Upgraded MDX stands tall in luxury SUV segment

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews also can be seen on the Business page of The Sacramento Bee’s website – via the “GALLERY: Reviews of new cars” link at www.sacbee.com/business

Sacramento, California – It’s going to cost you north of $55,000 and maybe get you 20 miles per gallon in the city if you’re savvy on the accelerator.

So, why do you care, right?

You should care, because the third-generation Acura MDX sport-ute rolled out for the 2014 model year is a player in the luxury SUV segment.  Translation: If you have considerable cash, this MDX is worth more than a few minutes of your attention.

OK, you might NOT have to spend in the mid-fifties for it.  The most basic MDX starts at just a shade more than $42,000.  But take my word for it, if you want the full MDX experience, you want to think top-end.

My tester was precisely that, a lavishly loaded MDX with the “Advance Package.”  Said package includes seven-spoke, 19-inch alloy wheels; a primo 605-watt audio system with 12 speakers; a jumbo-size rear entertainment system; luxo leather seating surfaces; remote engine start (it can be launched from a football field away); lane-change assist system; a collision-avoidance braking system and adaptive cruise control, with a “low-speed follow” feature that maintains a specific distance between your MDX and the vehicle in front of you.

Luxury for seven?  Yeah, you bet.  And plenty of interior room for ride-along folks to spread out.

From the cockpit, the driver gets a beautifully designed center stack of controls.  Easy to see.  A snap to use.  Little pleasures like this make me smile nowadays.

Acura seriously tweaked the exterior.  The 2014 MDX is longer, lower and narrower than the previous generation, and significantly, it’s 275 pounds lighter than its predecessor.  It has enough angles and front-end cuts to look downright sporty in profile.

On the fly, the MDX cuts through the wind briskly and silently.  The 290-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 power plant is enthusiastic.  It’s coldly efficient when picking off freeway pokes, and it climbs steep hills with very little noise coming back into the cabin.

I did just about everything to challenge this tester, and it responded like a champ in all conditions.  It even took the trouble to gently tighten my seat belts when I drove hard into sharp corners.  Very considerate, that.

Bottom line: The revamped MDX stands particularly tall in a luxury SUV segment that offers well-heeled buyers so much in so many packages.  For those fortunate enough to afford the fare, the MDX belongs on your test drive list.

 

Urban or rural, new Tundra can carry the load

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews also can be seen on the Business page of The Sacramento Bee’s website – via the “GALLERY: Reviews of new cars” link at www.sacbee.com/business

Sacramento, California – The third-generation Toyota Tundra has all the requirements of a contemporary pickup:  intimidating size, plentiful interior room, lots of perks once associated with high-end passenger cars and power offered in various sizes and strengths.

For a guy who remembers when pickup trucks were like riding inside a noisy beer can while occasionally sliding across the width of a slick bench seat, my Tundra tester seemed like a delivery from Pickup Heaven.

This being a pickup, it’s important to narrow down the long name.  My ride was the 2014 Toyota Tundra 4X2 CrewMax Limited with a 5.7-liter V-8.  It’s a lot of truck with a starting price of $38,845, and dressed up with some premium extras, my tester showed $41,280 on the bottom line.

Let’s start with how it looks.  To me and most others I asked to look it over, the Tundra is wide enough, tall enough and long enough to make everything parked near it look small. The redesign for this new generation is not radical.  Toyota devotees will recognize this as a Tundra from a quarter-mile away.

I’ve been fascinated lately with grille designs on full-size pickups.  The current vogue is stacking thick layers of chrome across the entire width of the front, presenting a look like a giant double-decker club sandwich of steel.

This makes it appear that the truck could knock down a skyscraper if that’s what the driver intended.  The Tundra has the look in spades.

The Tundra’s cargo bed is sizable and easily accessed, a plus in this segment.

I’ll readily admit that I am not a full-size truck aficionado, but when I do test them, I try to use two sweeping standards to evaluate the hardware:

For starters, can it function in an urban environment, with dicey commutes, occasional errands to haul heavy cargo and family road trips/vacations?  Secondly, in a rural environment, can it do all the heavy chores, including trips into deep mud, and come out smelling like a rose?

