highways and long coastal drives."  Well, I couldn't agree more, and here's the thing: This three-row sport-ute drives like a lively midsize sedan.

The 3.8-liter V-6 rated at nearly 300 horsepower propels the Telluride forward with effortless ease.  Accelerations from a standing start are enthusiastic, yet smooth as you run up through the eight-speed gearbox.  Handling and steering are remarkably easy, so much so that I felt I could zip this SUV into the tightest of parking lots and spots.

Smooth exterior styling draws your attention to the sweetly styled front end, featuring an elongated hood that cuts through the air with quiet grace.  The vehicle, seating up to eight, was mapped out at Kia's design studio in Irvine, California.

Inside my 2020 Telluride SX V6 AWD, it was a decidedly luxurious setting, with Nappa leather seating surfaces, tri-zone climate control, a rear sunroof, second-row Captain Chairs and a kickin' Harman/Kardon surround-sound audio system.

Interior comfort and roominess were instantly appreciated, and as I was enjoying the miles roll by in my week with the Telluride, I kept asking myself: Where was this vehicle when I was taking those long road trip vacations of my youth?  In my dreams, I guess.

I was reluctant to put even a speck of dirt on the tester's sparkling "Snow White Pearl" paint job, but auto-reviewing colleagues who did put the Telluride through its paces off-road reported to me that it was as solid as advertised: powerful, shock-absorbing and an enthusiastic performer cutting through mud and streams.  There was particularly high praise for the Telluride's four-wheel independent suspension.

Fuel mileage on my ride came in at an OK 19 miles per gallon in the city and 24 mpg on the highway.

The Telluride package is topped off by state-of-the-art safety/driving-enhancement technology and Kia's generous warranties.  The bottom line on the tester's sticker was $47,255, a very reasonable number given all that was in this Telluride.

A three-row SUV that handles like a dream and is at home as a daily urban driver or weekend off-road warrior ... What's not to like?

Maxima's hot little secret: maximum performance

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

Sacramento, California – The Nissan Maxima has been around since the dawn of the 1980s, and I've consistently looked forward to driving various versions of the car for a specific reason: performance.

Yes, that's right.  I can't tell you how many slowpokes I've blown by over the years in a Maxima.  I'm sure it came as a surprise to the pokes, because most folks don't think performance when they think of Maxima.

To those folks, I say: It's time to get your mind right.

Take my recent week in the 2019 Nissan Maxima SL, looking good in "Deep Blue Pearl" paint on a sweetly styled body of sharp angles, plus perfect fit and finish.

The neighbors chatted up the Maxima's attractive appearance.  They looked inside and loved the generous helping of comfort/convenience features and easy-to-use controls nicely laid out over the dashboard.

However, those who braved a ride with me came back talking about the Maxima's maximum performance.

"Wow, this thing really goes," said one.  That's an understatement.

The Maxima is propelled by a 3.5-liter V-6 rated at 300 horsepower.  Best of all, power is delivered with a firm punch in the low revs.  For roadway stragglers on either side of me, this means I'm leaving them in the dust before they even have a chance to react.

I'm pretty ashamed to admit to the feeling of personal power that goes with this ... but not too ashamed.  As always, a finely tuned suspension only adds to the performance rush of the Maxima.

Even with the sporty engine, fuel mileage is a fairly respectable 20 miles per gallon in the city and 30 mpg on the highway.

The Maxima has long been Nissan's flagship sedan, so everything you get beyond the V-6 performance rush is top-tier.

The saucy layout of exterior LED lights is particularly striking at night ... so much so that you might even want to park the car and take a look at it yourself.  Interior features include an eight-inch color screen for navigation and other functions, leather surfaces, intelligent cruise control, a dual-panel panoramic moonroof  and much, much more.

The safety features in the Maxima are plentiful and loaded with state-of-the-art technology. Bottom line on the tested sedan was $39,695.

All in all, one of my long-time favorite sedans continues to impress.  And in a U.S. auto market that is shedding sedans at a record rate, it was a pleasure to have a week in one that included all the things that made four-door passenger cars kings of the American road for years.

'Final Edition' Beetle reviewed in latest Cruisin' News

Check out my review of the 2019 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible 2.0T Final Edition SEL in the latest, July 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.

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