Solterra has electric convenience in Subaru package

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 -- A compact sport-utility vehicle that's a Subaru and all-electric to boot.

For a certain segment of motorists, that's an ideal combination.

I give you the 2026 Subaru Solterra EV.  My week was in the Premium edition of the SUV.  No price was listed in the accompanying documents, but Subaru loudly touts the base of $38,495 in its marketing materials.

My week in the "Midnight Tide Mica"-colored machine was a celebration of what makes Subaru popular with its devotees ... minus the boxer-style engine of course.  Power on the Solterra comes from front and rear electric motors, generating the equivalent of 233 horsepower.

Those e-motors more than did the job, propelling the tester with satisfying oomph off the line and darting through the local urban and rural roadways with effortless ease.

Yes, this is an EV but it includes a sophisticated all-wheel-drive system, for which Subaru is famous.

Volunteer passengers liked the performance characteristics and the relatively roomy space for five in the cabin. They also liked the modernistic lighting on the front and rear ends of the vehicle.

Subaru advertises electric range of 288 miles, and buyers can choose from various plug-in charging cords for convenience.

For those who wish to take the Solterra off the paved surfaces, there's a healthy 8.3 inches of ground clearance. Subaru insists that the Solterra is utterly comfortable off-road, and the vehicle includes a mode-selection feature to match specific surfaces and conditions.

The tester also included some high-end touches that I did not expect. That included dual wireless smartphone chargers, a 14-inch multimedia touchscreen and a suite of "EyeSight" driver-assist technologies.

Subaru tech in a sporty-looking electric vehicle ... Pretty nice pairing.

Kia's golden hatchback does the automaker proud

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 -- Some motorists see "hatchback" and frown.

Not me.  The tested 2026 Kia K4 Hatchback GT-Line Turbo made me smile. How could I not smile at the sporty wagon dressed up in "Sparkling Yellow" paint?

Actually, Sparkling Yellow doesn't really cover it in my book.  "Gloriously Golden" is closer to reality. Kia calls the layout a "floating roof design," and yeah, I see it.

Color aside, this new-for-2026 offering from Kia is a racy looker from grille to hatch edge. And I've never been one to discard the charms of a vehicle with a wide-opening back cover.

Roomy interior space? Of course.

Priced at a reasonable $32,870, my ride had the usual suite of max five-star federal government crash test ratings.  Generous Kia warranties...also a check.

And stuffed to the brim with standard features, including a power sunroof with sunshade, a Harman/Kardon premium audio system and a handy highway driving-assist system.

Driving it was a pleasure.  The 1.6-liter turbo-4 rated at 190 horsepower is a decidedly aggressive power plant, capable of pressing me into the seat off the line and a most agile dancer on the highway. The sport-tuned suspension highlighted the best traits of the engine.

Kia touts the vehicle as one that appeals to "active drivers." If that means drivers who like to test the limits of a car's capabilities, I completely understand.

Overall, this hatchback offers an appealing mix of sporty fun and affordable common sense. A nice combination for the times.

BMW takes 'ultimate driving machine' thing seriously

This review first appeared in the June 2026 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 -- BMW regularly touts its "ultimate driving machine" tagline ... and when a BMW M5 Touring hybrid wagon priced at $145,775 shows up in your driveway, you tend to take it seriously.

It's only human to ask: What do I get for my 145-grand? ... After absorbing the emotional impact of the sticker price, of course.

The answer is: You get a lot.  Really, a big bunch.

Let's start with that twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V-8 hybrid power plant.  It's rated at 717 horsepower, and believe me, it delivers a punch when you punch it.

The jolt is so powerful that you want to have two firm hands on the steering wheel as you will be blazing past that poke formerly 200 yards up the road in the time it takes to swallow once hard.

This is more than sport wagon speed.  It's competitive racing power at your fingertips.  Super amazing.  Lots of fun. But handle with care.

And then you go down the perks list that includes exotic materials, state-of-the-art safety/enhancement technology, the black roof (panoramic), the interior camera, the four-zone climate control, the sport-tuned suspension and ... I could go on all night.

BMW apparently made the decision to put all of its best in a single vehicle, and for those who want such fine things, the finance department is right down the hall.

And yet, there are other things about the wagon that appeal on a more basic level.

For example, fuel mileage in gas-only mode is 13 miles per gallon. But in electric-gas mode, that number swells to an equivalent of 54 mpg.

The exterior paint job is another example of simple excellence. A brilliant "Smyrna Green" coating found me answering questions in parking lots, and several times, motorists drove right up to my shoe tops and wanted to know what color that was on my test ride.

I confess that I enjoyed it all: the attention, the detail, the technology, the performance and, well, the opulence.

Sure, this M5 Touring is a vehicle aimed at those with incomes floating somewhere in the high clouds. And while it might be well beyond my means, as a motor vehicle devotee, I appreciate what BMW has produced in this driving machine.

Lucid sedan is reviewed in the latest Cruisin' News

My review of the 2026 Lucid Air Touring sedan can be seen in the latest, July 2026, 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.

Hybrid Crosstrek sport-ute highlights all that is Subaru

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 vehicle you are getting is a Subaru.

Well, over the years and leading up to right now, that means something.

Among the things with meaning: Exceptional engineering, outstanding safety and a boxer engine (where the cylinders are horizontally laid out on either side of a centered crankshaft).

Cool, right?  I certainly think so.

I enjoyed my recent week in the 2026 Subaru Crosstrek Sport Hybrid, a sleekly styled five-passenger sport-utility vehicle priced at $35,415.  That's a fair price for a nicely equipped model produced by an automaker with a reputation for high quality.

The 2026 version has some trophies to make the point.  In February, it was named the Most Dependable Small SUV in America in the JD Power 2026 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study. That same month, it made the Consumer Reports 2026 Annual 10 Top Picks list for the third consecutive year.

Fine, so how does it drive?  Pretty well in my time with it.

The tester was equipped with a 2.5-liter, four-cylinder hybrid/boxer power plant rated at 194 horsepower. Response and acceleration were brisk, on and off paved surfaces.  Cruising speed is a quiet breeze, and the tester was an agile performer in urban gridlock.

The Crosstrek is fully equipped for off-road excursions, including Subaru's touted hill descent control, nearly nine inches of ground clearance and, naturally, all-wheel drive. And there are plentiful features for the times, including a power moonroof and a wireless phone charger.

The hybrid payoff is 36 miles per gallon in both city and highway driving.

Overall, this Crosstrek makes a driver feel safe, secure and entirely satisfied. Or in other words, a typical Subaru.