The little Civic is mainstay of the Honda lineup. (Bud Wells photo/1981)
Thirty-five years ago, I reviewed in The Denver Post the 1981 Honda Civic. Excerpts:
It’s no surprise the little Civic is still the bread-and-butter car of the Honda lineup. It is an excellent vehicle for getting about the city – quick and economical with good traction in the snow from its front-wheel-drive system.
Driving an ’81 Civic 1500 DX Hatchback in Denver resulted in fuel mileage of 34.8 miles per gallon. The 1,800-pounder was equipped with a 1,488 cc engine and is one of the faster 4-cylinder subcompacts on getaway.
The 5-speed manual transmission is shifted easily, with no push or pull or slap required to engage reverse, just move it in. Under-the-hood working room is plenty, and the plugs, oil filter, alternator and battery are reached easily.
Quality and craftsmanship of the Japanese-built Honda show in tightness of the body. Controls are well-placed except those for the rear wiper and defogger, which are around to the side of the main instrument panel.
Basic price of the Civic 1500 DX is $5,099, which includes steel-belted radial tires, remote hatch release, intermittent windshield wipers and rear window wiper, washer and defroster. High-altitude emission control equipment added $30 to the price, undercoating was $47 and freight of $172 brought window sticker total to $5,348.
Turning circle of the Civic, which has 13-inch wheels, is only 31.5 feet. On a wheelbase of 88.6 inches, it is 148 inches long, 62 inches wide and 53 inches high. Tread is a narrow 53.5 inches in front and 54.3 at the rear.
The Civic was introduced in this country in 1973. Honda also makes a larger Accord model and sportier Prelude.
I borrowed the car for testing from Ralph Schomp Oldsmobile Honda at 2949 S. Broadway, Englewood.
Will Routon, general manager of McDonald Volvo in Littleton, checks messages from 2016 Volvo V60 received via VolvoOnCall app on his smartphone. (Jan Wells photo)
A Volvo V60 frequently beeping my iPhone, wherever I was, to message me with this or that, and the most powerful American production car ever built dumping a crankcase of oil as I quickly shut it down were memories of 2015 I’ll not soon forget.
There were other highlights – unveiling of the Bentley Bentayga, Ford’s aluminum-bodied pickup, the return of Alfa Romeo, and many more – but the Volvo and Dodge Charger Hellcat spiced the year for me.
On a cold, late night in January, I parked the Volvo V60, got out and helped push the wife of a Weld County commissioner in her front-wheel-drive Hyundai from deep snow along the side of the street. A VolvoOnCall app, downloaded earlier into my iPhone which was left at home with Jan, beeped the phone and showed her on a map where the V60 was parked. Walk away from the V60 without locking its doors and an alert will sound in the phone. The V60 can also be started with a signal from the phone’s app.
I dropped by McDonald Automotive Group dealerships one morning last week to visit with owner Doug McDonald about the amazing Volvo app. Doug had departed to warmer climes for a couple of weeks; Will Routon, general manager of the Volvo store, discussed with me the phone app’s many capabilities.
Doug McDonald 50 years ago got into the car business in Denver, opening a Volkswagen dealership. Today, with his sons’ involvement, he oversees the sales of five brands, having added Audi, Volvo, Mazda and Hyundai.
The Dodge Charger Hellcat sits idled by oil leak. (Bud Wells photo)
“Well, hell’s bells,” I muttered on an evening in April when my longed-for time in the Hellcat version of the Dodge Charger in reality lasted five hours. The ‘Cat is the powerful beast with a 707-horsepower, 6.2-liter supercharged Hemi V-8 engine and 8-speed transmission.
Dale, Sandy, Jan and I were only 15 miles away from a Johnstown restaurant when prompting from the driver info center indicated an oil leak. I quickly shut down the engine as oil ran from the crankcase drain hole, which had lost its plug.
Chrysler execs reclaimed possession of the Hellcat, sent it to Detroit for a once-over, soon returned it, fine as could be, and I enjoyed an exciting few days in the awesome sedan.
