My lost weekend ... and hopes for the future

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 -- Since I was 7 years old in May of 1961, Memorial Day weekend has meant venturing to Indianapolis for the world-famous 500 -- everything from helping pack up the family car for the short drive over from Dayton, Ohio, to flying cross-country from my California home.

That did not happen this past weekend ... and the feeling was surreal.

I knew early on, of course, that the Memorial Day holiday was going to be a lost weekend for me, with Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials pushing the race forward to Aug. 23, when, hopefully, the 500-mile race can be run in some fashion.

Still, I was like a little boy searching for his favorite lost toy over the just-completed holiday weekend.

I watched television -- although I am quickly growing tired of watching yet another rerun of the Yankees and Red Sox in the 2004 American League Championship Series and the Cleveland Cavaliers rising up to knock off Golden State in the NBA Finals of 2016 -- or read books or jogged the neighborhood streets in an effort to fill the time.

It didn't help much.  Last Friday, I'd look at the clock and think that I should be watching the final Indy 500 practice session right about now, when all 33 starters are blazing around the IMS oval to nail down fuel mileage and last-minute car set-ups.

On Sunday, I awoke early and recalled the countless mornings I traveled to IMS, with excitement, anticipation and (often) rain in the air.  I was mentally counting down the magical hour before the start time of the race, when tradition and heartbeats ramp up to high speed.  And oh, how I was missing the pulsating flying start of the race -- still the most exciting moment in all of sports, in my humble view.

To its credit, NBC did a wonderful job of showing what amounted to a replay/documentary of the 2019 race, complete with special recognition of the U.S. armed forces and thoughtful interviews with Simon Pagenaud, last year's winner, and runner-up Alexander Rossi, pride of Northern California.  Both drivers did outstanding jobs of breaking down the spellbinding finish of the 2019 race, among the best 13 laps I've ever seen at Indianapolis.

But again, it wasn't the same.

Knowing what I know right now, I'm skeptical about the likelihood of the race being run on Aug. 23.  I'm just not sure things will change significantly over the next three months to enable some 300,000 people to assemble shoulder-to-shoulder on the grounds of the grand old speedway.

There's some rumor-talk about pushing the race ahead to an October date, but, well, who knows?

As for me, I long for a day when I can mingle with thousands of race-starved fans and fellow speed/horsepower freaks at IMS.  There's a shared attitude and experience in that, which, frankly, I cannot put into words.  But it's a high I want to share at Indy for as many years as I have left.

Here's hoping it comes to pass soon.  The old racetrack, which has seen so much over its 111 years, sits waiting for our return.  That day will be one to celebrate.

Old flame Mazda MX-5 two-seater is better than ever

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 -- I met up with an old flame the other day.

It was a 2020 Mazda MX-5 Miata Club RF roadster.  Sure, it's technically just an MX-5, but even Mazda puts "Miata" on the sticker for good measure.

And that's appropriate, because just saying "Miata" brings back 30-year-old memories of when the little two-seater was introduced, and seemingly everybody had to have one.  Auto enthusiasts were crawling all over each other, offering to pay thousands above the asking price for one of the first models on American shores.

I wasn't that over-the-top about the car -- my household budget back then wouldn't allow for it anyway -- but I certainly admired the roadster's sexy style and straight-up road trip appeal.

Flash forward to 2020 and not all that much has changed.  Then again, upon closer inspection, much has changed.

First off, the basic sleek, low-to-the-ground, super-sporty exterior remains intact.  Folks walking up to the car instantly know it's an MX-5 Miata.

Behind the steering wheel, positive changes are within reach.

The tester is way more powerful than the Miata that first took a bow at the Chicago Auto Show in 1989.  Under the hood is a 2-liter, four-cylinder engine rated at 181 horsepower.  With the MX-5 weighing in at less than 2,500 pounds, this power plant makes for a muscular rear-drive machine.

Accelerations off the line are seat-pressing blasts, and once the revs are up, the MX-5 can dart around stragglers with agile, stick-to-the-road ease.  There's a satisfying, deep engine note to accompany this, a deeper tone that one normally gets from a 2-liter 4 arrangement.

Even with the sporty DNA, fuel mileage is excellent at 26 miles per gallon in the city and 35 mpg on the highway.

With the RF hardtop, the roof can be packed away or put up in a mere 13 seconds at the push of a switch.  It's still a fun show after all these years.

For me, the most impressive thing was the number of standard perks that came with my tester.  Far from a stripped two-seater, my ride included paddle shifters, a 7-inch touch-screen display, heated seats, a lane-departure warning system and a generous supply of state-of-the-art safety and security features.

