Muscular SUV, 'Oil Drips' column in latest Cruisin' News

My review of the Dodge Durango SRT 392 AWD sport-utility vehicle can be seen in the latest, June 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.

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Bad luck, a mistake and a Swede victory at Indy

The Indianapolis 500 was run for the 106th time on May 29. Mark Glover attended for the 58^th time.  Here's his take on a memorable race:

Over more than a century of Indianapolis 500s, numerous pre-race favorites have taken the stage and claimed what the "experts" predicted would be theirs. But many times, victory has been determined by two important variables: bad luck and a crucial mistake.

That was the case at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway last Sunday.

The old track can prompt joy and heartbreak in equal doses.  That also was evident in the 106th running of the world-famous race.

The race started with 25-year-old Spaniard Alex Palou and 41-year-old Australian Scott Dixon seemingly toying with the field.  They took turns leading, almost like they were rehearsing for a late-race duel to the checkered flag.

Then, bad luck struck.

Palou was sailing along on lap 68 when a crash brought out the caution flag, which closed the pits.  Problem was, Palou was running on fumes and had to pit for a splash of fuel. That resulted in a penalty, sending him to the rear of the field.

That left Dixon to dominate, which he did. Even when he was passed by a pretender, he usually made easy work of them within a couple laps.

And then, the unthinkable.

With less than 25 laps to go, Dixon aimed for the pits for what was likely to be his last pit stop. Even as I watched him speed toward the pit entrance, I suddenly blurted out, "I think he came in hot."  He had, exceeding the 60 mph pit lane speed limit and taking a gut-punch penalty that saw him finish 21st.

Of all the drivers in the race, Dixon was the last one you'd expect to make such a mistake. Six-time IndyCar series champion, five-time Indy 500 pole winner, all-time leader in laps led at Indy and the ultimate cool-under-fire pro.  And yet, there it was.  It was an error that probably will be replayed for the next 50 years, a crusher that will live long in Indy lore.

Given that, some claimed that Marcus Ericsson, the talented 31-year-old Swede, was lucky to win the race.

Not a chance.  His win was straight out of the "How To Win Indy" playbook.  Ericsson ran near the front all day, knowing that you have to be in good position late to have a chance.  And as for having a chance, anything can happen at Indy in those last 50 laps.  Or last 20 laps.  Or the final 10.

On top of that, Ericsson masterfully held off a field of go-for-it chargers in the two-lap shootout that ended the race.  During Monday's victory banquet in Indianapolis, nobody was calling Ericsson lucky.  They were congratulating him on a gutsy, fast, first-rate drive.  Which it was.

How Swede it is!  You better believe it.

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

Talented youngsters, veterans set to clash at Indy

The Indianapolis 500 will be run for the 106th time on May 29, and Mark Glover will be attending his 58^th 500. Here's his take on the race to come.

Who is Rinus VeeKay? How about Alex Palou? Are you familiar with Felix Rosenqvist or Pato O'Ward?

Who are these guys? Overseas soccer stars perhaps? In truth, they're among a super-talented group of twentysomethings currently driving in the NTT IndyCar Series.

And believe this: It's quite possible that one of these young men -- a relative unknown even among people who call themselves sports buffs -- will win Sunday's 106th running of the Indianapolis 500, jumping onto the world stage and attaining auto racing immortality.

The young guns are part of  the fastest starting field in the storied history of the race. The average qualifying speed for all 33 starters is a whopping 231.023 mph. Seemingly everyone is capable of breaking out a 232 mph lap.

The youngsters seem fearless, oblivious to the dangers of Indy, where one tiny slip or gust of wind can find you scraping along the Speedway's white walls.

Among the recent series arrivals, Palou stands out.  The 25-year-old Spaniard won the IndyCar series championship last year and starts second Sunday with a qualifying speed of 233.499. Palou finished second last year to four-time winner Helio Castroneves and readily admitted that his inexperience in late-race traffic likely cost him the win.

He's a year older, and wiser.  Among the young crowd, Palou is my pick to come out on top Sunday.

Mixed in with the youthful pilots is an all-star group of veterans with nearly a dozen Indy 500 wins among them, making this one of the most intriguing 500s in years.

Much of the pre-race anticipation has been centered on 47-year-old Brazilian driver Castroneves, gunning for an unprecedented fifth Indy 500 triumph.

It could happen. Castroneves adapted to the Speedway from the start, more than 20 years ago. But frankly, I'm not sure his car is quite up to the task this time around. He starts way back in 27th.

Six-time series champion Scott Dixon has only one Indy 500 win under his belt (2008), and hard luck has derailed his chances multiple times over the years.  He's been my favorite before, and he's on the pole for Sunday's race with a four-lap qualifying average of 234.046 mph. I believe he puts bad luck to rest this year and wins the race.