Among other bests (and worsts) for my drives in 2015:
Improved styling and excellent performance lend support to 2016 Honda Civic. (Bud Wells photo)
Car of the Year – The practical side of me will overlook the wonderful six-figured Mercedes-Benz S550 4Matic sedan and Jaguar F-Type R convertible in favor of the made-over 2016 Honda Civic. The 10th-generation Civic finally has some exterior style, along with roomy interior, well-cushioned seats, a small turboed engine and continuously variable transmission very responsive with not a lot of whining and slipping. It outperforms most other CVT transmissions.
The 2016 Hyundai Tucson Sport on Tennessee Pass. (Bud Wells photo)
Truck of the Year – The 2016 Hyundai Tucson Sport AWD crossover, with 175-horsepower, 1.6-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine mated to a quick-shifting 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmsission. It climbed the hills around Vail in outstanding fashion.
Most powerful – That Hellcat with 707 horsepower and 650 lb.-ft. of torque, followed by the 2015 BMW X6 M that develops 567 horsepower and 553 torque from a twin-turbocharged, 4.4-liter V-8 with direct injection and variable valve control.
Lowest priced – The ’15 Nissan Versa Note at $19,180, including a backup camera. Another reasonable price was $20,810 for the ’15 Volkswagen Jetta TSI 1.8T SE.
Most expensive – The 2015 Mercedes-Benz S550 4Matic Sedan, driven just before Christmas, topped out at $128,935, just ahead of the 2016 Jaguar F-Type R Convertible at $121,345 and the ’15 Range Rover Supercharged LWB SUV at $118,501.
David Muramoto, left, new president of the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press, is with Kelley Enright of FiatChryslerAutomotive in Chicago, and Kurt Hansen, broadcast host of Race Central. (Jan Wells photo)
Best party – The annual Christmas gathering of the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press, at which David Muramoto was recognized as incoming president, succeeding Andre Smirnov. The gathering was in the Bud Wells Board Room of the Colorado Automobile Dealers’ Bill Barrow Building at Speer and Grant.
MPG – 36.3 by the Nissan Versa with 1.6-liter engine and CVT, and 34.3 by the new Civic.
Hybrids – 39.8 by the ’16 Hyundai Sonata and 38.5 by the Toyota Camry.
Diesels – 38.9 by the 2015 Volkswagen Golf Sportwagen TDI; well, scratch that!
Guzzling – 14.4 mpg by the ’15 Nissan Titan, the same model which was lowest a year ago; the Titan is represented by a much-improved product for 2016.
Betty Sue Harris with her 1989 Alfa Romeo Spider. (Ernie Harris photo)
Oh those e-mails! – I enjoyed your review of the Alfa 4C a lot and it brought back memories of the Alfa we owned in New Jersey for three years prior to 1992. The car was beautiful, and just the right size for my wife, Betty Sue, who came home with it one day and announced she had purchased a new ride for herself. Fun to drive, though odd things happened with it; horn fell out of the steering wheel, window crank fell off, trunk cable broke. I consider all the cars you reviewed, though, outclassed by my BMW Z4 Roadster – roomy cockpit, heated power seats, 27 mpg on 85 octane fuel, and a great combination of styling, comfort and functionality. – Ernie T. Harris, Broomfield.
Aleks Vekselberg, left, owner of Bentley of Denver, in the showroom with Rod Buscher, longtime Colorado auto dealer. Buscher and John Elway were partners in car dealerships in Denver 20 to 25 years ago.
Fresh face – Aleks Vekselberg, 27, new owner of Denver Bentley, Ferrari and Lotus. Three years ago he was a student at Yale University. His father, Viktor Vekselberg, has been called the richest man in Russia, with estimated worth of $18 billion.
Welcome back – The Italian-based Alfa Romeo is back in the U.S. after a 20-year absence, with the 4C Spider. Accessing and exiting the low-slung sports car are difficult.
Jan’s favorite – The 2015 Hyundai Sonata Sport sedan.
The Chrysler 300 AWD back in its driveway, already cleared of snow, after icy outing. (Bud Wells photo)
As I shout “Merry Christmas” from the open window of an all-wheel-drive sedan, I’m eager as a longtime automotive journalist to promote the added safety and security of AWD in a full-size, four-door automobile.
We in Colorado, where winter weather surprises sometime border on treachery, have become accustomed over the past 20 years to four-wheel drive and AWD capability in virtually all the SUVs and crossovers and majority of pickups delivered into the state.