There’s no doubt in my mind that this Tundra can do both, rather easily in fact.  Tow and cargo-capacity ratings are decidedly robust, emphasizing the point.

When I got the 381-horsepower V-8 up to full song in various conditions, I confess that it was a startling experience in big-vehicle power.  And yet, the Tundra’s interior ambience was downright luxurious and comforting, in my view.

With so much competition in the pickup segment, and so many variations to choose from, it’s a brutal environment in which to gain public attention.  The various automakers are throwing everything and the kitchen sink into these broad-shouldered pickups.

Does the new-gen Tundra stack up with the current competition?  From my seat, a no-brainer yes.

Scion's sporty tC gets a serious upgrade

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews also can be seen on the Business page of The Sacramento Bee’s website – via the “GALLERY: Reviews of new cars” link at www.sacbee.com/business

This review originally appeared in the December 2013 edition of the Northern & Central California Cruisin’ News published out of Folsom, California – mg

Sacramento, California – ­I’ve been a fan of the Scion tC from the beginning, and what’s not to like in a sporty, affordable, peppy three-door hatch with a big-as-a-movie-screen clear roof?

Apparently, the folks at Scion wanted more, so the 2014 version of the tC gets road warrior/racer styling on the front and back, plus a faster-functioning automatic gearbox and improved handling via better shocks and other tweaks.

Better than before?  Oh, yes.

My affection for the tC was likely enhanced by its exterior paint job, which was dubbed – I kid you not – “Absolutely Red.”  It was all of that.  “Flagrant Red” would have worked too.

Starting price on the tester was an easy-on-the-eyes $20,210, and that included everything: leather touches, steering wheel-mounted audio controls and ventilated front brakes, to name just a few.  The car also had about a hundred air bags, or it sure looked that way from my reading of the sticker and the owner’s manual.

Gas mileage was pretty darn good at 23 miles per gallon in the city and 31 mpg on the highway.  Frankly, I was getting a little better than that.  This tC also scored quite high in the assorted federal government crash-safety ratings.

The 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine has more than enough to make you smile with nearly 180 horsepower.  Throttle response is surprisingly instantaneous for a car in this price bracket.  The interior gets a little noisy when the engine is at full song, but not overly so.

In slalom maneuvers, the tC performed like a champ.  Terrific feel through the steering wheel even when the car was asked to do some serious left-and-right prancing.

Yes, it’s a hatchback, but don’t gripe about that, not with the ample cargo-carrying room provided at the rear.

I know it’s easy to talk Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla when you’re pondering a first new car for your kids, but this Scion tC needs to be on that test-drive list as well.  It stacks up quite well against the venerable competition, in every category.

With the sporty exterior upgrade, I’d give this 2014 Scion tC a solid B-plus.  Kudos to Toyota/Scion designers and engineers for not messing up an already pleasant ride.

Versa Note ups the ante at entry level

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews also can be seen on the Business page of The Sacramento Bee’s website – via the “GALLERY: Reviews of new cars” link at www.sacbee.com/business

Sacramento, California – As we zip into 2014, what better way to start than with an entry-level car?

But calling the 2014 Nissan Versa Note an entry-level vehicle doesn’t really cover it.  Entry-level warrior is more like it.

Exceedingly popular.  Liberally appointed.  Decidedly affordable.  And, oh yes, all-new for the 2014 model year.

My tester was the 2014 Nissan Versa Note SV, the priciest among three trim levels, with a starting number of $15,990.  To be fair, mine was extravagantly dressed up with options to bring the bottom line to $19,545.

That’s still not a bad price for four-door, five-passenger transportation.

Your second look at Versa Note window sticker, after noting the price, likely will fall on the fuel economy numbers.  And those should be pleasing to you – 31 miles per gallon in the city and 40 mpg on the highway.

Those numbers come from a 1.6-liter, four-cylinder engine rated at 109 horsepower.  OK, that’s not going to get your heart racing, but then again, that’s not the purpose of this car.  Buyers want affordable, reliable transportation with a fair amount of perks.  And that’s what you get.

Having said that, the Note’s performance is actually pretty fair.  My Versa scooted along in the dicey urban jungle and held its own on the interstates, and for most of us, it’s hard to ask much more than that in a small entry-level car.

