Sedan fans have plenty to like in the Lexus ES 350

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 -- In a world of seemingly endless sport-utility vehicle variations, there are some out there who prefer to stick with the good old sedan.

Four wheels, four doors, capable of smooth cruising and a race driver's ground-level view.  Nothing wrong with that.

Which is why the Lexus ES lineup has done so well in sales for years.

My tester was a step up from the basic midsize level, a 2021 ES 350 F Sport, a luxury liner with a healthy dose of performance tweaks.

Mine showed up wearing "Ultrasonic Blue Mica" paint, classy 19-inch wheels and sporty sculpting all around the vehicle.

Some auto reviewers have criticized the ES 350 for not being sporty enough, but that was lost on me when I took the tester out for a spirited run up into the Sierra Nevada foothills. The 3.5-liter V-6 rated at 302 horsepower took to the hill climb with gusto, breezing by other struggling machines, and the ES 350 demonstrated sharp agility as it held the line on curves taken at 70 miles per hour.

The strong performance was not accompanied by a loud invasion of the cockpit.  Even at high song, conversations inside the cabin could be carried on in normal tones.

There's virtually universal agreement among auto reviewers that the interior of the ES 350 is a strong point -- spacious and comfortable.  A thoughtfully laid out dashboard and center console area can be accessed without taking one's eyes off the road.

Naturally, I again struggled a bit with the somewhat complex infotainment system, although I do believe I'm getting the hang of it.  Makes me feel younger by the minute.

The interior space is generous enough that you darn near feel like you're at the wheel of a full-size sedan, and smooth cruising comfort is the norm.

The starting price on my ride was $45,700, but a generous suite of options pushed the bottom line to $51,795.

That was OK with me as the perks included useful, attractive items: wireless charger, sizable head-up display, color multimedia display and a rear spoiler to name just a few.  A full line of state-of-the-art safety features is part of the deal too.

This sedan earned a max five-star overall federal government safety rating in crash tests, and fuel mileage on the tester came in at a pretty fair 22 miles per gallon in the city and 31 mpg on the highway.

I'm not sure what more one would want in a luxury midsize sedan.  For me, my time in the ES 350 was a fun, exciting blast, and I felt entirely secure at the wheel on crowded city streets and twisty mountain roads.

Honda Ridgeline is a solid ride, and sized just right

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 -- There's something to be said for driving a pickup truck that's not the size of a cargo jet.

Drivability?  You bet.  That's what you get in the Honda Ridgeline midsize pickup.  Specifically, my tester was the 2021 Honda Ridgeline AWD Sport.

It came with a 3.6-liter V-6 rated at 280 horsepower and 262 foot-pounds of torque, married to a nine-speed automatic transmission. With unibody construction and four-wheel independent suspension, the Ridgeline handled with all the smoothness of a well-tuned midsize sedan.

I quickly overcame my ingrained pickup truck timidity and commenced to whip the Ridgeline around like it was a BMW 3 Series.  Tight parking lots were not a concern either as the Ridgeline zipped through tight spots and seemingly snapped itself into parking spots without my help.

Freeway cruising was a quiet breeze, and when asked, the V-6 dug in and tackled uphill runs with virtually no complaints under the hood.

Fun to drive?  Check.

But this is still a pickup truck, so you get the convenience of that, albeit with a smaller cargo bed than you find on the big boys.

While the Ridgeline is a midsize, its wide stance enables the owner to stack four-foot-wide items in the bed between the wheel wells, and the standard, lockable In-Ben Trunk offers an additional 7.3 cubic feet of storage space under the bed floor.

Standard payload capacity is just shy of 1,600 pounds; towing capacity is 5,000 pounds.

My tester came in at a bottom line of $40,860, and that included a generous supply of standard safety, comfort and convenience features.  Notable perks included LED headlights/fog lights, power door mirrors, braking enhancements, tri-zone climate control and four-wheel disc brakes.

Did I mention that it looks good?  It truly does with some tweaks for 2021, including some nice sculpting cuts to the grille, front bumper and front fenders -- all of it riding on 18-inch alloy wheels and all-season tires. The tested Ridgeline sported "Radiant Red Metallic II" exterior paint, a stunningly bright contrast to the black interior.

Honda claims best-in-class safety ratings, including a max five stars overall in federal government crash tests.  Fuel mileage is so-so at 18 miles per gallon in the city and 24 mpg on the highway.

Granted, this is not the top-seeded truck for a typical work site.  You won't see TV commercials with tons of concrete and lumber being dropped into its bed (although I'm not sure that's a good way to treat a full-size pickup, either).

What you will see from a Ridgeline is practical-sized, comfortable daily driver capable of transporting sizable cargo, while looking right at home in a country club parking lot.

CX-30 SUV part of a class of Mazda's small wonders

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 -- Has anyone else noticed that Mazda is making some very nice, affordable, small vehicles these days?

Well, it's true.  Exhibit A for today is the recently tested 2021 Mazda CX-30 2.5 Turbo, which also featured the automaker's Premium Plus Package and all-wheel drive.

This subcompact crossover sport-utility vehicle is an attractive mix of style, features, performance and value.

And it's just attractive to look at, with a long hoodline and aerodynamically efficient roofline.

You might have a difficult time convincing the neighbors that this is an SUV as it could almost pass for a compact sport sedan. Even better, it handles like one, with a tight turning radius and just-right steering that can be handled with a thumb-index finger grip.

Past critics of the CX-30 have knocked the 2.5-liter engine rated at 186 horsepower.  Oomph was not a concern on the tester, with the 2.5-liter turbo engine rated at 227 horsepower and 310 foot-pounds of torque.  This power plant propels the CX-30 in and out of tight spots with ease.  It's downright robust, but fuel mileage is surprisingly good at 22 miles per gallon in the city and 30 mpg on the highway.