Not so for the large sedans, though; for a number of years many drivers to respond to winter perils were faced with choice of trading in the comfort of a sedan for an SUV or truck, or adding an alternate vehicle to the stable.
Chrysler, when it redesigned its 300 model into a full-size, rear-drive four-door for 2005, offered optional AWD. It caught on quickly around here. The Dodge Charger, Ford Taurus and Buick LaCrosse have followed in its tracks. Other popular big cars, such as the Toyota Avalon and Nissan Maxima and Chevrolet Impala, retain their front-wheel-drive-only setup, missing increased sales with AWD.
Nine inches of snow was on the ground and blowing one day last week when we backed the 2016 all-wheel-drive Chrysler 300 sedan from the garage and headed for Jan’s doctor appointment. The 300 maneuvered somewhat predictably and maintained fairly good grip, even on deep-snow and icy inclines.
How successful in these parts has been Chrysler’s offering of AWD for its 300?
I’ve suspected it’s been a dominant force in sales, and asked Kelley Enright, a FiatChryslerAutomobiles communications executive in Chicago, about it. Within an hour, she responded with confirmation of my impressions:
Of Chrysler 300 sales nationally during the past year, 27 percent are equipped with all-wheel drive;
Of Chrysler 300 sales in the Denver/Colorado region, 77 percent are equipped with AWD.
Many of those who venture out in the worst of conditions embrace the benefits of all-wheel control. Driving skill is primary; the AWD is a secondary edge that increases security in this tough-driving part of the country.
The model I drove last week was a ’16 Limited with 300-horsepower, 3.6-liter V-6 engine and 8-speed automatic transmission shifted with a rotary dial on the center console. Its AWD system engages at any speed, splitting torque between front and rear wheels for optimal traction; a fuel-saving feature is a front axle-disconnect function.
The Chrysler also carried Jan and me on a less-cold evening to Denver, where we helped recognize David Muramoto as new president of the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press (RMAP), succeeding Andre Smirnov. It was the annual RMAP Christmas party, in the Bud Wells Board Room of the Colorado Automobile Dealers’ Bill Barrow Building at Speer and Grant.
The 300 carried a sticker price of $38,385, including a preferred option package of GPS navigation, 8.4-inch touchscreen display, USB ports and integrated voice command with Bluetooth, dual-pane panoramic sunroof and remote start.
Jeep Renegade is new small crossover model. (Bud Wells photos)
It’s Italian-built with an all-American name and a nose like a Chinese pug.
The 2015 Jeep Renegade was waiting for us at Denver International Airport on our return from Seattle.
It is the newest model for the fast-growing Jeep brand, competing in the new subcompact crossover category against the Mazda CX-3, Honda HR-V, Chevy Trax and Buick Encore.
It’s a near-twin of the Fiat 500X. Both the Renegade and 500X come off a Fiat Chrysler Automobiles assembly line in Melfi, Italy.
The Renegade’s upright front end.
An optional 2.4-liter, 4-cylinder engine and 9-speed automatic transmission pushed the sticker price of the model I tested, the Renegade Latitude 4X4, to $26,980.
It wouldn’t be a Jeep without some form of four-wheel prowess and that came in the selec-terrain system, which dials capability in normal going, or in snow or sand or mud. It also offers 4WD Lock for adverse conditions. It is the most capable four-wheel-drive setup among the small crossover competitors.
The Jeep is also equipped with push-button start and remote start, backup camera, speed control, automatic headlamps and a 5-inch touchscreen display for audio, with Bluetooth voice command.
The Renegade delivered an average of 23.5 miles per gallon for my travels; it is EPA rated at 21/29.
Decent-sized cargo space of 18.5 cubic feet comes at the expense of rear-seat legroom, which is tight. There is no spare tire and the compact air canister and sealant kit leave storage space beneath the floor of the cargo area where the spare would have been.
Jeep’s been part of American four-wheeling for 75 years, as evidenced by the “Since 1941” script above the display screen in the front dash.
The Jeep rides on Continental CrossContact 215/60R17 tires.
Bob Penkhus at his desk in Colorado Springs. (Bud Wells photo)
Bob Penkhus, president of three dealerships in Colorado Springs featuring brands Volvo, Mazda, Volkswagen and Mitsubishi, has been nominated for the 2016 Time Dealer of the Year award.