Dark horse: How about two of them, both extremely popular? Indianapolis hometown favorite Ed Carpenter has won the pole three times and come agonizingly close to winning before. He's in a very good car, as is crowd favorite and 2013 winner Tony Kanaan, a pro's pro behind the wheel.

NASCAR great Jimmie Johnson surprised many with strong qualifying speed in his maiden Indy voyage, but I think his potentially incredible storyline will be canceled out by Johnson's inexperience in a high-speed, open-wheel race of this kind.

In the final analysis, there are 20 drivers with a better than fair chance to win Sunday. With so many variables in a 500-mile race -- crashes, bad pit stops and bad luck among them -- it has been said that the track chooses the winner. It will be interesting to see what the grand old Speedway has in store this time: youth or experience.

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

Lexus LX 600: when over the top is what you want

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 -- Lexus has an all-new, full-size, luxury flagship sport-utility vehicle.  The nicely equipped F Sport model starts at nearly $110,000, gets a combined fuel mileage rating of just under 20 miles per gallon and requires premium fuel.

So, right away, we've narrowed down the prospective buying audience for this vehicle.

Those fortunate enough to have the resources to consider such a purchase are not only fortunate, they're getting an incredible vehicle if they opt to take one home.

My week in the 2022 Lexus LX 600 F Sport was like one of those dream vacations you see advertised on television.  I was surrounded by luxury, exquisite engineering and a blizzard of contemporary safety, security, comfort and convenience features.

I savored all of it, knowing with some pain that I would have to return it to its keepers in just one week.

But in that time, I'm convinced that the bosses at Lexus simply went to their engineers and designers and said: "We need a new flagship SUV.  Throw everything you have into it.  Over the top. Money is no object."

To save time, the best I can do is tell you what is NOT in the vehicle.  It can't sprout wings and fly.  At least I didn't see a button for that.

Everything else is in there.  Remarkable seats.  Incredible fit and finish.  Aggressive exterior looks, including the now-expected, mega-size grille.  Believe me, new owners of this vehicle will need weeks to master everything.

Yet with all that, the thing that will stick with me the longest is the LX 600's remarkable performance and handling characteristics.

I will admit to being somewhat intimidated at the vehicle's size when I first climbed into it.  Ten minutes on the road made all that disappear.

The LX 600 has incredible agility.  Steering is perfectly balanced and just-right firm.  I felt like I was driving a compact pickup truck, not a parking-space-filler SUV.

The twin-turbo V-6 generates 409 horsepower, and here's where the tested SUV seemed to defy physics.  I moved off the line with eye-popping enthusiasm, easily closing out prospective cut-off artists and bolting out of harm's way with a mere blip of the accelerator.

At cruising speed on the freeway, the LX 600 was smooth and quiet.  The labors of the engine did not dominate the cabin, giving driver and passengers an uninterrupted period to sample all of the comfort/convenience goodies.

Sound like your cup of tea?  Hats off to those who can acquire this new Lexus luxury liner.

Sizable Suburban has large appeal to SUV devotees

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 this day and age, can you still have love for a giant-size sport-utility vehicle that gets only 16 miles per gallon?

Under the right circumstances, yes, says I.

Motor Trend magazine seems to like the 2022 Chevrolet Suburban, ranking it No. 1 among full-size, three-row SUVs.

And after my week in the 2022 Suburban 4WD Premier, I fully understood why a certain kind of motorist would consider it a dream come true.

To that motorist, size matters.  The Suburban has size aplenty.

There's a whopping 144.7 cubic feet of cargo space with the second- and third-row seats folded. Like to haul stuff? The trailering package maxes at 8,300 pounds.

Just standing next to the tested Suburban made me feel small.  The thing seems capable of making its own weather.

I felt even smaller climbing up into the driver's seat.  I remember thinking: I feel like the pilot in the cockpit of a massive Boeing 747.

And yet, for all that size, I felt completely comfortable on the move in the big SUV.  It did not porpoise along or hammer down on the front end during hard braking.  It was stable and solid throughout.

And dare I say peppy.

My ride was equipped with the 6.2-liter EcoTec3 V-8 with 420 horsepower and 460 foot-pounds of torque.  No sluggish performance here.  The tester jumped off the line and smoothly ran through the gears right on up to heart-racing performance levels.

Very cool to feel so assured in a big vehicle.  I enjoyed it.  Lots.

As is the custom of a Premier model, my tester was loaded with exceptional safety perks, driving-enhancement features and enough comfort/convenience goodies to please the luxury-loving motorist.

Bottom line for all this: $79,370. Yup, the price has size as well.

But if the Suburban's big-vehicle charms are your cup of tea, the price seems well worth paying ... particularly if you envision your Suburban hauling passengers and cargo for many years to come.