Honda Passport TrailSport built to be a path tamer

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews can be seen here and in the Cruisin’ News, "Oregon, Nevada and California's classic auto news & marketplace."

Sacramento, California -- In its never-ending efforts to please all American auto buyers, Honda offers up the midsize Passport sport-utility vehicle.

And for an extra shout-out to outdoors enthusiasts, there's my test ride: the 2022 Honda Passport AWD TrailSport.

As the name suggests, this TrailSport is designed to have fun off the paved surfaces.  If you like to play in the mud, the TrailSport happily obliges. It's specially equipped to do so.

It has a wide track for increased stability, prominent skid plates and rides on rock-crunching 18-inch tires.  You even get special "TrailSport" badging, lest anyone forget that you're the rugged outdoors type.

On the paved roads, the tester was strong and easy to drive, powered by a 3.5-liter V-6 engine rated at 280 horsepower.

I was impressed with the TrailSport's lack of sway in sharp corners taken at high speed ... a definite plus for an SUV touted as an off-roader.  Steering was just-right firm.

Interior cabin space was impressive (plus an under-floor storage area in the rear), and the comfort/convenience controls were happily easy to master and use.  Interior leather stitching was attractive and expertly done.

While Honda emphasizes the TrailSport's off-the-beaten-path characteristics, I was pleasantly surprised by the number of standard features of civilization.  That included voice recognition, a multi-view rear camera, a wireless phone charger, tri-zone climate control, heated front seats and adaptive cruise control.

Fuel mileage is so-so at 19 miles per gallon in the city and 24 mpg on the highway. The Passport earned a max five stars in federal government crash test scoring.

The sticker on my ride came in at $44,090.

Overall, the Passport TrailSport is right at home in a country club parking lot or on a muddy California forest trail.

That's just Honda's way of reaching out to everybody.

Toyota's venerable RAV4 sport-ute remains on a roll

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews can be seen here and in the Cruisin’ News, "Oregon, Nevada and California's classic auto news & marketplace."

Sacramento, California -- The benefits of owning a Toyota RAV4 are many, and owners of the compact crossover sport-utility vehicle happily list them with glee.

Compact size but perfect for handling numerous chores.  Affordably priced.  Generously equipped. Perfect ride height. Reliable. Trouble-free.

These are just some of the reasons that a RAV4 has been a fixture in my own driveway for more than a decade.

And the current RAV4 is dramatically better than my old reliable.  A week in the 2022 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid XSE AWD emphasized the point.

The 2022 RAV4 lines are decidedly smoother.  Remember the rear-mounted spare tire of years ago?  Gone with the wind.

The tester's 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine paired with an electric motor provides a max 219 horsepower.  The combination makes the compact RAV4 a genuinely peppy road horse, and the freeway ride is quiet and smooth.

A nearly universal point made by RAV4 drivers is that "it doesn't drive like a sport-utility vehicle."  That's true. It's handles like a smooth midsize sedan, and it relatively manageable size enables pilots to navigate even the tightest parking lots.

The primary benefit of the hybrid system: 41 miles per gallon in the city and 38 mpg on the highway.

Interior comfort is excellent, and all the comfort/convenience features are within easy reach and easy to master.  I would call it sophisticated simplicity.

For the record: The RAV4 earned a max five-star rating in federal government crash tests.

With the hybrid technology, the tested RAV4 came in at a somewhat pricey $42,296, but based on past history, one assumes that RAV4 buyers are getting the vehicle for the long haul.

Toyota contends that it "essentially created the template for what became the 'crossover SUV,'" and the argument can be made that is the case.  Back in the day, automakers copied the just-right-size concept and actually brought some sanity to the monster-size SUV craze of years ago.

Crossover or whatever you call it, the RAV4 has established a rock-solid reputation in the SUV segment, and the latest version is exceptionally good.

Honda has another small wonder in its HR-V SUV

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews can be seen here and in the Cruisin’ News, "Oregon, Nevada and California's classic auto news & marketplace."

Sacramento, California -- For the 2023 model year, Honda has rolled out a new-generation HR-V, a sporty-looking subcompact crossover sport-utility vehicle.

It's the kind of vehicle that Honda does very well.  And it shows.

My tester was the 2023 HR-V AWD EX-L, a five-door gem with a long roofline that makes it look more substantial than a mini-SUV.

Power comes from a capable 2-liter, four-cylinder, 158-horsepower engine that propels the Honda around quite nicely.  You have to put your foot in it on the sharpest of uphill climbs, but that is entirely expected in this segment.

Fuel mileage is pretty good at 25 miles per gallon in the city and 30 mpg on the highway.

Honda touts how much it has put into this HR-V, and my tester backed that claim with a long list of standard features. Particularly impressive was the 9-inch color touchscreen linked with a multi-view camera.

Simply put, the tested HR-V was equipped and engineered along the lines of a midsize crossover SUV on which I might expect to drop $40,000.  The sticker on the tester read a mere $30,590.

So, right away, the purchaser of an HR-V is ahead of the game.

And who might purchase this HR-V?  Honda makes it very clear:

"The new Honda HR-V is just the right size for young, active buyers looking for a sporty driving experience, and plenty of space and utility for an adventurous weekend escape," said Michael Kistemaker, assistant vice president, Honda National Sales, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "This new HR-V will welcome a new generation of customers to Honda, and we look to grow its position as the segment leader with young buyers, first-time buyers and multicultural customers."

That makes sense.  But speaking for the older folks -- of which I am one -- this HR-V shapes up as a pretty smart buy for their generation ... an affordable, liberally equipped people/cargo hauler that should run for 10 years or more without working up a sweat.

The HR-V also qualifies as a compromise vehicle for those who are still nervous about purchasing an electric car but don't want to drop 50-grand on a beefier sport-ute.

Wagoneer sport-ute is grand, but don't call it a Jeep

This review first appeared in the September 2022 edition of the Cruisin' News, "Oregon, Nevada and California's classic auto news & marketplace."

To subscribe to the Cruisin' News, visit www.cruisinnews.com, call (916) 933-0949 or send an email request to subscribe@cruisinnews.com.  Mailed requests for information should be sent to Cruisin' News, P.O. Box G, Virginia City, NV 89440. 

Sacramento, California -- I never dreamed that I would be driving a Jeep motor vehicle priced at $109,025.

But then again, it's not quite a Jeep.  Well, actually, it is. Well, actually, it's complicated.

The Wagoneer is essentially its own SUV nameplate under the Jeep ownership umbrella.  And yes, the old Wagoneer name -- a Jeep creation all the way -- has been resurrected for these new vehicles. Got that?

And while a Wagoneer is a full-size sport-utility vehicle, a Grand Wagoneer is a full-size luxury SUV.  And in the case of the tested 2022 Grand Wagoneer Obsidian 4X4, I received the mega version of the Grand Wagoneer line.  For the record, you won't find the Jeep name on the vehicle.

Brain-sapping explanations aside, the tested Obsidian was a mind-blowing marvel, every inch a stand-up competitor against the Cadillac Escalades and Lincoln Navigators of this world.  If Jeep's goal was to showcase its ability to produce a modern, luxury-laden, technologically-advanced, premium upscale vehicle with the best of them, mission accomplished.

I was floored by the blizzard of standard features and state-of-the-art safety/driving-enhancement features stuffed into the tester.  And it's not just the head-up display and surround-view camera and a zillion others.  It's beyond-the-norm perks like drowsy driver detection, the digital rearview mirror, a primo air suspension, the auto-park system, pedestrian emergency braking and dark walnut wood interior accents.

And on and on.  I didn't come close to making it through the "War and Peace"-thickness owner's manual.  For all I know, I missed the part where the Grand Wagoneer Obsidian prepares my breakfast.

And yet, for all that, my fondest memory will be the vehicle's velvet-smooth ride on the freeway.  Volunteer passengers were likewise mesmerized.

"How can this big SUV be so smooth.  What magic do they have?" asked one.  I didn't have an answer.  I was busy being transfixed.

But wait, there's more. When you nail the accelerator, the soft pillow turns into a tiger.  The 6.4-liter V-8 engine rated at 471 horsepower moved the big SUV like a tornado-driven prairie fire. I was actually forcing myself to hold it back. Remarkable!

What about the Obsidian part, you ask?  Yeah, that's a special package of expertly placed black paint and parts, making the already sharp-looking Grand Wagoneer look like a sedan-crushing cousin of the Batmobile.

Drawbacks?  Well, the fuel ratings are 13 miles per gallon in the city and 18 mpg on the highway.

I'm guessing that folks who can drop more than a hundred-grand on this vehicle aren't worried about the price of their next gas stop.  They're likely soothed to know that for their financial success, they've purchased a gem.

Luxurious Lexus sedan reviewed in latest Cruisin' News

My review of the 2022 Lexus ES 300h F Sport sedan can be seen in the latest, October 2022, edition of the Cruisin' News, "Oregon, Nevada and California's classic auto news and marketplace."

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 email request to subscribe@cruisinnews.com.  Mailed requests for information should be sent to Cruisin' News, P.O. Box G, Virginia City, NV 89440.