Droptop VW Beetle reviewed in latest Cruisin' News

Check out my review of the California-forward 2018 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible 2.0T Coast in the latest, July 2018, 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.

Two pricey SUV giants have top-tier amenities

A menu of Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews can be seen on the Business page of The Sacramento Bee’s website – www.sacbee.com/news/business/article4005306.html

Sacramento, California -- Being bigger than the other guy used to be a big deal on the elementary school playgrounds of my youth.  Backing off a prospective bully with bulk alone had its advantages, but that slice of life really has not played much of a role in my life since then.

But recent weeks testing the 2018 Ford Expedition Max Platinum 4X4 sport-utility vehicle and its Lincoln cousin, the 2018 Lincoln Navigator 4X4 Black Label (pictured) brought it all back.  With these vehicles, size is everything.  They radiate intimidation, power, strength, monster utility and bigness.

At 6-4, I don't feel small around many motor vehicles.  But these DNA-sharing sport-utes made me feel like a mouse at the foot of Mount Rainier.  Ye gods, don't I need a special license to drive these things?

Nope, no special license needed, thanks to powerful V-6 engines, 10-speed automatic transmissions and expertly tuned suspensions in both vehicles.  At no time did either SUV struggle.  They cruised smoothly and quietly, taking on steep hill climbs in the Sierra Nevada without strain.  Very impressive for vehicles measuring about 222 inches in length.

Of the two sport-utility vehicles I tested within days of each other, the Expedition was more of a workhorse.  Powered seats folded easily at the push of a button, enabling me to fill the vehicle with the contents of a studio apartment.  I literally had to struggle to fill the thing up with cargo.  Even loaded up, the Expedition was silky and quietly powerful.

The tested Navigator 4X4 Black Label was more of a luxurious rolling presidential suite. I was awash in Venetian leather seating surfaces and rich, dark wood paneling.  Volunteer passengers swooned over the opulent luxury they observed just stepping into the vehicle.

And yet, the Navigator was no less of a cargo carrier and robust hill climber than the Expedition when the former's 3.5-liter, twin-turbo V-6 rated at 450-horsepower was asked for maximum performance.

Both the Expedition and the Navigator received extensive upgrades and enhancements for the 2018 model year, and the improvements are obvious and dramatic.  These are top-of-the-food-chain SUVs, covering the wide range from serious haulers to luxury liners.

I'd say the Expedition was more of a big-family/ranch vehicle of a daily driver, and the Navigator more of a "top-that" vehicle to show off to the neighbors who might have been bragging a little too loudly about their recent Cadillac Escalade purchase.

Either way, better bring cash: The bottom line on the tested Expedition was $83,585; the sticker on the Navigator read $96,570.

Velar an attractive addition to Range Rover lineup

A menu of Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews can be seen on the Business page of The Sacramento Bee’s website – www.sacbee.com/news/business/article4005306.html

Sacramento, California -- Take a drive through the Hollywood Hills, and you know what you'll see, besides movie stars and gigantic gateways blocking driveways?

A whole lot of Land Rover sport-utility vehicles.

Yes, it appears to be the brand of choice among those who are paid handsomely to entertain us.  But what if the super-rich want to spend their cash on a Land Rover Range Rover beyond that cheapo, entry-level Evoque (which can top $65,000) or the higher-up

Sport (think north of $110,000 for the loaded version)?

For the 2018 model year, they're in luck, with the introduction of the all-new 2018 Land Rover Range Rover Velar.

Unveiled to the world on March 1, 2017 in London, the Velar quickly amassed awards for its stunning, elegant looks.  If I had been handing out the trophies, I would have happily presented Land Rover with the hardware.  The tested Range Rover Velar R-Dynamic SE was a stunner, with a sleek hood cover, a sharply raked windshield and a smooth aerodynamic sweep over a long roofline.

The tester, with a bottom line price of $74,895, looked particularly alluring with its Firenze Red paint job.  Those 20-inch, sweetly sculpted wheels with a gloss-black finish were likewise easy on the eyes.

Looks aren't everything -- well, maybe they are in the Hollywood Hills -- so I was wondering if the 2-liter, turbo-4 rated at 247 horsepower would be enough for this SUV to handle the town and country roadways of Northern California.  Turns out the power plant has plenty of juice for the chores.

The Velar was surprisingly agile in sharp maneuvers and bank-vault quiet on freeway cruises.  Gas mileage is not so great at 21 miles per gallon in the city and 27 mpg on the highway.

Interior room and comfort are top-tier, and the state-of-the-art infotainment system is a marvel, but be forewarned: It will take you some time to master it.  Beyond that, the Velar is packed with exceptional safety/comfort/convenience features that you expect from a luxury automaker.

Want to be part of the Hollywood in crowd?  This Velar should be on your test-drive list.

