Fast moving into a popular role among the Ram’s wide lineup of light-duty 1500 trucks is the Rebel.

The sturdy-looking crew cab with a 5-foot-7 bed delivers a comfortable ride, while building a strong offroad reputation.

Highlighting the Rebel’s second year on the Colorado scene is one finished in Mojave sand exterior color; the earliest of only 1,500 to be built in that paint scheme began arriving three months ago.

With the limited run of those of Mojave sand, few will have an opportunity to own one. Never fear, the Rebel is being sold in six other colors, too.

One of the rare Rebels, Mojave sand, was delivered to me a few days ago. I’d already driven one – my son and daughter-in-law, Dale and Sandy Wells, purchased one several weeks ago.

RAM lettering across the front of the Rebel’s huge nose is along the lines of the FORD lettering out front of the big, tough Raptor, for which the Rebel has become chief rival.

Optional features that lend appeal, making the Rebel competitive with the tough Ford Raptor, include:

• Its 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 with 8-speed automatic transmission turns out 395 horsepower and 410 lb.-ft. of torque.
• Push-buttons on the dash engage four-wheel-lock and four-wheel-low-range, or move the drive back to rear-wheel.
• With its four-corner air suspension and coil springs, the Rebel may outride its competition.
• The height of the truck can be raised or lowered 3 inches with push of a button. The lower level will aid entry and exit; the upper may be appropriate in offroading.
• An Alpine premium sound system lends pleasant entertainment, including integrated voice command with Bluetooth, SiriusXM satellite radio, nine speakers with subwoofer.
• And, getting down to ground-level basics, the fabric on the interior seats displays the tread pattern of the big Toyo Open Country LT285/70R17 tires.

The Rebel, on a wheelbase of 140 inches, is 229 inches in overall length and its curb weight is approximately 5,400 pounds. The power range of the Hemi V-8 and 8-speed transmission is smooth; it carries an EPA fuel estimate of 15/21 miles per gallon. My overall average was 17.3. I failed to approach 21 mpg on level highway runs.

In place of paddle shifters to do a manual-mode upshift and downshift of the gears are two buttons within reach of the driver’s right thumb on the front of the steering wheel.

Front and rear skid plates offer protection of the undercarriage’s valuable works.

Inside, along with lots of storage compartments are two deep bins, one on each side of the rear-seat floor beneath the floor mats.

Helping to push the Rebel’s price from a base of $47,095 to sticker of $56,250 are RamBox cargo areas built into the bed sides. Also included are spray-in bedliner and tonneau cover, step rails, dual rear exhaust, navigation, rearview camera, power-folding side mirrors, speed control and remote start.

Base engine is a 305-hp, 3.6-liter V-6. The Hemi, though, seems better suited to the Rebel, considering its size and performance expectations.

With dual rear wheels and turbodiesel engine, 2017 Ram 3500 4X4 is up for towing or hauling. (Bud Wells photo)I slowed the big, black truck down for a turnaround in the rural road, with the engine singing, n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n, nice and low and so much quieter than just a few years back. Even with a wide turnout, I came close to the opposite fenceline in circling around the other direction. “That was close,” said Jan, though I had half-a-foot to spare.

The truck’s turn path was at least 50 feet wide. Wow.

It’s the 2017 Ram 3500 Crew Cab 4X4 Long Box, measuring 259 inches from front bumper to rear; more than 21 ½ feet, almost 4 feet longer than the old Lincoln Town Car. Its dual rear wheels measure slightly more than 8 feet wide from outside wheel to outside wheel.

Under the hood is the 6.7-liter Cummins turbodiesel inline-6-cylinder that produces an amazing 900 lb.-ft. of torque at 1,700 rpm and 385 horsepower, with an Aisin 6-speed automatic transmission. Add an optional 4:10 rear axle ratio and the Ram’s tow capacity climbs into the 30,000-pound rate.