He’ll be honored, along with 50 other dealers from around the country, at the 99th annual National Automobile Dealers Association Convention & Exposition April 1 in Las Vegas.
The Time award is one of the automobile industry’s most prestigious and highly coveted honors. Penkhus, 66, was nominated by Tim Jackson, president of the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association.
A 1969 graduate of Cheyenne Mountain High School in Colorado Springs, Penkhus earned a B.S.B.A. in marketing from the University of Denver in 1973. With his business education background, he joined the family Volvo dealership, which was founded by his father Robert in 1956. “It was one of only 10 Volvo franchises in the country when the dealership opened,” Penkhus said. “As a child growing up, I was a permanent fixture around the store, so it was a natural that I would join my father in the business.”
Bob Penkhus opened his own Mazda store in 1973 and in 1977 became president of the Penkhus Motor Co.
Penkhus and his wife, Leslie, have three children and nine grandchildren. For the past 15 years, Bob and Leslie have hosted the Bob Penkhus Hangar Party to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Colorado Springs.
An avid flyer, Penkhus put his skills to good use after the earthquake in Haiti in 2010. He galvanized an effort to carry doctors, nurses and medical supplies to the country on his private plane. He also raises money for and supports many other charities.
Penkhus succeeds Scott Ehrlich of Greeley as Colorado Time Dealer of the Year. First winner of the award was Russ Lyon of Boulder in 1970.
The Alfa Romeo 4C Spider in Denver’s City Park. (Bud Wells photos)
Most impressive in style at the Denver Auto Show last spring, in my observation, were the Nissan Maxima and the new Alfa Romeo 4C Coupe.
The Spider (roadster) version of the Alfa Romeo came my way recently and provided one of the most fun drives of the year.
The Spider was the fourth consecutive rear-wheel-drive model on my schedule, following the Mazda Miata, Cadillac ATS and the Infiniti Q50 in Seattle. More than 90 percent of the cars I review are front-drive or all-wheel drive.
The 2015 4C Spider and Coupe are the first Alfa Romeos sold in the U.S. in 20 years. I last drove one in 1995, the 164 Saloon (sedan), a heavy four-door with a 3.0-liter V-6 engine.
The Alfa 4C is small and light and exciting to drive. What it lacks in comfort (it is a rough ride) and power, it compensates in style – it is one of the world’s best-looking sports cars. It sits low, with wide, muscular rear haunches.
A mid-engine, 237-horsepower, 1.7-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder and 6-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission send the Spider 0 to 60 in 4.1 seconds; it has been tested at 160 miles per hour tops. It is rated at 258 lb.-ft. of torque, a fact loudly proclaimed by the racing exhaust setup. Large Brembo four-piston brake calipers lend great stopping power.
It has no power steering, which removes much of the oversteer tendency in performance maneuvers. An attempt to turn the wheel, though, from a dead stop can become a test of muscle power.
Throttle response and quickness of shifts can be adjusted with switches between natural, all-weather, dynamic and race modes.
Cruise moderately and the 4C will deliver high fuel mileage. It is rated at 24/34 miles per gallon; my overall average was 25.3.
The Alfa Romeo 4C, part of the Fiat and Chrysler Group, is built in the Maserati plant in Modena, Italy.
Alfa Romeo has capacity to build only 3,000 of the 4Cs per year. Only 1,000 per year will be sold in the U.S.
The two-seater Spider’s tight cabin is tough to access and exit, compounded by the very high side sills.
Though its wheelbase is only 2.5 inches longer than the new Mazda Miata, the Alfa’s turn circle is over 40 feet, 10 feet wider than the Miata. Sport suspensions take a toll.
Directly behind the Alfa’s rear engine is a small trunk.
The Alfa features a roll-up targa-type top, which can then be stowed in a small 3.7-cubic-feet trunk, directly behind the engine. Of course, with the top on, it is difficult to see out the back, and there is no rearview camera.
A carbon fiber monocoque adds to stiffness of the Alfa’s body; aluminum is used in the front and rear frames. The Spider weighs only 2,487 pounds.
A sticker price of $77,195 included rosso (red) tricoat exterior finish, sport seats, Pirelli racing tires, racing exhaust, red brake calipers and Spider track package.
Here are the specifications for the ’15 Alfa Romeo 4C Spider:
