Autorama celebrates area's rich custom car history

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 -- While the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association has been a sporting presence in the region for nearly 40 years, there's another endeavor that dates back to the immediate post-World War II era ... and is awash in Sacramento-area history.

It's the Sacramento Autorama, the 72nd version of which will be held Friday through Sunday on Sacramento's Cal Expo grounds, 1600 Exposition Blvd. If top-tier automotive artistry is your passion, the Autorama is a little slice of heaven.

The event celebrates the area's rich history of car customization. Presented by O'Reilly Auto Parts, this year's Autorama will feature more than 500 hot rods, customs, muscle cars, trucks, and motorcycles from across the country competing to win numerous awards.

Major awards honor world-famous customizers from the Sacramento area, including Joe "Candy Apple Red" Bailon, Dick Bertolucci and Sam Barris.  The top award is the Harold Bagdasarian Memorial World's Most Beautiful Custom trophy.

Hundreds more vehicles are expected to participate in the 15th Annual Sacramento Autorama Drive-In, featuring pre-1998 cars and trucks.

This will be the 10th anniversary of the Butch Gardner Club House, with more than 25 car clubs showing off their prize wheels. The Club House is organized in memory of Butch Gardner, a long-time member of the storied Thunderbolts auto club in Sacramento and a dedicated Autorama volunteer and participant. Thunderbolts club members played a key role in organizing the first Sacramento Autorama in 1950.

General admission tickets for ages 13 and older are $20 each. Tickets for ages 6 to 12 are $10; children ages 5 and younger are admitted free.

Tickets can be purchased online at https://rodshows.com/sacramento-autorama or at the event. Discount tickets are available at local O'Reilly Auto Parts stores. Parking on the Cal Expo grounds is $10.

Show hours are noon to 8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, when major awards will be handed out.

More information can be found at www.rodshows.com.

Highlander is a bit more than RAV4, and so much more

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 -- Sometimes, Toyota fans need more than the RAV4.

For those wanting a Toyota sport-utility vehicle a step up from the compact RAV4 crossover, there's the midsize Toyota Highlander.  Simply put, it checks a lot of boxes.

The tested 2023 Toyota Highlander Limited-L4T AWD combined utility, comfort and versatility.  Given Toyota's track record, reliability is a given.

For 2023, Toyota installed a new 2.4-liter, turbocharged, four-cylinder engine, rated at 265 horsepower and 310 foot-pounds of torque.  That represents a 17 percent power boost compared with the previous-generation power plant.

The extra oomph is easily noticeable, and much appreciated.  The tester dug into hard corners with gusto and responded strongly on freeway on-ramps.  The Highlander was remarkably firm on its four wheels, with very little body roll.

The Highlander's reported inability to absorb bumps was criticized by some in recent years.  I experienced no such problems, so kudos to engineers for smoothing the ride.

A long list of safety/convenience features filled up the sticker.  And while I don't like to give up control of a vehicle for even a few seconds, the lane departure-alert system with steering assist kept me safe during a couple of dicey outings.

For a vehicle listed at $50,210, interior perks on the tester were plentiful and beyond the norm.

Leather seating surfaces, a wireless smartphone charger, heated/ventilated/power front seats and an easy-to-read 12.3-inch LCD multimedia screen were among the most welcome features.

Arguably the biggest advantage the Highlander has over its smaller RAV4 cousin is roominess.  There's seating for seven and plentiful cargo room -- 84.3 cubic feet behind the front row, with seats folded -- when needed.

Fuel mileage is pretty good for this segment: 21 miles per gallon in the city and 28 mpg on the highway.  The Highlander earned a max five-star overall safety rating in federal government crash tests.

Overall, the Highlander remains a tempting Goldilocks "just right" vehicle positioned between the RAV4 and Toyota's beefier SUV offerings.  And with a more muscular engine thrown into the deal, it's a must-do on any SUV test drive list.