The 900 torque mark lifts the Ram right up there in one of the most competitive markets among U.S. manufacturers, the heavy-duty pickups. Ford claims 925 torque with its Power Stroke 6.7-liter V-8 turbodiesel and Chevy and GMC are at 910 torque with their Duramax 6.6-liter V-8 turbodiesel.

They’ve all gotten much quieter; still heard, but the clatter is gone.

The bed of the Ram dually’s 8-foot box is set up for gooseneck ball and safety chain anchor kit. It is also equipped with leaf springs and self-leveling rear air suspension. Tires are Nexen Roadian LT235/80R17.

Push the starter button in the Ram and, unless it has been running recently, the turbodiesel will hesitate two or three seconds to heat the air in the cylinders, then start. If the engine is still warm from running, it will start immediately with touch of the starter.

Lift the edge of the floor mat on either side of the truck’s rear seating area and, surprisingly, there is a lid which opens to a deep bin for a variety of storage possibilities, even room for a six-pack of Coca-Cola. In addition, there are six cupholders in the front seat, and upper and lower glove box, two center console bins and a covered compartment, and saddle bags on the rear of the front seatbacks. Adding luxury are leather-covered grab handles.

Curb weight of the dually diesel is over 7,000 pounds, which helps to explain the Ram’s overall fuel mileage average of only 13.1 miles per gallon.

Base price is $58,395 for the Ram 3500 Limited Crew Cab 4X4 with the 8-foot long box. Add $13,000 for the diesel/Aisin tranny/dual rear wheels, $1,595 for auto level rear suspension, $1,095 for sunroof and $3,200 for a Limited package of automatic high-beam headlamps, heated steering wheel, cooled and heated front seats and heated second-row seats; all this pushes the sticker price to $79,965, or rounded out – $80,000.

The Cummins turbodiesel is an $8,700 option; base is the 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 gasoline engine with 383 horsepower and 400 lb.-ft. of torque. Pricing for a gasoline-version Ram 3500 with single-rear wheels begins at $37,000.

Mannerisms of a smaller vehicle were credited to the big Ford truck after it carried me through the foothills near Masonville and over some of the Green Ridge roads north of the Big Thompson Canyon in Larimer County.

It’s the re-done 2017 F-250 Super Duty pickup. Nimble as it performs, it is big-time tough and Ford intends it to lead the all-American heavy-duty market. It supports that perceived crown with its 6.7-liter Power Stroke V-8 turbodiesel engine, which produces 925 lb.-ft. of torque and 440 horsepower.

That torque mark edges its rivals, the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra Duramax turbodiesel ratings of 910 lb.-ft. and 445 horsepower and Ram’s Cummins’ 6.7-liter inline-6 turbodiesel’s 900 torque and 385 horsepower.

The single-rear-wheels Super Duty is the King Ranch edition of the 4X4 Crew Cab model, finished in white gold exterior.

It’s beneath that beautiful paint job, though, that lies one of the bigger changes for 2017 – an all-aluminum body. The body of aluminum introduced to the F-150 in 2015 has now been extended to the three-quarter-ton and one-ton Fords for this year. It saves 350 pounds.

The lighter body rides on a new fully-boxed steel frame, which increases payload and tow capacity for Ford. The frame rails are 1.5 inches taller and the high-strength steel is approximately 24 percent stiffer than the previous frame. Fifth-wheel gooseneck towing can reach 21,000 pounds.

Curb weight for the F-250 is around 7,000 pounds on a wheelbase of almost 160 inches, with a bed length of 6-feet-10 and width between the wheel wells of 4 feet, 2 ½ inches.

LED lights frame the headlamps on each side of the large grille. Open the driver door into the renewed cabin and a 6 ½-inch-width running board extends from beneath the frame edge for easy step-in.

Push a button and the wide-out side mirrors will fold in against the truck. Another button will extend the mirrors a couple inches farther out for improved rear view.

Java-colored leather seating is heated and ventilated in front and heated in the rear. The roomy interior will seat as many as six passengers. An 8-inch display screen covers navigation, audio and rearview camera. The ring atop the two cupholders in the center console can be slid toward the driver to double  capacity to four cups.

The turbodiesel with the 6-speed automatic transmission is a strong hill-climber in the lower gears. It will cruise a rolling highway at 18 miles per gallon of diesel fuel (34-gallon tank); in the city and up and down hills, the average will fall noticeably. My overall average with the truck was 15.9 mpg.

Base price for an F-250 Super Duty 4X4 begins in the mid-$30s; base on the Crew Cab King Ranch goes all the way up to $57,455.  Add the turbodiesel at $8,595 and other options, such as chrome package, 20-inch aluminum wheels, lane-keeping alert and spray-in bedliner, and the sticker price reaches $76,275.

The King Ranch has long been a favorite edition for high-end Ford trucks. The legendary ranch, which dates back more than 160 years in south Texas, covers 825,000 acrees.

Jump head- Hybrid market shows slight gain in ‘16

By Bud Wells

Dating way back to its introduction 16 years ago, the Acura MDX maintains a lofty ranking as one of the most pleasant performers of seven-passenger luxury-model SUVs.

The MDX competes fairly equitably in price, too, with three-row SUV offerings from the Buick Enclave, Infiniti QX60 and Volvo XC90, a tier below the three-row premium luxuries from Mercedes, BMW, Audi and Lexus.

The comfort of its upgraded interior and smoothness of its 290-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 engine (no turbocharging) make the MDX review model’s sticker price of $57,340 seem not so out of line, compared with the others.

Did someone say “excellent fuel economy?” I did three years ago when I drove the ’14 version of the MDX up Poudre Canyon and back and averaged an impressive 25.7 miles per gallon.

This one, though, averaged 20.1 in a split of highway cruising and stop-and-go town maneuvers; at that rate, might as well slip a turbo in there and gain some low-end performance. I would expect higher mpg readings, for the MDX’s cylinder deactivation cuts down to use of only three cylinders in coasting, a boost in highway economy.

A new 9-speed automatic transmission was added to the MDX in the past year, mated to the 3.5 V-6, and engaged with use of push-buttons and a pull-switch for reverse. Separate buttons are pushed for Park and Neutral; the most-dominant one is round and lighted and for Drive, of course.

“Sport,” “comfort” and “normal” modes alter throttle response and steering effort, and paddle shifters on the steering wheel hand the driver greater control of gearing shifts in sport mode. The three driving modes are not so noticeably apart in performance as some rival models; Acura maintains its smoothness with all three.

Built in Lincoln, Ala., the Acura weighs a bit less than 4,300 pounds on a wheelbase of 111 inches and overall length of 194.2 inches. Its all-wheel-drive system is capable of accelerating the outer rear wheel faster than the front wheels to help in gaining proper direction of the vehicle. It rides on Continental 245/50R20 tires.

Up-front enhancements of the cabin are heated and cooled, perforated leather seats, neatly stitched with white piping, and wood and chrome trim. A large storage bin is positioned behind well-positioned cupholders in the center console. A dual-screen infotainment system features navigation at the upper display and audio/climate touch controls in the lower. Voice-activation and real-time traffic are included with navigation, and with the audio are ELS Studio, Sirius XM, Pandora and Bluetooth. Steering wheel is heated.

Second-row seating includes a center console between captain chairs, heated, with door sunshades. Push a button on the outside of the second-row seats, they will fold and slide forward to create an opening into the far-back third row, where seating space is somewhat tight.

Behind that back row is 14.9 cubic feet of cargo room, which is smaller than the Enclave, QX60 or XC90. Fold the third row and the Acura expands to 38 cubic feet.

Power moonroof and tailgate and all-round camera view are included in the $57k MKX with AWD and Advance package. Adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist are also included.

Hybrids in 2016

Sales of gas/electric hybrids, battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids in the past year barely surpassed their 2015 totals in the U.S. market, accounting for approximately 2.9 percent of total new car, SUV and light truck sales for 2016.

Sales of the alternatives went from 498,718 in 2015 to 504,210 in the past year. Seventy-five models recorded sales during the year.

Big gains in ’16 over the previous year were by the Ford Fusion among hybrids, the Tesla S and
X among battery electrics and Chevrolet Volt and Ford Fusion Energi among plug-in hybrids.

The Toyota Prius Liftback, runaway leader  in hybrid sales since its introduction in 2000, saw its total for 2016 slip by 13 percent, from 113,829 sales in 2015 to 98,863 the past year. Still, the Prius was more than 50,000 sales ahead of the second strongest seller of hybrids, the Toyota RAV4.

Sales of light-duty diesel models took a sharp drop in 2016, after popular Volkswagen TDIs were taken off the market over an emissions-cheating scandal in September of 2015. Biggest sellers of light-duty diesels the past year were by the Ram 1500 pickup and Ford Transit van.

Top sellers of alternative-fueled vehicles in the U.S. in 2016:

HYBRIDS

Toyota Prius Liftback 98,863; Toyota RAV4 45,070; Ford Fusion 33,648; Toyota Camry 22,227; Toyota Prius C 20,452; Hyundai Sonata 18,961; Toyota Prius V 14,840; Ford C-Max 11,877; Honda Accord 9,179; Lexus CT200h 8,903; Lexus RX400 8,561; Toyota Avalon 8,451; Lexus ES 7,645; Lincoln MKZ 7,219; Kia Optima 6,142; Toyota Highlander 5,976; Chevrolet Malibu 4,335; Lexus NX 2,842; Honda CR-Z 2,338; Subaru XV Crosstrek 2,173.

PLUG-IN HYBRIDS

Chevrolet Volt 24,739; Ford Fusion Energi 15,938; Ford C-Max Energi 7,957; BMW X5 5,995; Audi A3  4,280; Hyundai Sonata 3,000; Toyota Prius Prime 2,474; Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid 2,111; Volvo XC90 2,020; BMW i8 1,594.

BATTERY ELECTRICS

Tesla S 29,156; Tesla X 18,028; Nissan Leaf 14,006; BMW i3 7,625; Volkswagen e-Golf 3,937; Fiat 500e 3,897; Kia Soul EV 1,728; Ford Focus EV 872; Smart for Two EV 657; Mercedes B-Class electric 632.

LIGHT-DUTY DIESELS

Ram pickup 55,209; Ford Transit 50,137; Chevrolet Colorado 8,595; Jeep Grand Cherokee 4,253; GMC Canyon 3,936; Range Rover Sport 3,282; Range Rover 2,515; BMW X5 1,725; BMW 3-series 1,462; Jaguar F-Pace 1,044.

I’m a hands-on driver, as most of us are, and haven’t gotten overly anxious about driverless cars.

I got a touch, though, of autonomous driving (oxymoron?) with the arrival of Audi’s restyled Q7.

It took Audi 10 years to restyle its Q7 flagship SUV; it took me the better part of an hour and about 50 miles to forget all about that and become actively engaged instead in its high-tech electronic advances. They’re somewhat of a next-generation marvel, if not yet quite perfected.

Heading into a near-60-degree turn on Colo. 392, I turned loose of the steering wheel and removed my foot from the accelerator. The 2017 Audi Q7 read the traffic sign and quickly slowed speed to the posted 45 miles per hour, then its active lane assist took control and turned the Q7 inward upon approaching the road-edge stripe and completed the turn before straightening the car’s path down the highway.

Yes, the Audi reads the traffic signs and responds accordingly. If I’m rolling along with the car’s active cruise set on 70, and I approach a posted sign reducing speed to 55, I know the system will in a couple of seconds quickly slow the Q7 to 55 and re-set the cruise speed to the same 55 mph.