Nissan engineers said they worked mightily to reduce the car’s overall weight, and it shows in the steering, which is instantly responsive and light to the touch. 

Styling is what I’d call saucy Euro, with road rally racer lines on the front end and a sculpted Euro chop on the back end.  For my money, a good look.

The standard package is nice, and the Technology Package goes above and beyond the call in this class, including heated side-view mirrors, a 360-degree “Around View Monitor” and a nifty navigation system.

And surprise, back seat space is pretty darn good at 38.3 inches of legroom.  Yeah, an NFL linebacker might feel crowded back there, but other adults should find the ride comfortable.

A new car for a new year. And it feels just right to me.

 

Quite a year in wheels, looking forward to 2014

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews also can be seen on the Business page of The Sacramento Bee’s website – via the “GALLERY: Reviews of new cars” link at www.sacbee.com/business

Sacramento, California – What a year it has been in the world of wheels.

The cars I reviewed in 2013 were technology loaded, performance laden and pretty much stuffed with perks once available to only high-end car buyers.

It just goes to show you: You can’t build a cheap piece of junk anymore in this automotive market.  It’s too competitive.

And that means: Advantage buyers.  Not a bad deal at all.

The auto industry rallied significantly in California and nationwide in 2013.  That backs up a long-held theory of mine:  No matter how bad the economic times get, people still save and scrape and eventually get around to replacing their old wheels.  It’s just a fact of life in America … and has been for a long time.

Remember that when the next financial panic hits.  And alas, it will arrive eventually.

Oh, and remember the experts predicting not that long ago that Toyota was on the rocks and in a downward cycle?  Big swing and a miss there, right?

One year ago at this time, I would have had trouble buying into hard-luck Tony Kanaan being an Indianapolis 500 champion and three-time Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti being out of the sport for good.  To be sure, auto racing remains a fast-moving, wildly unpredictable sport.

And yes, you can still get hurt strapped to a bullet traveling at 200 miles per hour or more.

A year ago, I would not have had trouble believing that Jimmie Johnson would be celebrating as a six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion.  He’s now in the greatest of all time argument, right there with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt.  Will Jimmie pull down a record-tying No. 7 in 2014?  I wouldn’t bet against him.

So much to look forward to in the year ahead.  But before 2013 closes out, let me say THANKS for tuning in and reading.  It’s always fun to talk wheels with friends.

See you up the road in 2014.

You have needs? Infiniti QX70 fills the bill

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews also can be seen on the Business page of The Sacramento Bee’s website – via the “GALLERY: Reviews of new cars” link at www.sacbee.com/business

Sacramento, California – What more could one want in a sport-utility vehicle?

After a week in the 2014 Infiniti QX70 3.7 AWD, my answer is: Can’t think of a thing.

Strange as it sounds, I have an emotional attachment to luxo Infiniti SUVs, as a loaded Infiniti sport-ute was one of the first models I was allowed to test drive all by my lonesome years ago.  Flashing forward to now, however, my long-ago experience was more akin to taking a flight in a biplane.  By comparison, this contemporary Infiniti SUV model is a bells and whistles-laden Stealth fighter jet.

The tester’s technology list was long and impressive.

Start out with a lane departure warning system that also doubles as a lane departure prevention system by lightly applying the brakes if you do not respond to an audible warning.

Move on to the distance control assist system that aids the driver with throttling and braking in suddenly slowing traffic.

Then there’s intelligent cruise control (speeds automatically controlled to maintain a safe following distance).  You can adjust following distance via a steering wheel-mounted button.  You can also opt for old-school cruise control should the primo version be too much for your liking.

You also get intelligent brake assist, which has the job of warning of imminent impact. And there’s a forward collision warning system.

Keep in mind that this is the PARTIAL list of techno fireworks.

Most know that I typically don’t like to give up control of a car to various tech systems, but just seeing all these goodies in one SUV struck me as a fairly major engineering accomplishment.

Yes, my QX70 – sharp-eyed readers will note that this is a recent departure from Infiniti’s “FX” nomenclature – did have the full-on Technology Package, the Deluxe Touring Package (leather appointments, maple interior accents, aluminum pedals and 20-inch aluminum alloy wheels) and Premium Package (including voice recognition, hard drive navigation and an eight-inch color touchscreen for multiple uses) that swelled the $46,400 starting price to $57,945.