Hybrid Lexus NX mixes fuel economy, performance

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 the blizzard of alphanumeric names for motor vehicles, you can sometimes wonder what you're getting into.

Take the recently tested 2023 Lexus NX 450h+ Luxury sport-utility vehicle. So, what to make of that?

Let me break it down for you: A luxury-laden compact crossover SUV teaming a gas-fueled engine with a substantial electric power source.  And it's not just a hybrid but a plug-in hybrid. Oh, and there's all-wheel drive to boot.

Got that? Good, because this vehicle is an extraordinary piece of engineering, and it's priced well below similarly marvelous hybrid machines.

The tester was a near-perfect blend of fuel economy and performance, especially in the small SUV segment.

The NX 450h+ has a 36-mile range on electric power alone.  When the 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine and hybrid system work in concert, the combined equivalent is 84 miles per gallon. The same power sources do the zero-to-60-mph trip in only six seconds flat.

This translated to serious fun for me, pushing the hybrid hard on freeways and on uphill runs in the Sierra Nevada.  On city streets, the tester was as agile as a deer at full gallop.  I never felt like I was straining the power train.  If this had been a horse, I would tell you that it eagerly took to the trail.

I also had the bonus of a "Cadmium Orange" paint job, which turned heads in parking lots and even when I was in motion.

This being a "Luxury" model, my ride was stuffed with Lexus-level technology and spoil-me-rotten perks. The helpful, enjoyable features included a kick-sensor rear gate, a power/tilt/sliding moonroof, intuitive parking assist and thematic ambient illumination.  That last feature wows passengers as you effortlessly change interior colors and moods like a 21st century wizard.

Safety features are state-of-the-art and cover virtually every potential emergency, whether parked or on the fly.

The tester, which had a fair number of options, checked in at $62,780.  A quick comparative analysis of similarly equipped models told me that $70,000 would be a more likely starting price. So, right away, prospective buyers are ahead of the game.

And once played behind the wheel of this hybrid NX, the game is highly enjoyable.

Electrified Genesis G80 gets my volt for feisty fun

This review first appeared in the March 2023 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 -- Does the sound of silence get the heart racing?

In the 2023 Genesis Electrified G80 AWD luxury sedan, it certainly does.

How to explain it?  Well, here goes ...

As the model name explains, the Electrified G80 is an all-electric vehicle, with front and rear electric motors dishing up 136 kilowatts each. That equates to 365 horsepower and a zero-to-60 mph time of 4.9 seconds.

It feels faster than that, and I swear to you, it's the absence of a roaring engine that makes it feel that way.  Sure, I love the exhaust note of a growling internal-combustion engine, but with the tested G80, I had the pulse-quickening feeling of being driven forward by some silent, overpowering hand.  It's a rush.

It takes some getting used to. But once experienced, I was hooked, blasting the EV around town with a perpetual smile on my face.

Beyond the silent streaking, the tester's charms were numerous and enjoyable.

Hundreds of pages in the owner's manual were devoted to the advanced safety technologies, and the Genesis folks seemingly endeavored to put every available state-of-the-art system in the car.  That would be nearly 20 systems dedicated to crash avoidance, parking assistance and driving enhancement.

Extensive multimedia perks also are part of the deal.  And I had no trouble enduring Nappa leather surfaces, rich wood trim and heated/ventilated/power seats with multiple comfort settings.

Exterior styling is all-elegant, first team.  Also a bonus: An estimated 282 miles per charge, depending on driving conditions.

A small gripe: I would have loved a floor shifter, instead of the center console-mounted rotary dial gear changer.

The bottom line for all of this on the tested model: $81,495.  A lot, you say.  Yes, but I've tested similarly equipped cars going for six figures, so you do the math.

Luxury, top-tier technology and an electric volt jolt to the heart.  It's all good.

Ford Bronco Raptor reviewed in latest Cruisin' News

My review of the Ford Bronco Raptor Advanced 4X4 sport-utility vehicle can be seen in the latest, April 2023, 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.