Freeway cruising is a silky smooth breeze, giving one an opportunity to sample the luxury-level comfort and convenience amenities.

On my tester, that included leather surfaces, an easy-to-read 8.8-inch color display screen and a 12-speaker Bose audio system.  That was topped off by a generous helping of solid safety/security technology.

Safety and security are further emphasized in the five-star federal crash test ratings, including a max overall vehicle score.

All in all, it's an impressive package that you might expect to be in the $40,000 to $45,000 range.  But the bottom line on the tester's sticker was a very reasonable $35,400.

That's a number to remember in this era of COVID concerns, which include value for one's hard-earned dollars.  To that end, the CX-30 offers customer-pleasing amenities, strong performance and daily driver convenience/utility for far less than what you'd pay for a midsize or full-size SUV.

In other words, the CX-30 might just be the smart compromise vehicle you're looking for. It certainly deserves a place on a short list of possible compact SUV purchases.

Numbers, letters fall short of describing Lexus IS 350

This review first appeared in the June 2021 edition of the Northern & Central California Cruisin' News published out of Folsom, California – mg

Sacramento, California ­– I understand the need for alphanumeric car model names.  Really, I get it.  They're running out of names, right?

Any day now, I expect an automaker to introduce the Wile E. Coyote crossover sport-ute.  Don't laugh. Remember, Plymouth gave us the Road Runner.

The point is, sometimes, letters and numbers don't quite say it.  Take the tested 2021 Lexus IS 350, a luxury compact sport sedan made more spicy with the automaker's F Sport treatment.

It should have a name like Lightspeed or Flashflame.

On my tester, the name of the exterior paint job -- Ultrasonic Blue Mica -- spoke louder than IS 350.

How so? Well, of the major changes Lexus made to this extensively reworked 2021 model, enhancements to performance and rigidity spoke loudest, an absolutely blissful marriage of suspension and chassis.

My IS 350 produced a satisfying rumble on start-up, and that was the beginning of a spirited run up into the Sierra Nevada and back.

Exceptional acceleration came via the 3.5-liter V-6 with 311 horsepower.  Slight blips on the throttle brought immediate response.  The car didn't merely speed up at high revs.  It zipped.

Cornering at speed was a blast as the IS 350 held a rock-solid line throughout.  I think I could have balanced a glass of lemonade on the center console without spilling a drop.

Yet the tester seemed to instinctively sense when to drift slightly on a cornering pass.  This provided a feeling of security when I passed 18-wheelers rounding bends at 70 miles per hour.

Inside, the vehicle was comfortable, with good 360-degree vision from the driver's seat.  The expected Lexus suite of comfort, convenience and luxury features was included.

Fuel mileage was fair at 20 miles per gallon in the city and 28 mpg on the highway.

My tester looked good with sporty sculpting and the F Sport treatments, which included 19-inch staggered-width alloy wheels with a dark metallic finish.

Overall, the tested IS 350 was stuffed with perks, bringing the bottom line to a fairly hefty $55,360 -- quite a boost from the starting price of $42,900.

I was surprised to see widely varying reviews of this sport sedan from auto-reviewing colleagues, but I'd give it a solid 8 on a 10-point scale. It might not be every motorist's cup of tea, but fans of sporty luxury in a nimble, practical-size four-door model should give it a good look.

Robust Genesis SUV reviewed in latest Cruisin' News

Check out my review of the 2021 Genesis GV80 AWD 3.5T Advanced Plus sport-utility vehicle in the latest, July 2021, 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.

Hyundai's Venue high on value, but no cheap tricks

 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 -- Leave it to Hyundai to come up with an inexpensive car that's tempting, feature-loaded and absolutely worth a test drive at the dealership.

Gone are the days when an automaker could put up something incredibly cheap -- a Google search of the Yugo will tell you all that you need to know -- and put it under the nose of the American consumer ... and expect said vehicle to actually sell.

But with the tested 2021 Hyundai Venue SEL, one gets a price leader with real fixings.

The sticker on my ride had a long list of perks that were marked "Included" in the starting price of, get this, $19,800.  And no, the standard features on this subcompact crossover sport-utility vehicle went far beyond floor mats or a leather-wrapped gear shifter.

Standard fare included an eight-inch color touchscreen, smart phone/USB ports, eight-way adjustable driver's seat, roof rails and much more.  Even a $2,000-plus package of options -- heated front seats, a power sunroof and LED lighting all around were part of it -- brought the bottom line to a still-practical $23,480.

So, right away, I'm thinking: Great second family car for handling the world's chores ... or maybe the perfect choice for a frugal family looking for a dependable ride for their college-student-to-be.

But wait, there's more.

It looks good.  Check that, it looks real good to my eyes.  Sporty lines and a spicy grille are bolstered by a long roofline that makes the Venue look larger than it really is.

Power comes from a 1.6-liter, 16-valve, four-cylinder engine rated at 121 horsepower.  OK, that's not going to blow the doors off the rides of your fellow motorists, but then again, that's not the purpose of the Venue.

And when I'm thinking of that college-student-to-be, I have no problem sleeping at night knowing that he/she is not settling into the driver's seat of a 300-horsepower road warrior.  Just saying.

What you don't get on the power end is generously made up for on the fuel mileage front, with 30 miles per gallon in the city and 33 mpg on the highway.

This was my second go-around in the Venue, and while it's not everyone's cup of tea, I remain impressed with Hyundai's ability to produce bargain-priced motor vehicles with plenty to like. And, apparently, I'm not alone as the Venue pulled down a "Best Value" of 2021 award from Cars.com.

Quality, value-laden, but no cheap tricks.  That's the Hyundai Venue in a nutshell.