And for that price, it is good to get a lot.  Beyond the tech show, luxury features ran the gamut, making the QX70 a near five-star rolling hotel suite.  Exterior styling is aerodynamically pleasing, a positive departure from the more boxy Infiniti SUVs of years past.

On the roll, the QX70 was a study in quiet assertion.  Power comes from a 3.7-liter V-6 rated at 325 horsepower.  It propels the QX70 with authority, but be careful on the accelerator, as the torque output is so silky that you can find yourself pushing 80 mph in a hurry.  Interior cabin noise is virtually negated, even during hard accelerations.

This is a highway cruiser that makes a 100-mile jaunt seem like a springtime skip in the park.  You don’t want to get out of the vehicle after a mere 100 miles.  A 300-mile cruise with sweetly amplified music, comfortable seating and rock-solid handling is actually something to look forward to in this QX70.

That extended mileage will cost you, however.  Fuel mileage ratings are a wallet-sapping 16 miles per gallon in the city and 22 mpg on the highway.

My guess is that the typical QX70 buyer doesn’t worry about such trivial things as budgeting for weekly gasoline purchases.  Alas, I’m not part of that sky’s-the-limit group.

But I certainly did enjoy my week in this decidedly classy transporter.

For the money, 2014 Altima tough to pass up

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews also can be seen on the Business page of The Sacramento Bee’s website – via the “GALLERY: Reviews of new cars” link at www.sacbee.com/business

Sacramento, California – Upon seeing the 2014 Nissan Altima parked in the usual test car pick-up spot, my brain registered this disappointment: “Oh, it’s the 2.5 sedan.”

That’s as in 2.5 liters, enough for four cylinders and 182 horsepower.  For me, that’s a big drop from the Altima’s optional 3.5-liter, 270-horsepower V-6 engine, much preferred by me for its robust performance qualities.

Well, a funny thing happened …

I last tested a 2012 Nissan Altima 2.5, and for 2013, Nissan presented an all-new fifth-generation Altima.  Giant horsepower tweaks were not part of that reworking – 175 horses for the previous generation – but whatever happened between 2012 and now certainly made a big difference to me.

My 2014 Altima 2.5 SL tester performed with heroic enthusiasm and exceptional nimbleness.  I was stunned by the engine response, which to my mind seemed at least 25 percent stronger than I remembered from just two years ago.  Pleasant surprise?  That doesn’t even begin to cover it.

The Altima was a willing warrior on freeway entrance ramps, and some uphill runs in the Sierra Nevada foothills found it to be likewise enthusiastic, plus silky smooth through hard, twisty corners.  Steering was darn near sports car quality.  The continuously variable transmission worked flawlessly. And the interior cabin remained quiet in all conditions.

Fuel mileage is a definite plus at 27 miles per gallon in the city and 38 mpg on the highway.

The manufacturer’s suggested retail price on the 2014 2.5 SL is $27,760, and you get a generous helping of goodies for that outlay.  All-part-of-the-deal perks included an eight-way power driver’s seat, heated front seats, leather surfaces, a nine-speaker Bose audio system, a rearview monitor and a heated, leather-wrapped steering wheel.

My tester included an $800 moonroof and a technology package that included a navigation system, a blind sport-warning system, a lane departure-warning system and a moving object-detection system.  All that for $1,090.  Not a bad deal.

Nissan has been touting the Altima for its near-luxury appeal at a relatively affordable price, and after a week in this ride, I have to concede that the marketing is pretty much spot-on.  With all badging removed, I’d figure paying $35,000 to $40,000 for a car like this.  Even with the extras, the bottom line on my tester was $30,625.

Oh, it looks pretty sharp too.  Sporty lines and 17-inch aluminum alloy wheels are eye-catching, and the “Cayenne Red” paint job on my ride certainly didn’t hurt.

Hate to call this a compromise car, but I mean that in a good way.  Maybe you’re looking for a nicely appointed sedan for $35,000 or more, but if that was my money to spend, I’d compromise and take the Altima for a serious test drive.  You might find that your compromise was really the only logical choice from the beginning.