It’s an interesting step toward the autonomous driving automobile. In making several test-driving runs with the impressive Q7, I removed my hands from the wheel but remained ready to resume control at an instant, for the system isn’t flawless. More than once, the lane-assist system allowed the SUV to wander past the line along the right side of the highway and I took the wheel as a warning in the message center read: “Driver take hold of steering wheel.” Perhaps the painted line had faded past the point of detection, allowing the veer toward the ditch.

I was at the Detroit Auto Show in 2003, when Audi unveiled the Pikes Peak quattro concept. It was Audi’s first attempt at a sport utility vehicle, and company officials said, “We’ll be studying public opinion very closely.” The Q7 evolved two years later, going on sale as a 2006 model.

Coloradans were momentarily disappointed, of course, when the SUV showed up with the Q7 designation, rather than Pikes Peak. The Q7 quickly found favor in these parts for its roominess and all-wheel-drive performance.

The Q7 is a strong competitor to other European-based SUVs, the BMW X5, Volvo XC90, Mercedes GLE and Range Rover Sport, as well as the Lincoln MKX, Cadillac XT5 and Acura MDX.

The Audi flagship SUV is built in Bratislavia, Slovakia, near the Austrian border.

The ’17 Q7 3.0T quattro tiptronic is a seven-passenger SUV, with performance from a 333-horsepower, 325 lb.-ft. torque V-6, supercharged, and tied to an 8-speed automatic transmission with all-wheel drive.

Three-fourths of my drive time was on the highway and the Q7 averaged 23.2 miles per gallon. Its EPA estimate is 19/25.

Inside, near the shifter, is a touchpad, which lends control for a large audio/navigation display screen high on the dash, a far reach for driver or front-seat passenger. The Bose surround-sound pleasantly entertained us; to gain an even higher level of concert enjoyment, opt for the pricey Band & Olufsen audio system.

Sticker price on the model I reviewed was $68,925, though the higher-end Q7 can reach $80k.

Only 2 ½ weeks away is the 2017 Denver Auto Show, one of the most long-standing and heavily attended annual attractions in the Rocky Mountain region. It will open on Wednesday, April 5, at the Colorado Convention Center.

Heading toward the Colorado Convention Center and the big Denver Auto Show after a week in my possession was the roomy, stylish CX-9 SUV crossover, which represents Mazda as its flagship model.

The CX-9 in snowflake white pearl metallic is one of more than 500 new cars, trucks and SUVs showing the finest exterior finishes seen in an automotive setting.

At 200 inches in length, the ’17 CX-9 is an imposing sight, from its big grille out front to the sharply sloped rear window with spoiler over the top. It is a seven-passenger carrier with three rows of seating.

I found favor with the CX-9 in its original form, a 2007 model, which on a cold, icy New Year’s Eve delivered us safely to a party, displaying excellent grip from its all-wheel-drive system.

A major innovation in the new one is scrapping of the old V-6 engine in favor of a Skyactiv-G turbocharged 2.5-liter, 4-cylinder, a challenge considering the 4,325-pound curb weight of the CX-9.

Mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission with sport and manual-mode shift capability, the 227-horsepower (310 lb.-ft. torque) 4-cylinder isn’t particularly powerful at the low end of the torque thrust but delivers very adequately through the midrange performance.

The CX-9, which is rated at 20/26 miles per gallon of regular-grade fuel, averaged 22.6 in my travels.

With added insulation beneath the floor of the new one, its elegant interior is quiet. The Mazda CX-9 competes with the Chevy Traverse, Dodge Durango, Ford Flex, Toyota Highlander and Honda Pilot.

Safety improvements such as front side-impact airbags and air curtains, roll-stability control, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and lane-departure warning are included in the $43,610 sticker price for the Mazda.

The CX-9 review model was the well-equipped Grand Touring. Other trim levels are the less-expensive Sport and Touring and the upper-end Signature.