New, stylish Elantra GT has room for all your stuff

A menu of Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews can be seen on the Business page of The Sacramento Bee’s website – www.sacbee.com/news/business/article4005306.html

Sacramento, California -- Check out my past reviews of the Hyundai Elantra, and you'll see that it consistently has ranked in the LIKE column.

There's more to like in the 2018 model year with the introduction of the new Elantra GT hatchback.

My week with the vehicle showed off all the highlights that have prompted Hyundai's stock to rise not only in my book but throughout the automotive world.  Hyundai used to translate to cheap, but that is ancient history, as extinct as Betamax.

My 2018 Elantra GT looked sharp, with smooth Euro-styling rolling on 17-inch alloy wheels.  The flashy "Scarlet Red Pearl" paint job certainly was a positive.

A long list of standard features was bolstered by a Style Package and Tech Package, but even the extras added only a little to the most reasonable bottom line of $27,460 on the sticker.  That's a pretty competitive number for a vehicle that has to compete with heavyweights from Chevrolet, Subaru and Honda in this segment.

The hatch functioned more along the lines of a midsize sport-utility vehicle with 25 cubic feet of storage space behind the rear seats alone.  Overall, storage capacity tops 55 cubic feet, more than multiple competitors. The vehicle was capable of easily taking on a full boat of camping supplies and then some.  Nice.

A relatively stiff suspension and body structure with a comparatively wide stance made for a comfortable ride on freeway straights and virtually no body roll on twisty portions of roadway in the Sierra Nevada foothills.  Very little exterior noise reached the interior cabin.

The Elantra GT's 2-liter, 162-horsepower, four-cylinder engine was a willing performer, with surprising muscle on hill climbs.  It likewise did the job pushing my ride into tight holes coming down freeway entrance ramps.

Fuel mileage is nice at 24 miles per gallon in the city and 32 mpg on the highway.

Throw in Hyundai's typically generous warranties, and this new-for-2018 Elantra GT is an excellent candidate for motorists in the market for affordable, practical-size transportation that can carry heavy loads and has ample room for contented adult passengers.

Newest Mustang GT piles on the horsepower

A menu of Mark Glover’s AutoGlo reviews of the latest motor vehicle models also can be seen on The Sacramento Bee’s website at www.sacbee.com/news/business/article4005306.html

This review first appeared in the May 2018 edition of the Northern & Central California Cruisin’ News published out of Folsom, California – mg

Sacramento, California – The horsepower curve keeps going up.  Mustang and Camaro and Challenger can’t get enough of it … 300, 400, 500. Where does it end?

Some of these top-tier Mustang/Camaro/Challenger models have more horsepower than some purpose-built racing cars.

And it’s comparatively affordable horsepower among the three competitors.

Take the recently tested 2018 Ford Mustang GT Premium coupe, which wore a starting price of $39,095.  My tester was loaded up with extras that pushed the bottom line to nearly $47,000, but still, the prospect of getting a 5-liter V-8 with 460 horsepower and 420 foot-pounds of torque for less than 40-grand is not a bad deal.

My Mustang GT tester arrived wearing gleaming “Kona Blue” paint, covering skin that was all intimidation and menace.

Starting it up produced a deep, toe-rattling rumble from under the hood. If the neighbors aren’t already awake when you start up this GT in the morning, they will be by the time you pull out of the driveway.

The 460 horses are delivered with brute force.  Nothing subtle here.  When you want to blast past a freeway straggler in this GT, you get the full-on rumble and roar, and you’re rudely pushed deep into your cockpit seat as the gauges light up.

I’ll admit: It’s addicting.

My ride was equipped with a 10-speed automatic that functioned seamlessly through all those choices.

I should note that, for all the power the GT has, fuel mileage is pretty fair at 16 miles per gallon in the city and 25 mpg on the highway.

The GT is so sleek and racy in appearance that you typically draw a crowd when it’s parked in a public space.  You get the same satisfied stares and envious words that I’m sure Porsche and Ferrari owners get all the time … but for a much higher price.

Feel good?  Yeah, it does.

For 2018, Ford dressed up this Mustang with LED lighting, more safety/driver-assist technology and an enhanced performance-loaded suspension.  Love the quad-tip exhausts, by the way.

My tester had an option package that included 19-inch polished aluminum wheels and a top-notch audio system.  I didn’t mind those perks, either.

One note of caution: The GT is billed as a four-passenger model, but stuffing two adults into those back seats, in my view, might get you indicted for administering cruel and unusual punishment.

The Mustang and I go way back, so there’s an emotional jolt every time I step into one.  I learned to drive in a 1965 Pony Car and won my first driving license in a 1967 Mustang.

Back then, I didn’t dream that you could someday walk into a dealership and drive out a couple hours later in a vehicle with more horsepower than a vintage stock car racer.

Am I complaining?  Not a chance.