All this was reflected in the sticker price, a somewhat hefty $35,185.

Obviously, the MX-5 is not -- and never has been -- a daily chore-doer, unless you like to make your grocery store runs a three-trip experience.  Nope, the Miata is meant to be taken out on the open road and opened up.

Try it.  I guarantee you'll love it.

Highlander Platinum is worth its weight in gold

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 -- I never envisioned a sticker reading $51,112 on a Toyota Highlander, a model that is a classic midsize crossover sport-utility vehicle at its core.

Yes, my 2020 Highlander Platinum, with a 3.5-liter V-6 and all-wheel drive, was priced in a range that you might have expected for a fully loaded Mercedes-Benz sport-ute not all that long ago.

But here's the thing: The Highlander was so stuffed with quality and perks that the lofty price was totally justified.  My only recommendation would be that if you want to put down that kind of money on a Highlander, you're buying in for a long-term commitment.

That would be a wise investment, because there's a lot to like.

Let's start with the look, a combination of vintage SUV and country club elegance, with just a touch of aggressive sauciness on the front end.  This fourth-generation Highlander was redesigned from the ground up for 2020, and the designers certainly earned their pay, in my view.

My ride was particularly impressive on 20-inch wheels and wearing a bluish-gray paint job with the delightful title of "Moon Dust."

The tester was pleasingly powerful with a 3.5-liter V-6 rated rated at 295 horsepower.  The Highlander was instantly responsive in dicey freeway traffic and even produced a satisfactory growl when the accelerator was nailed hard.  But not too much of a growl as passengers were able to conduct easy conversations in the quiet cabin.

Toyota expanded interior space in the 2020 redesign, meaning there's even more room to carry cargo in a model that has long impressed in that category.

Interior cabin comfort was excellent, and the driver can easily reach a full boat of easily mastered comfort, convenience and safety features.  Platinum model standards include leather-trimmed seating surfaces and heated seats in the first and second rows.

Fuel mileage is OK at 20 miles per gallon in the city and 27 mpg on the highway.

Happily, the reworked-for-2020 Highlander remains what it has always been -- a comfortable compromise between Toyota's smaller RAV4 and Toyota's lineup of much larger sport-utes.

With multiple improvements for the 2020 model year, the Highlander represents the best compromise in its nearly 20-year history.  And worth every penny.

A perfect mix of performance, luxury and style

This review first appeared in the May 2020 edition of the Northern & Central California Cruisin’ News published out of Folsom, California – mg
 

Sacramento, California – To this day, it's still hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that Hyundai, a former producer of cheap cars, is making some of the top quality motor vehicles in the world.

In the recently tested Genesis G80 RWD 3.3T Sport sedan, the point is slammed home with sledgehammer force.  The G80 is that rare mix of exceptional performance, luxury and style.

Yes, that's right, the luxury division of Hyundai makes a passenger car the equal of anything produced by Cadillac, Acura, Lincoln, Acura, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz.

There, I said it.  And it's the truth.

Let's start with style. The tested G80 had plenty of it with perfect fit-and-finish and head-turning sculpting on the front end.  The obligatory oversize grille is softened a bit by angular cuts under the G80's headlights.  The lines over the top of the car are softly rounded and smooth.

Inside, luxury abounds.  An extensive owner's manual helps the owner master a wide range of features.  Noteworthy perks include a 16-way power driver's seat, an easy-to-use 9.2-inch touchscreen, a wireless charging pad, a power rear sunshade, Nappa leather surfaces and LED lighting all around.

The luxury lineup is bolstered by state-of-the-art safety technology, including lane-keeping assist and driver-attention warning systems.

Heart-racing performance comes from a twin-turbo 3.3-liter V-6 advertised at 365 horsepower.  It feels much stronger than that last number, especially when I leaned the G80 hard into twisty Sierra Nevada foothill roads.  The G80 held the line with monorail firmness throughout, and for those who like to rip through the gears, paddle shifters are part of the deal.

Fuel mileage on the tester was fair at 17 miles per gallon in the city and 25 mpg on the highway.

Off the top, I would expect to pay $60,000 to $70,000 for this machine, but the bottom line on the tester's sticker was a comparatively reasonable $56,245.  Hyundai has made a lot of headway pricing loaded cars for far less than the competition.  They've hit another home run with this G80.

Literally as I'm writing this, Genesis has unveiled an all-new G80 with "Athletic Elegance" design.  That's definitely something to look into.